Celebrate Life · Chronic Illness · Health and Wellbeing · Medical · Men & Womens Health · Mental Illness

New Medication Ramp-Up Time Period Is Called Efficacy

Many if not most prescribed medications require a ramp-up period called efficacy, this is the time it takes for the medication to reach a therapeutic level. 

For example:

I started Trintellex several weeks ago for my ongoing depression. The Prozac wasn’t working any longer which is common when you take a drug for a long time. The efficacy of Trintellix is 6-8 weeks, during this period you can experience common side effects and they often subside once the drug reaches efficacy. It’s important to track these symptoms but it’s not always time to call your doctor. Never stop taking medication before talking to your doctor, stopping medication abruptly can send your brain into a tailspin. If you can’t wait to hear back from your doctor, go to your nearest ER for help ASAP. It may save your life. 

The most important side effects to be aware of are adverse side effects, which are the worst side effects that can be deadly and require immediate attention. It’s easy to forget the side effects after reading the prescribing instructions the first time so I keep them handy.

The past week I was overcome by nausea and vomiting and thought I was getting sick. After reading the prescribing instructions again I was reminded that those are common side effects, not ones to be alarmed about. I have experienced sparks in the brain as the medication reaches efficacy, like crying, returned energy, improved cognition, and feeling better overall. 

All medications including over-the-counter items still have side effects, especially for children. 

Always call your doctor if you are concerned about anything, not just medication side effects. 

Melinda


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10 thoughts on “New Medication Ramp-Up Time Period Is Called Efficacy

    1. So far but still have to see what’s it going to do. So far good. How do you say your last name. I’m not very good at that since I haven’t traveled enough Internationally to know. I can’t even guess where you are originally from. :)

      Liked by 1 person

  1. The frustrating parts are those side-effects. It can be difficult to know how much they help or what other issues they cause to arise. I’m sensitive to medications. The affects can be horrible.

    Liked by 1 person

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