A recently published meta-analysis of over 3000 studies suggested that switching antidepressants after the first drug doesn’t produce the desired results is not better than staying the course and/or exploring options other than trying a different drug. This is a very interesting finding as most prescribing clinicians tend to give one antidepressant a “trial” of about 6-12 weeks. If things aren’t better then often scrap that medication and start another 6-12 week trial of another one. The authors of this article reviewed 3234 relevant studies and concluded that it is generally wiser to explore alternatives other than a medication change.
