Upping your dose?

greatunclebill said...
that's how it works with me and zoloft. you start low and go up as required. i started at 25, asked the doc and went up to 50, then asked the doc and went up to 75, then asked the doc and went up to 100. next appt i'll ask for 125. who knows where it will level out. these drugs are meant to be tapered up to your dose and then tapered off when the time comes. the way i understand it you don't start and stop at high doses, you work your way up and down slowly. talk to the prescribing doctor for sure.

BeRock said...
You go up whenever the low dose stops being effective, usually. For some people that's in weeks or months, for others, it's years. My husband and his doctor just increased his dose of Celexa from 20 mg to 40 mg after 5 years. Next, they'll have to switch him because 40 mg is the maximum dose, but I hope that's a long time in the future, as well.

Sometimes, too, it's time to switch to a different medication. I think, though, it's pretty common for the same dosage/drug to lose its effectiveness after a while. greatunclebill is right - I think these medicines are designed to taper up/down.

Don't be afraid to talk to your doctor about it - my doctor once told me, "You know how you're feeling better than I do. Communication is the key to finding the right dosage."