A38-year-old married woman presents to her urgent care clinic complaining of "crying spells" for several weeks since the termination of her employment. She admits to feeling "down all the time." She also has difficulty falling asleep, poor energy, decreased appetite, and is "not able to enjoy anything." She fears that her condition will never improve. She has begun to feel that "it wouldn't matter if I died," but she denies any suicidal plan or intent. She drinks one to two mixed drinks per week and denies any drug use. It is decided to begin antidepressant therapy with paroxetine (Paxil) 20 mg at bedtime.
If there is no significant improvement in her symptoms, but the medication is tolerated, after what length of time should a dosage increase be considered?