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Hayasaka, 2015 Dose equivalents of antidepressants: Evidence-based recommendations from randomized controlled trials


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Journal of Affective Disorders , Volume 180 , 179 - 184 July 15, 2015
Dose equivalents of antidepressants: Evidence-based recommendations from randomized controlled trials
Hayasaka, Yu et al.
 
Abstract and free full text at http://www.jad-journal.com/article/S0165-0327(15)00151-2/abstract?cc=y=
 
Background
Dose equivalence of antidepressants is critically important for clinical practice and for research. There are several methods to define and calculate dose equivalence but for antidepressants, only daily defined dose and consensus methods have been applied to date. The purpose of the present study is to examine dose equivalence of antidepressants by a less arbitrary and more systematic method.

Methods
We used data from all randomized, double-blind, flexible-dose trials comparing fluoxetine or paroxetine as standard drugs with any other active antidepressants as monotherapy in the acute phase treatment of unipolar depression. We calculated the ratio of the mean doses for each study and weighted it by the total sample size to find the weighted mean ratio for each drug, which was then used to define the drug׳s dosage equivalent to fluoxetine 40 mg/d.

Results
We included 83 studies (14 131 participants). In the primary analysis, fluoxetine 40 mg/day was equivalent to paroxetine dosage of 34.0 mg/day, agomelatine 53.2 mg/day, amitriptyline, 122.3 mg/day, bupropion 348.5 mg/day, clomipramine 116.1 mg/day, desipramine 196.3 mg/day, dothiepin 154.8 mg/day, doxepin 140.1 mg/day, escitalopram 18.0 mg/day, fluvoxamine 143.3 mg/day, imipramine 137.2 mg/day, lofepramine 250.2 mg/day, maprotiline 118.0 mg/day, mianserin, 101.1 mg/day, mirtazapine 50.9 mg/day, moclobemide 575.2 mg/day, nefazodone 535.2 mg/day, nortriptyline 100.9 mg/day, reboxetine 11.5 mg/day, sertraline 98.5 mg/day, trazodone 401.4 mg/day, and venlafaxine 149.4 mg/day. Sensitivity analyses corroborated the results except for doxepin.

Limitations
The number of studies for some drugs was small. The current method assumes dose response relationship of antidepressants.

 

 

Table 1 showing equivalencies to 40mg fluoxetine (Prozac) is here http://www.jad-journal.com/article/S0165-0327%2815%2900151-2/fulltext#s0060

 


From the paper, dosage of fluoxetine 40 mg/day (a high dosage; "normal" dosage of fluoxetine is 20mg) was equivalent to:

  • paroxetine 34.0 mg/day
  • agomelatine 53.2 mg/day
  • amitriptyline, 122.3 mg/day
  • bupropion 348.5 mg/day
  • clomipramine 116.1 mg/day
  • desipramine 196.3 mg/day
  • dothiepin 154.8 mg/day
  • doxepin 140.1 mg/day
  • escitalopram 18.0 mg/day (note: 9mg escilatopram = 20mg fluoxetine, the "normal" dose of fluoxetine)
  • fluvoxamine 143.3 mg/day
  • imipramine 137.2 mg/day
  • lofepramine 250.2 mg/day
  • maprotiline 118.0 mg/day
  • mianserin, 101.1 mg/day
  • mirtazapine 50.9 mg/day
  • moclobemide 575.2 mg/day
  • nefazodone 535.2 mg/day
  • nortriptyline 100.9 mg/day
  • reboxetine 11.5 mg/day
  • sertraline 98.5 mg/day
  • trazodone 401.4 mg/day
  • venlafaxine 149.4 mg/day

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

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This is actually very useful thankyou for posting this.

 

I wonder how much subjective-ness comes into this.

 

Anyway it is interesting to learn how potent reboxetine is.

Thought for the day: Lets stand up, and let’s speak out , together. G Olsen

We have until the 14th. Feb 2018. 

URGENT REQUEST Please consider submitting  for the petition on Prescribed Drug Dependence and Withdrawal currently awaiting its third consideration at the Scottish Parliament. You don't even have to be from Scotland. By clicking on the link below you can read some of the previous submissions but be warned many of them are quite harrowing.

http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/PE01651   

Please tell them about your problems taking and withdrawing from antidepressants and/or benzos.

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Recovering paxil addict

None of the published articles shed light on what ssri's ... actually do or what their hazards might be. Healy 2013. 

This is so true, with anything you get on these drugs, dependance, tapering, withdrawal symptoms, side effects, just silent. And if there is something mentioned then their is a serious disconnect between what is said and reality! 

  "Every time I read of a multi-person shooting, I always presume that person had just started a SSRI or had just stopped."  Dr Mosher. Me too! 

Over two decades later, the number of antidepressant prescriptions a year is slightly more than the number of people in the Western world. Most (nine out of 10) prescriptions are for patients who faced difficulties on stopping, equating to about a tenth of the population. These patients are often advised to continue treatment because their difficulties indicate they need ongoing treatment, just as a person with diabetes needs insulin. Healy 2015

I believe the ssri era will soon stand as one of the most shameful in the history of medicine. Healy 2015

Let people help people ... in a natural, kind, non-addictive (and non-big pharma) way. J Broadley 2017

 

 

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Great info! No more guessing around,

Sadly, lexapro is almost twice the Paxil in potency.

Drug free Sep. 23 2017

2009 Mar.: lexapro 10mg for headache for 2 weeks.

2009-2012: on and off 1/4 to 1/3 of 10mg

2012 June--2013 Jan,: 1/4-1/3 of 10mg generic, bad jaw pain

2013 Jan-Mar: 10 mg generic. severe jaw and head pain;

2013 Mar--Aug. started tapering (liquid ever since) from 10 to 5 (one step) then gradually down to 2.25 mg by July. first ever panic attack, severe head/jaw pain

2013 Aug.: back to 2.75 mg; Nov: back to Brand Lex. 2.75mg -- 3mg,

2014 June: stopped PPI, head pressure/numbness. up-dosed 4.5mg, severe reaction mental symptoms added on

2014 Aug--2015 Aug: Micro taper down to 3.2mg, .025mg (<1%) cut holding 2-3 weeks.

2015 Aug 15th, Accidental one dose of 4.2mg. worsening brain non-functional, swollen head, body, coma like, DR

2016 Feb., started dosing 10am through 11 pm everyday 2/13--3.2mg, 3/15-- 2.9mg, 4/19-- 2.6mg, 6/26--2.2mg, 7/22 --1.9mg, 8/16--1.8mg,8/31--1.7m g, 9/13--1.6mg, 9/27--1.5mg, 10/8--1.4mg, 10/14--1.3mg, 11/1--1.2mg, 11/29--1.1mg, 12/12--1mg, 12/22--0.9mg

2017: 1/7--0.8mg, 1/15--0.7mg, 1/17--0.6mg, 1/20--0.52, 1/21--0.4mg, 1/22--0.26, 1/23--0.2, 2/13--0.13mg, 2/20--0.06mg, 3/18--0.13mg, 6/1--0.12mg, 7/6--0.1mg, 7/14--0.08mg, 8/17--0.04mg, 8/20--0.03mg, 8/28--0.02mg, 9/6--0.0205mg, 9/8--0.02mg, 9/17--0.015mg, 9/20--0.01mg, 9/21--0.0048mg, 9/22--0.0001mg,

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