SSRI drugs were once hailed as wonder drugs for the treatment of depression and anxiety disorders. They are still regarded as the anti-depressants of choice because of their selective action on the somatic factor of depression-causing mechanism, namely inadequate availability of serotonin in the brain cells. Serotonin is the chief mood-enhancing neurotransmitter in the brain, and SSRIs correct imbalances in their availability to brain cells. Apart from their specifically-targeted therapeutic action, SSRIs are also distinguished for their relatively low toxicity profile. The best example is Lexapro (generic name: escitalopram oxalate), which has even fewer and milder side-effects and heals faster than older SSRIs.

The case for faster action: Even though Lexapro acts faster than other SSRIs on most patients,

it still take two-to-four weeks for the onset of healing effect. Complete healing takes much longer though. Other SSRIs can take six weeks or more to show any discernible healing action. This generally long time for healing to start poses a problem: some patients begin to lose faith in the treatment and become hopeless, which in turn aggravates their already disturbed psychosomatic condition. The aggravation becomes even more accentuated because, in many cases, minor but irritating side-effects start showing up before the healing action is felt. That’s why the quest for better anti-depressants continues.

Does higher dosage help?: SSRIs work by inhibiting the retention of small quantities of serotonin during its flow through the central nervous system. The retention poses

no problem in normal people, but people suffering from depression stand to gain if the retention (or ‘reuptake’) does not happen or is reduced. SSRIs do this, thus making more serotonin available to each brain cell through which it flows. However, retention is normally up to a maximum of 10 per cent of the total serotonin content in the brain. So, even if the inhibition by an SSRI is strong enough to stop the retention, the maximum improvement in serotonin availability cannot be more than 10 per cent.

Therefore, no matter how high the dosage, the serotonin benefit will be limited to 10%. So, not only will higher dosage not expedite and strengthen the healing action of SSRIs, it can

precipitate stronger side-effects. Howsoever manageable or unmanageable these side-effects are, the net result of higher dosage will be: no extra therapeutic benefit but only extra and stronger side-effects.

To conclude, SSRI drugs do not act faster if dosage is increased beyond the maximum recommended by the manufacturer. However, your doctor might vary dosage within the prescribed upper limit depending on the intensity of your condition and his or her own judgment. For example, the highest recommended dosage of Lexapro is 20mg a day, but many patients are prescribed 10mg or 15mg or even as low as 5mg, but rarely above 20mg. Exceeding the maximum labeled dosage can create serious side-effects or other complications. http://www.pdrhealth.com http://www.behindthemedicalheadlines.com http://www.lexaproinfo.org