Fluoxetine

Shares rank 5 of 11 antidepressants by recommenders

People say it is safe and effective, has been life changing for some, and fixed sleep problems for one user.

6 people gave an opinion

recommend it: 6
criticize it: 0
approval share: 100%

Each figure is one person. RecommendsCriticizes

Recommended in 5 of 13 months

November 2025: recommended
December 2025: not recommended
January 2026: not recommended
February 2026: not recommended
March 2026: recommended
April 2026: not recommended
May 2026: not recommended
June 2026: recommended
July 2026: recommended
August 2026: recommended
September 2026: not recommended
October 2026: not recommended
November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)

Why it doesn’t carry the badge

6 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
Recommended in 5 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.

The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works

What people say about it

The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.

Why people recommend it

Each mark is one comment

Safe and effective, WHO endorsed
“it has proven to be safe and effective enough that WHO believes it should be readily available in every healthcare system”
Comment from 22 Nov 2025 in “Prozac 'no better than placebo' for treating children with depression, experts”
“I work in mental health, I assure you fluoxetine works very well”
Comment from 25 Nov 2025 in “Prozac 'no better than placebo' for treating children with depression, experts”
Life changing, sometimes curative results
“fluoxetine was life changing (and potentially life saving) for her”
Comment from 21 Nov 2025 in “Prozac 'no better than placebo' for treating children with depression, experts”
“Fluoxetine cured him completely and he was incredibly grateful”
Comment from 29 Aug 2026 in “Doctors are finally learning to manage antidepressant withdrawal”

Other antidepressants people recommend

The four most recommended other antidepressants, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.

Fluoxetine compared with 4 alternatives
Product	Recommend	Criticize	Approval	Months	Owned	Badge
Ketamine	12	5	71%	7	—	Approved
Prozac	12	28	30%	4	15 yrs3 owners	—
Bupropion	12	3	80%	4	3 yrs3 owners	Approved
Lexapro	8	4	67%	2	—	—
FluoxetineThis page	6	0	100%	5	—	—

See all 11 antidepressants, ranked

What people said

6 of the 7 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.

“Fluoxetine cured him completely and he was incredibly grateful”

RecommendsComment from 29 Aug 2026 in “Doctors are finally learning to manage antidepressant withdrawal”

“At least fluoxetine fixed my sleeping habits.”

MixedComment from 15 Jul 2026 in “Prioritize mental health, and why communication is so important”

“Glp-1 doesn't work in stress related obesity.”

RecommendsComment from 21 Mar 2026 in “Heart Attack and Stroke Risk Jumps When People Stop Taking GLP-1s”

“I work in mental health, I assure you fluoxetine works very well”

RecommendsComment from 25 Nov 2025 in “Prozac 'no better than placebo' for treating children with depression, experts”

“it has proven to be safe and effective enough that WHO believes it should be readily available in every healthcare system”

RecommendsComment from 22 Nov 2025 in “Prozac 'no better than placebo' for treating children with depression, experts”

“fluoxetine was life changing (and potentially life saving) for her”

RecommendsComment from 21 Nov 2025 in “Prozac 'no better than placebo' for treating children with depression, experts”

Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.