Lexapro Dosage/Direction for Use

Safety of daily doses >20 mg has not been demonstrated.
Lexapro is administered as a single daily dose and may be taken with or without food.
Major Depressive Episodes: Usual Dosage: 10 mg once daily. Depending on individual patient response, the dose may be increased to a maximum of 20 mg daily.
Usually 2-4 weeks are necessary to obtain antidepressant response. After the symptoms resolve, treatment for at least 6 months is required for consolidation of the response.
Panic Disorder With or Without Agoraphobia: An initial dose of 5 mg is recommended for the 1st week before increasing the dose to 10 mg daily. The dose may be further increased, up to a maximum of 20 mg daily, depending on individual patient response.
Maximum effectiveness is reached after about 3 months. The treatment lasts several months.
Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD): Usual Dosage: 10 mg once daily. Depending on individual patient response, the dose may be increased to a maximum of 20 mg daily. SAD is a disease with a chronic course and long-term treatment is therefore warranted to consolidate response and prevent relapse.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): Usual Dose: 10 mg once daily. Depending on individual patient response, the dose may be increased to a maximum of 20 mg daily. GAD is a disease with a chronic course and long-term treatment is therefore warranted to consolidate response and prevent relapse.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): Usual dosage is 10 mg once daily. Depending on individual patient response, the dose may be increased to 20 mg daily. Long-term treatment of patients responding to a 16-week open treatment phase has been studied for at least 24 weeks in patients receiving 10 or 20 mg daily. As OCD is a chronic disease, patients should be treated for a sufficient period to ensure that they are symptom-free. This period may be several months or even longer.
Elderly (>65 years): Initial treatment with ½ the usually recommended dose and a lower maximum dose should be considered.
Children and Adolescents (<18 years): Not recommended, since efficacy has not been investigated in this population.
Reduced Renal Function: Dosage adjustment is not necessary in patients with mild or moderate renal impairment. Caution is advised in patients with severely reduced renal function (Cl_cr <30 mL/min).
Reduced Hepatic Function: An initial dose of 5 mg daily for the first 2 weeks of treatment is recommended. Depending on individual patient response, the dose may be increased to 10 mg daily.
Poor Metabolizers of CYP2C19: For patients who are known to be poor metabolizers with respect to CYP2C19, an initial dose of 5 mg daily during the first 2 weeks of treatment is recommended. Depending on individual patient response, the dose may be increased to 10 mg daily.
Discontinuation: When stopping treatment with Lexapro, the dose should be gradually reduced over a period of 1 or 2 weeks in order to avoid possible withdrawal reactions.