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My Sister Is 35 Years Old..she Has Been Visiting A

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Posted on Wed, 31 Oct 2018
Question: my sister is 35 years old..she has been visiting a shrink for the last year and she was diagnosed with mild depression..the dr. prescribed Cipralex for her..she has been taking it regularly for 6 months or so..1 pill a day..20 mg.. now she can't see that dr. again for some reason but she wants to stop taking Cipralex gradually so she doesn't suffer from withdrawal symptoms what should she do please? thank you.
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Answered by Dr. Dr. Ashok Kumar Choudhary (2 hours later)
Brief Answer:
Gradual reduction can be attempted after few months

Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for using Healthcaremagic.

I read your query and understand your concerns.

First of all I like to inform you that a typical episode of depression (first episode) believed to last fr six to nine months and for the same reason it is recommended that the treatment should be continued for nine to 12 months for index depressive episode. I mean to say that at the six months it is too early to stop medication as the chances of relapse after discontinuation are high.

Secondly as a psychiatrist when we decide to discontinue cipralex we take following approach. It is recommended to decrease 25% every week taking four weeks to withdraw it completely. So when she plans to discontinue it is advisable to decrease 5 mg every week as she is taking 20 mg per day.

Hope I am able to answer your concerns.
If you have any further query, I would be glad to help you.
If not, you may close the discussion and if possible you may rate the answer for my future patients.
In future if you wish to contact me directly, you can use the below mentioned link:
http://doctor.healthcaremagic.com/doctors/dr-ashok-kumar/67386
Thanks and regards.
Note: For further guidance on mental health, Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj
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Answered by
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Dr. Dr. Ashok Kumar Choudhary

Psychiatrist

Practicing since :2000

Answered : 3355 Questions

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My Sister Is 35 Years Old..she Has Been Visiting A

Brief Answer: Gradual reduction can be attempted after few months Detailed Answer: Hello, Thanks for using Healthcaremagic. I read your query and understand your concerns. First of all I like to inform you that a typical episode of depression (first episode) believed to last fr six to nine months and for the same reason it is recommended that the treatment should be continued for nine to 12 months for index depressive episode. I mean to say that at the six months it is too early to stop medication as the chances of relapse after discontinuation are high. Secondly as a psychiatrist when we decide to discontinue cipralex we take following approach. It is recommended to decrease 25% every week taking four weeks to withdraw it completely. So when she plans to discontinue it is advisable to decrease 5 mg every week as she is taking 20 mg per day. Hope I am able to answer your concerns. If you have any further query, I would be glad to help you. If not, you may close the discussion and if possible you may rate the answer for my future patients. In future if you wish to contact me directly, you can use the below mentioned link: http://doctor.healthcaremagic.com/doctors/dr-ashok-kumar/67386 Thanks and regards.