medication dosage

Currently I take 150 mg of effexor for GAD. It helps but not enough. My Q is, can lower doze (in some cases) work better than a higher dose?

[nursegirl6572]

Sometimes a medication does not work optimally for some people.  A lot of times this can be remedied by changing the dosing schedule, ie, breaking up a once daily dose into twice a day...or changing the time of administration.  

Generally speaking, these types of meds (like Effexor) improve with INCREASING dosages, not decreasing.  Your dose is average....there is still some room to increase.  Have you noticed a significant improvement in the past when increasing the dose?  If so, you may want to discuss some changes with your doctor.  If you've found something that works...in my opinion, it is best to try to continue to work with that medication, making adjustments with dose or schedule, etc.  If you continue to increase your dose and don't feel there is a significant enough improvement, then you may need to discuss making a change of med, or adding a med.

For now, it sounds like you're on the right track.  Discuss your concerns with the prescribing doc.

[nursegirl6572]

Oops! I forgot to mention that these things depend on how long you've been taking the med.  A person really needs to give ample time to allow for improvement with these kinds of meds...either when starting a new regimen, or when increasing a dose.

Therefore, if you are fairly new to this med...or have just had your dosage increased, you'll need to give it some time to see the true outcome.