Menopause symptoms are part of a natural biological process experienced by all women as their child-bearing years come to an end. The transition can begin as early as the 30s and last even into the 60s. The symptoms of menopause are not an illness, just a natural consequence of aging. All women experience "the change" in different ways. Some will have no symptoms or only mild issues while others will battle a range of annoying alterations in their body like hot flashes or mood swings than can negatively affect their daily lives.
Prozac is used for endogenous depression that consists of depressed mood, low energy, low self-esteem, changes in appetite or sleep, loss of interest in usual activities, decreased sex drive, extreme fatigue, suicidal thoughts, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, slowed thinking and decreased ability to concentrate.
How does Prozac work?
Like all antidepressants, Prozac is supposed to affect the balance of neurotransmitters (chemical signals) in the brain that control mood. Prozac is the first of a new class of drugs that zeroes in on serotonin and blocks its removal from its site of action on neurons. The serotonin is believed to improve the mood. The resulting increase in brain serotonin is also thought to be responsible for Prozac's adverse effects.
It is not known how long Prozac relieves depression past 6 weeks, since that's as long as it's been studied. This is a problem since it is generally agreed it takes several months or longer of drug therapy to produce the desire results. For this reason, anyone on Prozac should be carefully re-evaluated periodically after 6 weeks.
