It is very important that you discuss with your healthcare professional what to expect with treatment and especially treatment duration. Antidepressants generally take 4 to 6 weeks to have an effect, so don’t give up on the medication immediately. See you healthcare professional for a regular checkup during the first 6 weeks to determine whether the treatment is working. Sometimes you may need to start on a lower dose and taper the dosage upwards to reach the medication’s full effectiveness.

Talk to your healthcare professional if you experience side effects from your antidepressant medication; he or she may suggest one of the following approaches:

• Starting the medication at a low dose and slowly tapering it up
• Sticking to low doses of the medication and adding in another medication for an increased effect, if needed
• Taking the medication at a different time of the day. To reduce, for example, the feeling of tiredness or sleepiness, you might try taking the medication at night instead of in the morning.
• Try a different medication

If you have no improvement at all in your symptoms your healthcare professional will recommend trying a different medication or perhaps even adding a second medication to augment the effect of the first. If you are changing from one medication to another, it is important to slowly taper down the dose of one before starting the other. Stopping a medication abruptly can cause unpleasant side effects, including dizziness, nervousness, or insomnia due withdrawal. You should also have a break between stopping a drug and starting a new one for depression. This time period is called the “wash out” period. Your healthcare professional will be able to advise you on the duration of the wash out period.

A process of “trial and error” is to be expected when trying to find the most effective treatment for your depression symptoms. Be aware that some people do not respond to common antidepressant medications and they may need other treatments like multiple medications and/or electroconvulsive therapy (described below).

Your healthcare professional will be able to advise you on how long to stay on your antidepressant. Usually for people with moderate-to-severe depression a period of at least 2 years is recommended, after which time your healthcare professional can assess whether you need to remain on it. Some people may need to stay on it long-term, for example, if they have ongoing symptoms, have ongoing stressful situations in their life, or have comorbidities like other mental health conditions.

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