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.
poster:banga
thread:425969
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20041206/msgs/426039.html