Fluoxetine brakes the menstrual cycle: Uncovering the unexpected effect

Fluoxetine is one of the most commonly used antidepressants, classified under selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). It is indicated for the treatment of depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, and eating disorders. The antidepressant effect of fluoxetine is achieved by inhibit...

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Main Authors: Barath Ramanathan, Souganya Vijayan, Perarul Sivakumar, Arun Selvaraj
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2025-01-01
Series:Industrial Psychiatry Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/ipj.ipj_326_24
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author Barath Ramanathan
Souganya Vijayan
Perarul Sivakumar
Arun Selvaraj
author_facet Barath Ramanathan
Souganya Vijayan
Perarul Sivakumar
Arun Selvaraj
author_sort Barath Ramanathan
collection DOAJ
description Fluoxetine is one of the most commonly used antidepressants, classified under selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). It is indicated for the treatment of depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, and eating disorders. The antidepressant effect of fluoxetine is achieved by inhibiting the reuptake of serotonin (5-HT) via the serotonin transporter (SERT) in neurons. Although fluoxetine is generally considered safe and well-tolerated by most patients, this case series describes instances where patients treated with fluoxetine subsequently developed menstrual irregularities. Upon discontinuation of fluoxetine, the menstrual cycles returned to normal. To the best of our knowledge, there is a lack of precise data associating fluoxetine with the onset of menstrual irregularities. This effect may be related to its central serotonergic action via 5-HT action modulates the prolactin, estradiol, and progesterone level. Therefore, physicians should be aware of the potential risk of fluoxetine-induced menstrual irregularities.
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institution Kabale University
issn 0972-6748
0976-2795
language English
publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
record_format Article
series Industrial Psychiatry Journal
spelling doaj-art-290eef4de7c141b8a93187d2c1e4e2922025-08-20T03:52:16ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsIndustrial Psychiatry Journal0972-67480976-27952025-01-0134112612910.4103/ipj.ipj_326_24Fluoxetine brakes the menstrual cycle: Uncovering the unexpected effectBarath RamanathanSouganya VijayanPerarul SivakumarArun SelvarajFluoxetine is one of the most commonly used antidepressants, classified under selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). It is indicated for the treatment of depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, and eating disorders. The antidepressant effect of fluoxetine is achieved by inhibiting the reuptake of serotonin (5-HT) via the serotonin transporter (SERT) in neurons. Although fluoxetine is generally considered safe and well-tolerated by most patients, this case series describes instances where patients treated with fluoxetine subsequently developed menstrual irregularities. Upon discontinuation of fluoxetine, the menstrual cycles returned to normal. To the best of our knowledge, there is a lack of precise data associating fluoxetine with the onset of menstrual irregularities. This effect may be related to its central serotonergic action via 5-HT action modulates the prolactin, estradiol, and progesterone level. Therefore, physicians should be aware of the potential risk of fluoxetine-induced menstrual irregularities.https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/ipj.ipj_326_24fluoxetinemensural irregularitiesssri
spellingShingle Barath Ramanathan
Souganya Vijayan
Perarul Sivakumar
Arun Selvaraj
Fluoxetine brakes the menstrual cycle: Uncovering the unexpected effect
Industrial Psychiatry Journal
fluoxetine
mensural irregularities
ssri
title Fluoxetine brakes the menstrual cycle: Uncovering the unexpected effect
title_full Fluoxetine brakes the menstrual cycle: Uncovering the unexpected effect
title_fullStr Fluoxetine brakes the menstrual cycle: Uncovering the unexpected effect
title_full_unstemmed Fluoxetine brakes the menstrual cycle: Uncovering the unexpected effect
title_short Fluoxetine brakes the menstrual cycle: Uncovering the unexpected effect
title_sort fluoxetine brakes the menstrual cycle uncovering the unexpected effect
topic fluoxetine
mensural irregularities
ssri
url https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/ipj.ipj_326_24
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AT souganyavijayan fluoxetinebrakesthemenstrualcycleuncoveringtheunexpectedeffect
AT perarulsivakumar fluoxetinebrakesthemenstrualcycleuncoveringtheunexpectedeffect
AT arunselvaraj fluoxetinebrakesthemenstrualcycleuncoveringtheunexpectedeffect