Children who suffer from depression that interferes with their daily functioning or sleep may require antidepressants to help them control their symptoms and resume normal daily activities. Prozac is an antidepressant that can help control major depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder in children and adolescents, according to Drugs.com. Prozac can lead to undesirable side effects in some people, and antidepressants carry a risk of suicidal thinking and behavior in adolescents. Discuss Prozac with your child's doctor and monitor your child carefully after he starts taking the medication so that you recognize dangerous side effects quickly if they occur.
Step 1
Watch your child's breathing and face after he begins taking Prozac. Facial swelling and trouble breathing are often signs of a severe allergic reaction. Seek immediate medical attention for your child if he experiences these symptoms.
Step 2
Monitor your child for hallucinations, fever, gastrointestinal problems, coordination problems and racing heart beat. These are the most common symptoms of Serotonin Syndrome, a potentially fatal condition that can result from taking Prozac, according the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Step 3
Supervise your child's use of other medications, including over-the-counter medications. Prozac can alter the effects of many drugs, including sleep aids, pain killers, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and other psychiatric drugs.
Step 4
Disallow your child to participate in potentially dangerous activities, such as contact sports, riding a bicycle or using any other potentially dangerous toys when she begins taking Prozac. The medication can cause drowsiness and dizziness.
Step 5
Scrutinize your child's behavior to watch for signs of worsening depression, suicidal thoughts or harmful actions. Pay attention to signs of aggression, increasing sadness, self-injury, sleeping changes, anxiety, academic problems and agitation, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Step 6
Schedule follow-up appointments with your child's doctor once a week during the first month of treatment, once every 2 weeks during the second month and a follow-up visit after 12 weeks of taking Prozac to comply with the recommendations of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Tips and Warnings
- Side effects and thoughts of suicide are more likely during the first few months of treatment and whenever your child's doctor changes his dosage. Remain especially vigilant in monitoring your child's behavior during these times.
- Prozac is not approved for use in children under 8 years old for depression or children under 7 for obsessive-compulsive disorder, according to Drugs.com. Report any side effects your child experiences to his doctor. Do not change your child's Prozac dosage or completely stop the medication unless directed to do so by your child's doctor. Changing dosage or suddenly stopping the medication could result in serious side effects.
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