Meds for Depression and Anxiety

Kelly — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 05:48:56 +0000

Question. Do you have a list of drugs for depression, and non-addictive medications for anxiety? Tricyclics of the older vintage would be helpful.

Answer. I am providing you with a list of commonly used antidepressants, as well as their usual doses:

Maintenance Dosage and Tablet Size for Non-MAOI Antidepressants

Antidepressant	Tablet/capsule sizes	Usual daily adult dose
Amitriptyline (Elavil, Endep)	10, 25, 50, 75, 100, 150 mg	75-250 mg
Amoxapine (Asendin)	25,50, 100, 150 mg	200-300 mg
Bupropion (Wellbutrin)	75, 100 mg	150-350 mg
Clomipramine (Anafranil)	25, 50, 75 mg	50-200 mg
Desipramine (Norpramin)	10,25, 50, 75, 100, 150 mg	75-250 mg
Doxepin (Adapin, Sinequan)	10, 25, 50, 75, 100 mg	75-250 mg
Fluoxetine (Prozac)	10, 20 mg	10-60 mg
Fluvoxamine (Luvox)	50, 100 mg	50-250 mg
Imipramine (Tofranil)	10, 25, 50 mg	75-250 mg
Maprotiline (Ludiomil)	25, 50, 75 mg	50-200 mg
Mirtazepine (Remeron)	15, 30 mg	15-45 mg
Nefazodone (Serzone)	100, 150, 200, 250 mg	200-500 mg
Nortriptyline (Aventyl, Pamelor)	10, 25, 50, 75 mg	50-100 mg
Paroxetine (Paxil)	20, 30 mg	10-40 mg
Protriptyline (Vivactil)	5, 10 mg	20-45 mg
Sertraline (Zoloft)	50, 100 mg	50-200 mg
Trazodone (Desyrel)	50, 100, 150, 300 mg	50-400 mg
Trimipramine (Surmontil)	25, 50, 100 mg	75-250 mg
Venlafaxine (Effexor)	25, 37.5, 50, 75, 100 mg	75-300 mg

With respect to non-addictive medications for anxiety, it is first important to realize that the term addiction is defined in many ways. The medications most commonly used in the treatment of anxiety – the benzodiazepines, such as Valium, Librium, Ativan, etc. – are not highly addictive for the vast majority of people who are prescribed them for the right reasons. These agents may be abused or become habit-forming, however, in individuals with a history of alcohol and substance abuse, and, very rarely, in individuals who do not have such problems. The antianxiety agent buspirone (BuSpar) is a good alternative, and is not habit-forming or prone to abuse; however, while buspirone is useful for generalized anxiety, it is not helpful for panic attacks or obsessive-compulsive states.

Sometimes, low doses of the older tricyclic agents, such as doxepin 15-25 mg/day, may be useful for generalized anxiety in patients who are not good candidates for benzodiazepines. If you want more details about available medications for mood and anxiety disorders, you may want to call the NIMH Depression Awareness program.

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Meds for Depression and Anxiety