After starting Antidepressant drug, if patient is not improving then when you decide to stop drugs?

After starting Antidepressant drug, if patient is not improving then when you decide to stop drugs?
A . 3-4 weeks
B . 1 day
C . 1 week
D . 2 weeks

View Answer

Answer: A

Explanation:

Some people notice an improvement within a few days of starting treatment.

However, an antidepressant often takes 2-4 weeks to build up its effect and work fully. Some people stop treatment after a week or so thinking it is not helping. It is best to wait for 3-4 weeks before deciding if an antidepressant is helping or not. If poor sleep is a symptom of the depression, it is often helped first, within a week or so. With some types of tricyclic antidepressant, the initial dose that is started is often small and is increased gradually to a full dose. (One problem that sometimes occurs is that some people remain on the initial dose which is often too low to work fully.) If you find that the treatment is helpful after 3-4 weeks, it is usual to continue. A normal course of antidepressants lasts at least six months after symptoms have eased. If you stop the medicine too soon, your symptoms may rapidly return. Some people with recurrent depression are advised to take longer courses of treatment (up to 2 years or longer)