Table 1.
| a. Medication Algorithm | |
|---|---|
| Stage | Treatment |
| Stage 0 | No medication |
| Stage 1 | Monotherapy with SSRI |
| Stage 2 | Monotherapy with 2nd SSRI |
| Stage 3 | Monotherapy with non-SSRI |
| Stage 4 | Combination Treatment |
| b. Antidepressant Doses for Depression | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antidepressant | Initial dose (mg/day) |
Target dose to achieve by week 4 (mg/day) |
Dose titration for partial or non- responders (mg/day) |
Usual dose schedule |
| SSRIs | ||||
| Fluoxetine | 10–20 | 20 | 30–60 | q AM |
| Sertraline | 25–50 | 100 | 150–200 | q AM |
| Citalopram | 10–20 | 20 | 30–60 | q AM |
| Escitalopram | 5–10 | 10 | 20–30 | q AM |
| Paroxetine | 10–20 | 20 | 30–50 | q AM |
| Non-SSRIs | ||||
| Bupropion, Bupropion SR | 75–100 | 75–300 | 450 | bid-tid (≤ 150 mg/dose) |
| Bupropion XL | 150 | 300–450 | 450 | q AM |
| Mirtazapine | 15–30 | 30 | 45 | q hs |
| Venlafaxine-XR | 37.5–75 | 75–150 | 225 | q d |
| Duloxetine | 20 | 40–60 | 60 | 20 mg bid 60 mg q d |