Cipram Dosage/Direction for Use

Adults: Treating depression: Citalopram should be administered as a single oral dose of 20 mg daily. Dependent on individual patient response and severity of depression, the dose may be increased to a maximum of 40 mg daily.
Treating panic disorder: A single oral dose of 10 mg is recommended for the first week before increasing the dose to 20 mg daily. The dose may be further increased, up to a maximum of 40 mg daily, dependent on individual patient response.
Treating OCD: An initial dose of 20 mg daily is recommended. The dose can be increased in increments of 20 mg to 40 mg daily if necessary, based on clinical judgement.
Elderly patients (>65 years of age): In elderly patients, the dose may be increased to a maximum of 40 mg daily.
Children and adolescents (<18 years): Cipram should not be used in the treatment of children and adolescents under the age of 18 years (see Precautions).
Reduced renal function: Dosage adjustment is not necessary in patients with mild or moderate renal impairment. No information is available on treatment of patients with severely reduced renal function (creatinine clearance <20 mL/min).
Reduced hepatic function: Patients with reduced hepatic function should receive dosages of no more than 30 mg/day.
Poor metabolisers of CYP2C19: An initial dose of 10 mg daily during the first two weeks of treatment is recommended for patients who are known to be poor metabolisers with respect to CYP2C19. The dose may be increased to a maximum of 20 mg daily depending on individual patient response (see Pharmacology: Pharmacokinetics under Actions).
Duration of treatment: The antidepressant effect usually sets in after 2 to 4 weeks. Treatment with antidepressants is symptomatic and must therefore be continued for an appropriate length of time, usually up to 6 months after recovery in order to prevent relapse.
The onset of action in treating OCD is 2-4 weeks with further improvement over time.
When stopping therapy, the drug should be gradually withdrawn during a couple of weeks.
Method of administration: Citalopram tablets are administered as a single daily dose.
Citalopram tablets can be taken at any time of the day without regard to food intake.