Giving an antidepressant a fair trial
An antidepressant should be given a fair trial - a full dose for long enough - before it is judged a failure or switched.
The silent should: An antidepressant should be given a fair trial — a full dose for long enough — before it is judged a failure or switched.
In our analysis of de-identified U.S. psychiatric records, this step was missing 53% of the time it should have happened.
This page is information to help you ask questions — it is not medical advice, and you should never start, stop, or change a medication on your own. Bring these questions to your clinician.
Questions for your doctor the next time you see them
Copy a line and ask it — these are questions, never instructions to change treatment.
- Have I been on a full dose of this antidepressant long enough to know if it works?
- What's the plan if it isn't helping after a fair trial?
This page is informational and not medical advice. It describes care patterns across a population, not your situation. Bring these questions to a clinician who knows you.
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