Patient/caregiver was educated on how to take Fluoxetine as follows:

1. Take the medication at the same time, every day, to avoid forgetting the medication. Taking the medication at regularly spaced intervals helps to maintain appropriate blood levels of fluoxetine needed to derive the desired beneficial effects and also prevent toxicity with the medication.
2. Maintain strict compliance with intake of the medication as ordered, with regards to dosage and frequency, to derive the benefit of the medication.
3. Do not change the dose on this medication without consulting your doctor.
4. This medication can induce some nausea and vomiting, when taken on empty stomach. Taking the medication with a glass of water and some food or snack can help avoid these unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms.
5. Fluoxetine can induce some dizziness and make one drowsy. Starting the medication at a low dose and gradually increasing the dose, to help optimum control of your symptoms, can contribute to reducing the risk for drowsiness and dizziness due to the medication. If the dizziness becomes bothersome, report it to your physician and other health care personnel, for any change in plan of care to be considered. Stay away from activities, such as, driving and operating heavy machinery, until they are used to the side effects caused by fluoxetine.
6. Take the regular pill as a whole. If you encounter difficulty swallowing the whole regular pill, you may cut the pill and swallow it in pieces with a glass of water. You may also crush the pill and sprinkle the powder on a spoonful of soft jelly or applesauce and swallow the jelly or sauce along with the medication.
7. If you are prescribed fluoxetine as a delayed-release capsule, swallow the capsule as a whole and do not cut or crush the capsule. Cutting or crushing the delayed-release capsule can result in rapid absorption of the drug into the blood stream, thus resulting in toxicity and compromised therapeutic effects. If you encounter difficulty swallowing the whole delayed-release capsule, report to your doctor on this issue for any suggestion.
8. When taking fluoxetine as an oral syrup/suspension, use a measuring spoon/cup to measure the correct dose being taken, in order to avoid risk for over/under dosing.
9. Fluoxetine takes some time to fairly balance the chemicals in the brain, before any improvement in mood and behavior are noted. It could take about 3 – 6 weeks to see this change in mood. So, do not discontinue taking the medication without your physician’s consult, as you failed to see the improvement with depressive symptoms immediately after taking the medication.
10. Fluoxetine only helps with managing the depressive symptoms, by affecting the fine balance between the chemical neurotransmitters in the brain and is not a permanent cure. So, continue taking fluoxetine, even if your mood feels better. Discontinuing the medication abruptly can result in disruption of this chemical balance in the brain, resulting in onset of severe withdrawal and depressive symptoms.
11. As the balance between the chemicals in the brain has to be finely regulated to help relieve the anxiety and depressive symptoms and experience feelings of well-being, the dose of fluoxetine also needs to be finely regulated, in order to accomplish this goal.
12. Your physician could change the dose of fluoxetine, based on the response and side-effects developed. Maintain compliance with follow-up physician appointments and be accommodative to the plan of dose changes, until you show an optimum response.
13. Notify your doctor of any unresolved and worsening anxiety and depressive symptoms or continuing unpleasant side-effects, so that, your dosage on the medication could be revised.
14. Fluoxetine interacts with a lot of other medications. If you are being newly started on fluoxetine, discuss with your physician regarding all your current medications and their safety with fluoxetine. Also, notify your physician regarding any current fluoxetine intake, if you are being started on any new medications and discuss their safety with fluoxetine.
15. Sudden discontinuation of fluoxetine intake, after prolonged use, can result in onset of severe withdrawal symptoms, such as, exacerbation of hallucinations, mood swings, changes with appetite and sleep, and worsening of anxiety and depression symptoms. Discontinuation on fluoxetine use must be slow and gradual, using tapering doses, and only on your physician recommendation.
16. If you miss a dose, try taking it at the earliest notice of noncompliance. If it is time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and take the dose scheduled. Do not take an extra dose to try making up for the missed dose. Notify your doctor and other health care personnel regarding your dose noncompliance.