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Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most commonly prescribed class of antidepressant (1) and are recommended as one of the first-line treatments (2–4) for major depressive disorder, an often chronic or recurrent disorder that affects one in six adults during their lifetime (5). Since less than one-third of patients with major depression attain remission with an initial antidepressant trial (6), multiple sequential acute-phase (at least 6–8 weeks) trials are often needed for attainment of symptomatic remission (3, 7). Beyond the acute phase, changes to the patient’s antidepressant medication regimen may be warranted to address residual symptoms, persistent functional impairments, loss of initial therapeutic effect (antidepressant tachyphylaxis), occurrence or prevention of relapse or recurrence, side effects, affordability, or anticipated drug-drug interactions with medications for other medical conditions (8 …