What if lexapro stops working

This all seems counterintuitive, however, in some studies, like the one by Byrne and Rothschild published in Clinical Journal of Psychology , decreasing the dosage of an antidepressant led to positive results.

Your doctor might want to switch medications, either to another drug in the same class or to another class. If the first choice of medication does not provide adequate symptom relief, switching to a new drug is effective about 25 percent of the time. The transition between meds needs to be handled carefully.

Meta-analyses of antidepressant trials of nonchronic patients with major depressive disorder report remission rates of 30 to 45 percent on monotherapy alone. Augmentation drugs considered include dopaminergic agonists i. According to a Canadian Psychology Association report , mild to moderate depression can respond to psychotherapy alone, without medication. They found that psychotherapy is as effective as medication in treating some kinds of depression and is more effective than medication in preventing relapse in some cases.

Also, for some patients, the combination of psychotherapy and medication was more beneficial than either treatment on its own. According to a study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry , adding cognitive therapy to medication for bipolar disorder reduced relapse rates. This study examined patients with bipolar 1 disorder who, despite taking a mood stabilizer, experienced frequent relapses. During a month period, the group receiving cognitive therapy had significantly fewer bipolar episodes and reported less mood symptoms on the monthly mood questionnaires.

They also had less fluctuation in manic symptoms. Persevere until you achieve full remission and feel like yourself again. It will happen. Trust me on that. Taraji P. Accessible Beauty Products For All. BahadirTanriover Getty Images. Your medication was altered on the DL. LIgorko Getty Images. Sergey Tinyakov Getty Images.

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Wilson's disease Wilson's syndrome: An accepted medical diagnosis? Options include another depression medication or the addition of counseling, psychotherapy, mood-boosting cardio exercise, or light therapy to your treatment regimen.

The combination of medication and other mood-brightening treatments can speed your recovery and reduce your overall time on antidepressants, she says. If you feel unusually elated or you become very terse with your spouse, feel noticeably more irritable, or have an uncharacteristic bout of road rage, you probably need to change your antidepressant, he advises.

You may experience some depressive symptoms when discontinuing antidepressants, but this does not mean the depression is returning. Unfortunately, some people stay on their antidepressants longer than needed because the symptoms of discontinuing SSRIs can be mistaken for signs of returning depression.

Work with your doctor to distinguish between the two. You may need to go even slower than a few weeks when tapering off your antidepressant to prevent these withdrawal symptoms. While taking an antidepressant can be very helpful for managing depression, you might not find the right one for you on the first try.

And be on the lookout for any worrisome symptoms while you're taking any antidepressant, Lim advises. Manic episodes, serotonin syndrome, and seizures, for example, need to be evaluated by a doctor ASAP.