What is the dosage for anxiety?

[hanshan]

Hi akb,

The dose varies considerably according to the person taking it, but a rough guide is:

0 - 200 mg per day - low dose
200 - 400 mg per day - mid dose
400 - 600 mg per day - upper dose

[akb]

Hi Hanshan

Thanks for the useful info

akb

[Nella131]

My psych advises that 150mg per day is the minimum therapeutic dose for GAD - below that it's probably not going to make much of a difference. That's also consistent with what I have read about it (and that is quite a lot, being a student nurse and also just recently started taking it).

I've been on this dosage now for a couple of weeks (50 morning and 100 evening) - having increased from 50 to 100 to 150 gradually over the last 6 weeks - and it is really significantly making a difference now for me That said, I'm not yet back at college/work, having had to take time out for illness - so I am glad to feel that there is still considerable leeway to adjust the dosage upwards if things become harder with added stress affecting my anxiety.

Hope you (and others reading this) find it a helpful medication also - it's the first for me that has made things distinctly better - and minimal side effects too.

[skymaid]

what side effects did you have if you dont mind me asking?

[akb]

dizziness is the most common side effect but goes away after a couple of weeks

[Nella131]

Skymaidstone, I didn't notice any side effects at all when I started 50mg at night; then just noticed I felt a bit clumsy/dizzy on occasion when I began taking 50mg in the morning in addition to the night dose. Definitely made me feel very drowsy at night to start with as well - but that's not a bad thing for me. It really was very mild compared to what I was expecting (and not as bad as the anxiety itself makes me feel) - and I can't say I notice any side effects at all now (about 5 weeks in).

And it's had none of the awful side effects I've had in the past from all of the SSRI's and other anti-depressants I've been on.

I did have one bad panic attack the first time I took the 100mg at night - which looking back on it was my usual 'oh god what if I'm allergic to this' response (probably because the 100mg came as a different brand and colour..such is the power of the mind!) - but other than that I've had no significant problems at all. I do tend to over-analyse every tiny bodily sensation as a possible 'side effect' (which I expect is a fairly typical GAD thing) - but really, it's been a very 'easy' medication in terms of side effects compared to anything else I've tried - and it's helped my anxiety such a lot.

You can also get 25mg capsules so might be worth seeing if you can get some of those to start on an even lower dose, if you're worried about (or getting) side effects to start with? Hope it goes okay.

[shiznit76]

I've worked up form 25mg/day to 150mg/day, but feel I need more to help yet. Waiting here back from my GP who is taking advice from psych as he is pretty unsure about this drug

[Nella131]

Shiznit76, I think for some people it doesn't have much effect until you're on more like 300-400 - and 150mg is really the very minimum dose, so there is lots of room to increase and hopefully it'll become more helpful. Glad that you have a psych involved to advise your GP (the GP is probably being ultra-cautious if it's not a med they're familiar with).

[shiznit76]

Yes he is being ultra cautious, just hope they talk to each other sooner rather than later

---------- Post added at 11:45 ---------- Previous post was at 09:54 ----------

My psych advises that 150mg per day is the minimum therapeutic dose for GAD - below that it's probably not going to make much of a difference. That's also consistent with what I have read about it (and that is quite a lot, being a student nurse and also just recently started taking it).

I've been on this dosage now for a couple of weeks (50 morning and 100 evening) - having increased from 50 to 100 to 150 gradually over the last 6 weeks - and it is really significantly making a difference now for me That said, I'm not yet back at college/work, having had to take time out for illness - so I am glad to feel that there is still considerable leeway to adjust the dosage upwards if things become harder with added stress affecting my anxiety.

Hope you (and others reading this) find it a helpful medication also - it's the first for me that has made things distinctly better - and minimal side effects too.

What other meds have you tried previously and how long you had GAD? is it GAD and depression>?

[Nella131]

Hi shiznit76 - no, it's just GAD, I am lucky and never suffered with depression.

Meds-wise I've been on all the usual SSRI's (fluoxetine, paroxetine, mirtazapine, sertraline - and more recently escitalopram) plus a tricyclic (amitriptyline) - and nothing has ever really helped the anxiety or the panic attacks I used to get. CBT and psychotherapy helped the most with the panic attacks and I hardly ever get them now. But the GAD has been terrible for the last couple of years - so I am so relieved to find something that actually works.

Used to take propranolol (a beta-blocker) sometimes as well - which helped a bit - but I have had the occasional asthma attack recently so that's not an option any more.

I think some of the anti-depressants like mirtazapine (etc) can be pretty effective if your anxiety is linked with depression - at least that's what my sister and a couple of other people I know have found.