What is the Appropriate
Lexapro Dosage For You?
The appropriate Lexapro dosage depends on several things such as which population subgroup you are from (ie. Child, adolescent, adult, elderly) as well as what you are being treated for. Lexapro is used to treat both major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). So, different doses may be recommended depending on these factors.
Lexapro comes in tablet form in 5 mg, 10 mg, and 20 mg doses. It also comes in an oral, liquid solution. The medication should be taken daily and can be taken with or without food. The best time to take Lexapro is in first thing in the morning or in the evening. With either one you should be consistent each day. So, don’t take it in the morning one day, the evening the next day and so on. Take it the same time each day to maximize the effectiveness of taking the medication.
If you are being treated for MDD, the recommended dose is 10 mg per day. This is recommended for both adolescents as well as adults. Maximum dose is 20 mg per day. If you are an adolescent then you should not increase your dose to 20 mg per day until you have been on the 10 mg daily dose for at least 3 weeks.
If you are an adult, you should be on the 10 mg daily dose for at least a week before increasing to the 20 mg per day. Based on studies that were done, there is no real evidence that indicates that there is any additional benefit by increasing the Lexapro dosage to anything higher than the 20 mg per day.
On-going treatment with this medication should be determined on an individual basis and should be evaluated after you have been taking the medication for 8 weeks or longer.
If you have GAD, then the recommended dosage is the same as stated above for MDD. And, you should be evaluated around 8 weeks after you begin the treatment and every so often afterwards to make sure it is still effective in treating your condition.
For special populations that include the elderly, patients with hepatic impairment or renal impairment the recommended dose is 10 mg per day. Also, if you have severe renal impairment then discuss this with your physician before starting on a Lexapro treatment plan.
Also, if you are already taking an MAOI, pimozide, or you have hypersensitivity to escitalopram or citalopram then the depressed symptoms could worsen and even become suicidal in nature.
Here is some additional information about Lexapro on my site:
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