Depression often requires long-term treatment.
Yet many patients quit medication as soon as they feel better, prompting a relapse. It is for patients whose depression has stabilized and need maintenance therapy not for the newly diagnosed. It is an important question. The FDA didn't require Lilly to prove weekly Prozac is equivalent to the daily version, just that it works compared to a placebo or dummy pill. Indeed, the FDA warned doctors to switch patients back to daily pills if they appear to decline on Prozac Weekly.