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Can you take antidepressant once a week?
The FDA approved Tuesday a weekly version of the blockbuster medication for the long-term treatment of depression. Prozac is now the only prescription antidepressant with once-a-week dosing.
Can you take antidepressants for a month?
Under American Psychiatric Association guidelines, if you are taking an antidepressant for your first depressive episode, you should stay on it for at least 4 or 5 months after your symptoms of depression stop.
Can you temporarily go on antidepressants?
Although antidepressants are only temporary for most people, you should never stop taking them (or any prescription medication) without the guidance of a doctor. Usually, the best approach is to reduce your dose in increments.
Can you take antidepressants for 2 months?
Take your time. You may be tempted to stop taking antidepressants as soon as your symptoms ease, but depression can return if you quit too soon. Clinicians generally recommend staying on the medication for six to nine months before considering going off it.
What happens if you take antidepressants without depression?
Most antidepressants boost mood and reduce depression symptoms by elevating serotonin levels in the brain. Although this is beneficial for someone who’s depressed, for someone who does not have depression, taking antidepressant medication can cause serotonin to build up in the body, resulting in serotonin syndrome.
How long should one take antidepressants?
Clinicians usually recommend that people continue taking antidepressants for about six months after they begin feeling better. Although it is tempting to stop taking the medication as soon as you feel better, abruptly stopping will greatly increase your risk of relapse.
How long should you take antidepressants for anxiety?
Doses and duration of treatment Antidepressants usually need to be taken for 1 or 2 weeks (without missing a dose) before the benefit starts to be felt. It’s important not to stop taking them if you get some mild side effects early on, as these effects usually wear off quickly.
Are antidepressants worth it?
If you keep taking your medicine, there is a good chance that you will start to feel less depressed and that the side effects will decrease. Most people feel that the benefits of antidepressants are well worth the price of living with some side effects.
Should I start taking my antidepressants again?
If this is the second time you’ve been depressed, you might keep taking the medicine for at least a year. Depression that comes back a third time may require you to continue taking an antidepressant for a longer time. You can get unwanted side effects if you stop taking your antidepressant suddenly.
Do antidepressants lose effectiveness over time?
Answer From Daniel K. Hall-Flavin, M.D. When depression symptoms improve after starting an antidepressant, many people need to continue taking medication long term to prevent symptoms from returning. However, in some people, a particular antidepressant may simply stop working over time.
Do antidepressants increase IQ?
An increase in IQ scores characterized the developmental trajectories of participants receiving treatment with SSRIs, even those with psychotic symptoms. The thickness of frontal regions and hippocampal volume were also relatively increased.