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What Is The Ideal Dosage For Zeldox?

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Posted on Fri, 4 Mar 2016
Question: My doc is away until march I am bi-polar with sad in the winter. I was having severe anxiety and thought
it was the zeldox not being high enough as he lowered it before going on vacation. I have pills that are 40 mg and 60 mg that i cd increase the dose with. How high can I go. if i take the 60 mg i will be at 140 mg. Is that too high - i have never gone higher than 120 mg before by the doc. he had cut me back to 80 mg before leaving for holiday.
doctor
Answered by Dr. Shoaib Khan (1 hour later)
Brief Answer:
Best to take 60 mg tablet twice daily as maximum dose

Detailed Answer:
Hello ma'am and welcome.

Thank you for writing to us.

I have gone through your query with diligence and would like you to know that I am here to help. I can understand what you are going, but given the circumstance and history, it would be advised to raise your total dose to either 100 mg or 120 mg maximum, and not more than that.

As you have 40 mg and 60 mg tablets, and are currently at 80 mg per day, this means you have been taking the tablet twice daily (which is how it has to be taken). I would thus recommend you take the 60 mg tablet twice daily, which would total your dosage to 120 mg.

This is for 2 reasons:

1. You have never taken a dosage higher than 120 mg, possibly for good reason, and also because your doctor has chosen this to be the maximum dose

2. The maximum dosage is 160 mg (80 mg tablets to be taken twice daily), but as you have never taken the 80 mg tablets, it is best to avoid them, mainly because they are very difficult to wean off once started; and being your well wisher I would advise against it

I hope you find my response helpful and informative. Please do not hesitate to write to me for any further clarifications, I am always here to help.

Best wishes.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Shoaib Khan (11 hours later)
Guess i was confusing in my explanation. I am taking 80 mg a day for the last 6 months. And was taking 120 before that for about a year, but I have serious anxiety and not enough 60 mg tablets to take two 60's before my doc returns in march. i want to try the 80 plus the 60 and i could split them up am and pm. If 160 is the XXXXXXX i will only be at 140mg. What do you think of this? Thanks, XXXX


see above
doctor
Answered by Dr. Shoaib Khan (30 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
My concerns, reluctance, and options

Detailed Answer:
Hello once again ma'am.

Thank you so much for that explanation.

I am also assuming you cannot go out and get more pills with the preferred dosage, without a prescription which is why we will have to work with whats at hand.

Yes ma'am, I do think that 140 mg would be fine, but the only reason why I am reluctant here is because your doctor must have taken great care in trying to keep your dosage at controlled level by not prescribing you the maximum dose, because he/she is hoping to wean you off the medication at some time in life.

Also, if you start with a higher dose now, then in time the particular dosage will not do much for you, leaving your doctor with the only option to initiate the maximum dosage. And in time from there, the entire medication will be ineffective, calling for stronger medications.

Only for the above reasons I am a little reluctant to give you the green signal to initiate the higher dosage (140 mg), one that you have never taken before.

We have 3 options here:

1. Using a pill cutter, cut an 80 mg pill into 2 halves first (40 mg each). Then cut one half into 2 quarters (i.e. 20 mg each). If this is possible, then we can try and take 60 mg twice daily, keeping the total dosage at 120 mg per day

2. Cut the 80 mg pill into 2 halves (40 mg each); and take a 40 mg tablet and 60 mg tablet in a day, bringing the total dosage to 100 mg per day.

P.S. You can try this dosage first, and if it does not seem to be doing the job, then you can try variant 1.

3. The last option would be the 80 mg and 60 mg tablet in a day, bringing the dosage to 140 mg per day; preferably the last option ma'am

I hope I have explained things in a manner best understood by you (my concerns, reluctance and options). Please do not hesitate to write back to me for any further clarifications, I am always here to help.

Best wishes.
Note: For further guidance on mental health, Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Shoaib Khan

General & Family Physician

Practicing since :2009

Answered : 9409 Questions

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What Is The Ideal Dosage For Zeldox?

Brief Answer: Best to take 60 mg tablet twice daily as maximum dose Detailed Answer: Hello ma'am and welcome. Thank you for writing to us. I have gone through your query with diligence and would like you to know that I am here to help. I can understand what you are going, but given the circumstance and history, it would be advised to raise your total dose to either 100 mg or 120 mg maximum, and not more than that. As you have 40 mg and 60 mg tablets, and are currently at 80 mg per day, this means you have been taking the tablet twice daily (which is how it has to be taken). I would thus recommend you take the 60 mg tablet twice daily, which would total your dosage to 120 mg. This is for 2 reasons: 1. You have never taken a dosage higher than 120 mg, possibly for good reason, and also because your doctor has chosen this to be the maximum dose 2. The maximum dosage is 160 mg (80 mg tablets to be taken twice daily), but as you have never taken the 80 mg tablets, it is best to avoid them, mainly because they are very difficult to wean off once started; and being your well wisher I would advise against it I hope you find my response helpful and informative. Please do not hesitate to write to me for any further clarifications, I am always here to help. Best wishes.