Switching from Zoloft to Effexor XR

My doctor wants to change my prescription of 50mg. zoloft, which I have been taking for eight years, to 75mg. of EffexorXR.  He was sidetracked before telling me how to switch from one to the other and I forgot to ask.  Can I just start taking the Effexor immediately, or do I need to ween myself off of zoloft then begin the effexor? Any help would be greatly appreciated.  

[whodunnit]

Hi,

After 8 years on one med it would be my advice to wean yourself off first and then start Effexor. 75 mgs Effexor isn't a huge dose but it is a drug that can have side effects and it's probably best for you to know what's causing what. By ceasing one med completely before starting another.

That's a personal preference and others may feel otherwise. In which case your doc should be best to ask. You could also Google your question too, say "weaning off Zoloft" or similar.

I don't know Zoloft so can't help on any coming off issues but normal weaning is to basically halve the dose each weel or two weeks and then stop once the dose is small. Again, Google will help.

[Hensley258]

You can swap them with no need to taper off the Zoloft.

Keep in mind that Effexor XR has no Norephinepherine effect below the 150Mg dosage mark. Thus you will simply be taking another SSRI much like Zoloft at such a low dosage.