Dosing strategies for antidepressant agents.

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.