SSRI Optimal Dose Remains at Issue

Letter to the Editor

Sir: Drs. Gammon and Lane assert that Dr. Nemeroff erredwhen, in his review of drug treatment of depression, he saidthat most patients require more than 50 mg/day of sertraline, indistinction to other serotonin selective reuptake inhibitors,which require no more, usually, than the initial dosage: paroxetine20 mg/day and fluoxetine 20 mg/day. They even accuse Dr.Nemeroff of bias because his paper came from a presentationsupported by the makers of paroxetine. Dr. Nemeroff defendedhimself by referring to dose-response literature.