title: Dosing strategies for antidepressant agents.
abstract: In this paper, the author reviews the dosing strategy for each major class of antidepressant drugs. The long-accepted strategy of moving from low to high dosages may need to be revised when the newer serotonergic agents are used to treat depressed patients. Evidence indicates that these drugs may be both better tolerated and more effective at lower dosages. Several studies in support of this hypothesis are reviewed. Possible dosing strategies of serotonergic agents, such as fluoxetine, in the treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder, obesity, and other nondepressive disorders, are also discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass.
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Schatzberg
mesh_terms: D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000188:drug therapy; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents