{
  "schema_version": 1,
  "kind": "condition",
  "id": "depression",
  "name": "Major depressive disorder (mild-to-moderate)",
  "category": "chronic",
  "sources": "eMC SmPC, Efexor XL 150 mg prolonged release capsules (Viatris), sections 4.1 and 4.2 · Fluoxetine 20 mg Capsules SmPC section 4.2 Posology and method of administration (eMC product 11909) · LUSTRAL ® 50 mg film coated tablets SmPC section 4.2 Posology and method of administration (eMC product 1070)",
  "review_status": "reviewed",
  "verified_against": "eMC SmPC, Efexor XL 150 mg prolonged release capsules (Viatris), sections 4.1 and 4.2 · Fluoxetine 20 mg Capsules SmPC section 4.2 Posology and method of administration (eMC product 11909) · LUSTRAL ® 50 mg film coated tablets SmPC section 4.2 Posology and method of administration (eMC product 1070) · Major Depressive Disorder - disease-level clinical article (depression-clinical.txt)",
  "verified_date": "2026-08",
  "treatments": [
    {
      "id": 587,
      "generic": "Fluoxetine",
      "line": 1,
      "is_adjunct": false,
      "form": "oral.solid",
      "strength_mg": 20.0,
      "adult_dose": "20 mg once daily in morning, titrate after 3-4 weeks up to max 60 mg daily",
      "adult_duration": "Long-term (continue 6 months post-remission)",
      "dose_source": "Fluoxetine 20 mg Capsules SmPC section 4.2 Posology and method of administration (eMC product 11909)",
      "rationale": "First-line SSRI with activating profile and long half-life (less discontinuation syndrome)",
      "cautions": [
        "Warn patient that onset of antidepressant effect takes 2-4 weeks.",
        "Monitor closely for suicidal ideation in young adults during initial weeks.",
        "Do not combine with MAO inhibitors or serotonergic drugs (serotonin syndrome)."
      ],
      "peds_mgkg_low": null,
      "peds_mgkg_high": null,
      "peds_max_mg": null,
      "peds_basis": null,
      "peds_unit": null,
      "peds_note": "Child 8-17 yrs (specialist CAMHS supervision): 10 mg once daily, titrate to 20 mg",
      "peds_min_weight_kg": null,
      "peds_max_weight_kg": null,
      "peds_age_min_months": null,
      "peds_age_max_months": null,
      "peds_age_bands": [
        {
          "label": "8 to 17 years",
          "age_min_months": 96,
          "age_max_months": 215,
          "dose_text": "10 mg once daily, titrated to 20 mg - under specialist CAMHS supervision"
        }
      ],
      "peds_doses": null,
      "brands": [
        {
          "trade_name": "FLOROSIN 20MG 10 CAPS.",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "UP PHARMA",
          "price_egp": 11.0,
          "pack_count": 10,
          "unit_price": 1.1,
          "strength_mg": 20.0,
          "exact_strength": true,
          "exact_form": true,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        },
        {
          "trade_name": "PHILOZAC 20MG 10 CAPS.",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "AMOUN",
          "price_egp": 11.0,
          "pack_count": 10,
          "unit_price": 1.1,
          "strength_mg": 20.0,
          "exact_strength": true,
          "exact_form": true,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        },
        {
          "trade_name": "FLUOXETINE 20 MG 10 CAPS.",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "MISR",
          "price_egp": 18.6,
          "pack_count": 10,
          "unit_price": 1.86,
          "strength_mg": 20.0,
          "exact_strength": true,
          "exact_form": true,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        },
        {
          "trade_name": "ELEVAMOOD 20 MG 28 CAPS.",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "UNIPHARMA",
          "price_egp": 56.0,
          "pack_count": 28,
          "unit_price": 2.0,
          "strength_mg": 20.0,
          "exact_strength": true,
          "exact_form": true,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        },
        {
          "trade_name": "OCTOZAC 20MG 10 CAPS.",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "OCTOBER PHARMA",
          "price_egp": 21.6,
          "pack_count": 10,
          "unit_price": 2.16,
          "strength_mg": 20.0,
          "exact_strength": true,
          "exact_form": true,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        },
        {
          "trade_name": "PHILOZAC 20MG 30 CAPS.",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "AMOUN",
          "price_egp": 75.0,
          "pack_count": 30,
          "unit_price": 2.5,
          "strength_mg": 20.0,
          "exact_strength": true,
          "exact_form": true,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        },
        {
          "trade_name": "PROZAC 20MG 14 CAPS.",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "ELI LILLY",
          "price_egp": 118.0,
          "pack_count": 14,
          "unit_price": 8.43,
          "strength_mg": 20.0,
          "exact_strength": true,
          "exact_form": true,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        },
        {
          "trade_name": "FLUOXETINE 20 MG  H.G.CAPS.",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "SIGMA",
          "price_egp": 8.0,
          "pack_count": null,
          "unit_price": null,
          "strength_mg": 20.0,
          "exact_strength": true,
          "exact_form": true,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        }
      ],
      "condition_id": "depression"
    },
    {
      "id": 588,
      "generic": "Sertraline",
      "line": 1,
      "is_adjunct": false,
      "form": "oral.solid",
      "strength_mg": 50.0,
      "adult_dose": "50 mg once daily, titrate by 50 mg steps at 2-3 week intervals to max 200 mg daily",
      "adult_duration": "Long-term (continue 6 months post-remission)",
      "dose_source": "LUSTRAL ® 50 mg film coated tablets SmPC section 4.2 Posology and method of administration (eMC product 1070)",
      "rationale": "Preferred SSRI in patients with cardiovascular disease or elderly",
      "cautions": [
        "Do not combine with MAO inhibitors (risk of fatal serotonin syndrome).",
        "Monitor closely for suicidal ideation during initial weeks (especially in patients <25 years).",
        "Gastrointestinal side effects (nausea, diarrhea) are common initially.",
        "Taper dose gradually when discontinuing to prevent withdrawal symptoms.",
        "Caution with antiplatelets or anticoagulants (increased bleeding risk)."
      ],
      "peds_mgkg_low": null,
      "peds_mgkg_high": null,
      "peds_max_mg": null,
      "peds_basis": null,
      "peds_unit": null,
      "peds_note": "Pediatric use restricted to OCD under specialist supervision",
      "peds_min_weight_kg": null,
      "peds_max_weight_kg": null,
      "peds_age_min_months": null,
      "peds_age_max_months": null,
      "peds_age_bands": null,
      "peds_doses": null,
      "brands": [
        {
          "trade_name": "OPIRALINE 50 MG 20 F.C. TABS.",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "EL-OBOUR",
          "price_egp": 29.0,
          "pack_count": 20,
          "unit_price": 1.45,
          "strength_mg": 50.0,
          "exact_strength": true,
          "exact_form": true,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        },
        {
          "trade_name": "AGRELOCIT 50 MG 20 TAB.",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "MEMPHIS > ATM PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRIES",
          "price_egp": 34.8,
          "pack_count": 20,
          "unit_price": 1.74,
          "strength_mg": 50.0,
          "exact_strength": true,
          "exact_form": true,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        },
        {
          "trade_name": "DEPR-STAT 50MG 10 CAPS.",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "MEMPHIS",
          "price_egp": 21.6,
          "pack_count": 10,
          "unit_price": 2.16,
          "strength_mg": 50.0,
          "exact_strength": true,
          "exact_form": true,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        },
        {
          "trade_name": "SESERINE 50MG 30 TAB.",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "ADWIA",
          "price_egp": 75.0,
          "pack_count": 30,
          "unit_price": 2.5,
          "strength_mg": 50.0,
          "exact_strength": true,
          "exact_form": true,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        },
        {
          "trade_name": "SERPASS 50MG 30 F.C.TAB.",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "GLOBAL NAPI PHARMACEUTICALS",
          "price_egp": 102.0,
          "pack_count": 30,
          "unit_price": 3.4,
          "strength_mg": 50.0,
          "exact_strength": true,
          "exact_form": true,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        },
        {
          "trade_name": "SIRTO 50MG 10 F.C. TABS.",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "HI-PHARM",
          "price_egp": 34.0,
          "pack_count": 10,
          "unit_price": 3.4,
          "strength_mg": 50.0,
          "exact_strength": true,
          "exact_form": true,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        },
        {
          "trade_name": "MOODAPEX 50 MG 30 F.C.TAB.",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "MULTI-APEX",
          "price_egp": 111.0,
          "pack_count": 30,
          "unit_price": 3.7,
          "strength_mg": 50.0,
          "exact_strength": true,
          "exact_form": true,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        },
        {
          "trade_name": "LUSTRAL 50 MG 20 F.C.TABS.",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "VIATRIS",
          "price_egp": 136.0,
          "pack_count": 20,
          "unit_price": 6.8,
          "strength_mg": 50.0,
          "exact_strength": true,
          "exact_form": true,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        }
      ],
      "condition_id": "depression"
    },
    {
      "id": 590,
      "generic": "Referral & safety-netting (no drug therapy)",
      "line": 1,
      "is_adjunct": false,
      "form": null,
      "strength_mg": null,
      "adult_dose": null,
      "adult_duration": null,
      "dose_source": "Major Depressive Disorder - disease-level clinical article (depression-clinical.txt)",
      "rationale": "Carries the referral criteria and warning signs for this condition, which apply whichever treatment is chosen.",
      "cautions": [
        "RED FLAG - Evaluation for suicidal or homicidal ideation is mandatory at each visit."
      ],
      "peds_mgkg_low": null,
      "peds_mgkg_high": null,
      "peds_max_mg": null,
      "peds_basis": null,
      "peds_unit": null,
      "peds_note": null,
      "peds_min_weight_kg": null,
      "peds_max_weight_kg": null,
      "peds_age_min_months": null,
      "peds_age_max_months": null,
      "peds_age_bands": null,
      "peds_doses": null,
      "brands": [],
      "condition_id": "depression"
    },
    {
      "id": 589,
      "generic": "Venlafaxine",
      "line": 2,
      "is_adjunct": false,
      "form": "oral.solid",
      "strength_mg": 75.0,
      "adult_dose": "Prolonged release: 75 mg once daily. Increase at intervals of 2 weeks or more (not less than 4 days) up to a maximum of 375 mg/day",
      "adult_duration": "Continue for at least 6 months after remission; taper over at least 1-2 weeks, and considerably longer in practice, when stopping",
      "dose_source": "eMC SmPC, Efexor XL 150 mg prolonged release capsules (Viatris), sections 4.1 and 4.2",
      "rationale": "30 live products. The condition currently holds two SSRIs and nothing else - venlafaxine is the standard next step for a patient who has not responded to an adequate SSRI trial, and the same SmPC also covers generalised anxiety, social anxiety and panic disorder.",
      "cautions": [
        "Dose-related rise in blood pressure. Measure blood pressure before starting and after each increase, and think hard before exceeding 150 mg/day in a hypertensive patient.",
        "Withdrawal reactions are more severe and more common than with the fluoxetine and sertraline already listed - never stop abruptly, and warn the patient before they start.",
        "More toxic in overdose than an SSRI - weigh this where there is self-harm risk, and limit the quantity dispensed.",
        "Monitor closely for emergent or worsening suicidal thinking in the first weeks and in anyone under 25.",
        "Do not combine with a monoamine oxidase inhibitor - leave 14 days between them. Efexor XL 150 mg hard prolonged release capsules SmPC section 4.5 (eMC product 1219): \"Venlafaxine must not be used in combination with irreversible non-selective MAOIs.\" and \"Venlafaxine must not be initiated for at least 14 days after discontinuation of treatment with an irreversible non-selective MAOI.\" The label also asks for 7 days the other way round, before an MAOI is started; the card's single 14-day gap is the more restrictive of the two.",
        "Do not add to the fluoxetine or sertraline in this row - switch, with an appropriate cross-taper.",
        "Venlafaxine can cause QT prolongation and arrhythmia, chiefly in overdose."
      ],
      "peds_mgkg_low": null,
      "peds_mgkg_high": null,
      "peds_max_mg": null,
      "peds_basis": null,
      "peds_unit": null,
      "peds_note": "Not recommended in children and adolescents - trials failed to demonstrate efficacy and there were more self-harm and hostility events.",
      "peds_min_weight_kg": null,
      "peds_max_weight_kg": null,
      "peds_age_min_months": null,
      "peds_age_max_months": null,
      "peds_age_bands": null,
      "peds_doses": null,
      "brands": [
        {
          "trade_name": "VENOXOR 75 MG 28 TABS.",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "UNIPHARMA CO. > UNIPHARMA",
          "price_egp": 82.0,
          "pack_count": 28,
          "unit_price": 2.93,
          "strength_mg": 75.0,
          "exact_strength": true,
          "exact_form": true,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        },
        {
          "trade_name": "VENLAFAXINE 75MG SR 7 CAPS.",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "GLOBAL NAPI PHARMACEUTICALS",
          "price_egp": 21.0,
          "pack_count": 7,
          "unit_price": 3.0,
          "strength_mg": 75.0,
          "exact_strength": true,
          "exact_form": true,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        },
        {
          "trade_name": "VEXAMOD 75MG SR 10 CAPS",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "SIGMA",
          "price_egp": 30.0,
          "pack_count": 10,
          "unit_price": 3.0,
          "strength_mg": 75.0,
          "exact_strength": true,
          "exact_form": true,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        },
        {
          "trade_name": "GLOBEXOR 75MG 14 CAPS.",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "GLOBAL NAPI PHARMACEUTICALS",
          "price_egp": 48.0,
          "pack_count": 14,
          "unit_price": 3.43,
          "strength_mg": 75.0,
          "exact_strength": true,
          "exact_form": true,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        },
        {
          "trade_name": "IDIXOR XR 75 MG 7 CAPS.",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "INTERNATIONAL DRUG AGENCY (IDI) > NOVELL PHARMA",
          "price_egp": 32.5,
          "pack_count": 7,
          "unit_price": 4.64,
          "strength_mg": 75.0,
          "exact_strength": true,
          "exact_form": true,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        },
        {
          "trade_name": "EFEXOR XR 75MG 14 CAPS.",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "WYETH AYERST LEDERLE-CANADA > VIATRIS EGYPT",
          "price_egp": 158.0,
          "pack_count": 14,
          "unit_price": 11.29,
          "strength_mg": 75.0,
          "exact_strength": true,
          "exact_form": true,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        },
        {
          "trade_name": "EFFEGAD 75 MG 30 E.R. CAPS.",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "EPCI > HIKMA PHARMA",
          "price_egp": 90.0,
          "pack_count": null,
          "unit_price": null,
          "strength_mg": 75.0,
          "exact_strength": true,
          "exact_form": true,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        },
        {
          "trade_name": "VENLLAMASH 75 MG 30 EXT. REL. CAPS.",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "MASH PREMIERE",
          "price_egp": 159.0,
          "pack_count": null,
          "unit_price": null,
          "strength_mg": 75.0,
          "exact_strength": true,
          "exact_form": true,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        }
      ],
      "condition_id": "depression"
    }
  ]
}