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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 3 of 3. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by AlexSamuel on December 7, 2004, at 23:51:24
Hi
I tried the same thread earlier. But none responded. Please I am in need of your help. I want to stop my Anafranil and start zoloft. I have zoloft 50mg in my hand to start. But I am afraid of drug interactions with anafranil. Do I have to wait for some days to clear off anafranil from my system to start zoloft? Or can I directly switch to zoloft 50mg without a washout period? Please, Anafranil is losing the grip on my depression and I desperately need a change. I am very much afraid of serotonin syndrome. If you know how to switch Please help me. Please
Posted by banga on December 8, 2004, at 2:59:49
In reply to Anafranil-Zoloft....!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, posted by AlexSamuel on December 8, 2004, at 2:05:03
Hi,Īm sorry I can't help you more...not being a psychiatrist I hesitate to make recommendations-probably why people havent responded.
All I can say is that in switching from one SSRI drug to another (or in this case a drug affecting serotonin to an SSRI), I do not wash out completely. In fact, I have at times used two serotonin reuptake inhibitors simultaneously as my basic regimen--50 mg Anafranil and 10 mg Lexapro for instance. If you take two SSRI drugs at once, I think the main thing is to not be taking both at high doses--and in fact maybe less than 1/2 regular dose of one and 1/2 the other.
In any case, I DO know that is not necessary to do a full, complete washout period like you have to when say switching from an MAOI to an SSRI...many docs allow you to start tapering one and adding the new drug in small doses, and so progressively keep lowering the original as you keep heightening the other, say over a period of a month.
If you are at a high dose of Anafranil, for instance, without guidance I would first get lower on the Anafranil before slowly adding the Zoloft.
BUT I say this all VERY unofficially, serotonin syndrome is SERIOUS and it would be most prudent to get professional guidance to get a good schedule of how quickly you taper the Anafranil and add the Zoloft, which of course you probably know. The above is just my personal NON-proffessional experience.....taking two SSRIs simultaneously is not a sin BUT needs to be done carefully and with pdoc guidance to avoid serious problems.
Posted by francesco on December 8, 2004, at 6:31:38
In reply to Stopping Anafranil and starting Zoloft. Help Pleas, posted by AlexSamuel on December 7, 2004, at 23:51:24
I'm not a physician but I don't think you need any wash out. If I were in your shoes anyway I would quit Anafranil and wait for a couple of days before starting Zoloft. The reason why would not be serotonin syndrome but to see how you manage without Anafranil (for ex. quitting Anafranil usually makes me slightly hpyomaniac which erases the depression problem) and above all you would be able to distinguish the withdrawal reaction from the side effects of Zoloft. But I don't think serotonin syndrom is an issue, if you find nothing about in the booklet of the med it mustn't be dangerous. Just my two cents.
> Hi
>
> I tried the same thread earlier. But none responded. Please I am in need of your help. I want to stop my Anafranil and start zoloft. I have zoloft 50mg in my hand to start. But I am afraid of drug interactions with anafranil. Do I have to wait for some days to clear off anafranil from my system to start zoloft? Or can I directly switch to zoloft 50mg without a washout period? Please, Anafranil is losing the grip on my depression and I desperately need a change. I am very much afraid of serotonin syndrome. If you know how to switch Please help me. Please
>
This is the end of the thread.
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