Will the SSRI Anti-Depressant Medicine Work Faster in a Larger Dose?

SSRI medicine was considered a wonder preparation to heal depression and different forms of anxiety. Even now it is well known for its effectiveness regarding the brain cells, as it helps to increase the serotonin availability. The other advantage is the pointed influence on the physical factor of depression origin. Thus SSRI is considered the most effective group of anti-depressants. As serotonin acts as a main brain neuromediator that influences the mood, SSRI allows to correct its balance in the brain cells. Besides the selective action the SSRI has, it is also known for its quite low toxic influence. One of the best examples of SSRI is the Lexapro (class name: escitalopram oxalate), as it has less by-effects and acts faster than the older SSRI preparations.

Why does it have to work faster?: Lexapro works faster than other preparations of the group for most persons, but still it takes from 2 to 4 weeks to obtain a curing result. And it takes even more time to complete the treatment. At that other SSRI drugs take about 6 weeks or even more to show an effect. Such a long time before getting any result becomes a problem for many patients, as their hope to heal begins to disappear and it causes strengthening of their depressed condition. Another strengthening is caused by the annoying by-effects, which can appear before the curing result. This is the reason why faster action is so important for anti-depressants.

Will a larger dose help?: The SSRI works in the following way: it inhibits the retention of some amounts of serotonin while it comes through the central nervous system. This retention is normal for people with a stable mental state, but causes problem for the depressed people as their mechanism of normal retention is missing or reduced. SSRI makes serotonin available to the cells it gets through. The retention makes maximum 10 percent of the total amount of serotonin in human brain, so even if the SSRI works very well to minimize the retention, the amount of serotonin the cells will become can't be more than 10 percent.

This means that it does not matter, how large the dose is, as the amount of serotonin obtained is always limited to 10 percent. So larger dose will have no curing effect, but can cause strengthening of by-effects. Most of these by-effects can be treated, but the only influence of the larger dose will be no curing effect and stronger by-effects.

To make it clear, SSRI medicine will not fix the problem faster or better, if its dose will be increased beyond the limits prescribed by the doctor and the manufacturer. As for the doctor, he can vary the dosage within the recommended amount basing on the condition of the patient and his individual indications. For example, the maximum recommended dose for Lexapro makes 20 mg in a day, but it is likely for most patients to take 10-15 or even 5 mg a day as it is prescribed by their doctors. Sometimes this dosage gets above 20 mg, but this happens rarely. Please remember, that overdosing can cause stronger by-effects, than regular dosage. It can be also more difficult to treat such complications. That's why it is important to stay within the maximum recommended dosage.