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The recommended dose of Seroxat for depression is 20mg/day, and there is no benefit in increasing the dose above this.
The recommended maximum dose is also 20mg for social anxiety disorder, generalised anxiety disorder and post traumatic stress disorder. The recommended maximum dose for obsessive compulsive disorder and for panic disorder is 40mg/day.
This guidance has been issued because the working group who have been looking at the research results on Seroxat have found that there is no evidence that higher doses are more effective against depression, but it is clear that adverse effects increase and are more serious with higher doses.
The dosage should not normally be increased above 20mg for depression unless this seems to be ineffective, and you and your doctor feel that an increased dose might help you, perhaps based on your previous experience.
If you are taking Seroxat for panic disorder or obsessive compulsive disorder rather than depression (or the other conditions listed above), you should be started on a dosage of 20mg, and this may be increased gradually in weekly steps of 10mg to a maximum of 40mg. You should not be started on the higher doses, as this can cause serious adverse effects. It is important to increase gradually, just as it is important to decrease gradually when you are withdrawing.
If you are taking Seroxat at a higher dose than 20mg/day, and it is not causing you any problems, you can continue to take it until you next see your doctor. If you feel that it is not helping you, or the adverse effects are troublesome, you should go to your doctor as soon as you can to talk about reducing your dose to 20mg, and the best way of doing this.
Seroxat is known to cause unpleasant and troublesome withdrawal effects in many people. You should not reduce your dose suddenly, but by small steps over a period of weeks.
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