Vivactil Dosage: An Overview
The dose of
Vivactil® (
protriptyline hydrochloride) that your healthcare provider prescribes will vary, depending on a number of factors, including:
- Your age
- Other medical conditions you may have
- Other medications you may be currently taking.
As is always the case, do not adjust your dose unless your healthcare provider specifically instructs you to do so.
Vivactil Dosing for Depression
The recommended dose of Vivactil for
depression is 15 mg to 40 mg per day, divided into three or four smaller doses. Your healthcare provider should start you at a low dose and slowly increase it (if necessary), if you tolerate Vivactil well, up to a maximum of 60 mg total per day.
Although the medication is not approved for use in teens, the manufacturer gives recommendations for Vivactil dosing in teens. For teenage depression or
depression in the elderly, lower doses are recommended. The recommended starting dose for people in these age groups is Vivactil 5 mg three times daily. If you are elderly and take more than 20 mg of Vivactil a day, your healthcare provider should monitor your heart to check for dangerous side effects.
General Information on Dosing With Vivactil
Considerations for people taking Vivactil include the following:
- The medication should be taken at the same times each day to maintain an even level in the blood.
- If you do not take your Vivactil dose as scheduled, take your missed dose as soon as you remember. Also, if it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and continue with your regular schedule. Do not take a double dose.
- Your Vivactil dosage can be taken with or without food. If the drug upsets your stomach, try taking it with food.
- The medication may not work immediately, although it may work more quickly than many other antidepressants. Try to give it a chance to work before becoming discouraged.
- For the antidepressant to work properly, you have to take it as prescribed. Vivactil will not work if you take it differently from how your healthcare provider recommends.
- If you are unsure about anything related to Vivactil or your Vivactil dosage, talk to your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist. Do not stop taking the drug without first discussing it with your healthcare provider. Stopping the medicine abruptly may increase the risk for withdrawal symptoms (see Vivactil Withdrawal).
