stopping zoloft, starting celexa

[prancer]

After taking Zoloft for about 10 yrs. it seems that the effectiveness is wearing off and I have become overwhelmed and very depressed again.  My doctor has suggested counseling and Celexa.  She told me to stop the Zoloft (150mg/day) cold-turkey and start the Celexa immediately (20 mg/day for one week and then 40 mg/day).  My last dose of Zoloft was Tuesday; today is Saturday and I am crying like crazy and still very depressed!  Should I have weaned down on the Zoloft while I started the Celexa?

[RosieK]

I have been taking 100 mg of zoloft for 9 years successfully until 4 months ago, when I became overwhelmed, had continuous panic attacks, diarrhea and had to leave work. My Dr. initially explained that you cannot become immune to zoloft, however, I later found out that you can become tolerant.(something that i felt should have been told to me from the onset). I am now being withdrawn from zoloft, and switched to lexepro, while taking 75 mg of zoloft and 10 mg of lexepro, with kolonopin twice daily as needed to assist with the withdrawal.  I already feel a difference for the better, but am nervous, as next week I will again decreased to 50 mg of zoloft and 20 mg of lexepro.  Any recommendations?

[Hensley258]

I have also heard reports of some doctors stating that "patients can not become immune or build tolerence to any SSRI medication."

That is by far the biggist load of **** I have ever heard come from a doctors mouth.
It is absolutly not true and I know of over 100 people on this forum alone (including myself) that experience habitual tolerance build up of AD medications.

In 16 years I have built tolerance to 9 different AD medications.

It just really upsets me when Doctors make statements like that because they haven't done their research. These are people we are supposed to trust to be fully informed.

(prancer) sorry your feeling so bad right now. You really need to get a new P-doc fast. This doctors advice to just have you abruptly stop taking a 150Mg dosage of Zoloft is completly obsurd.

Now if your dosage was only 50 or 75Mgs a day then a cold swap can be made to another med with very little taper. 150Mgs a day is too high a dosage to just cold swap.

The correct way to do this is to go down by 50Mg increments per week (before introducing the Celexa) Then on the third week when your down to 50Mgs a day of Zoloft, then you introduce the Celexa and dump the Zoloft.

It absolutly shocks me that I know this simple swap method to avoid withdrawl and most doctors know nothing of it.

It really makes me question just how much these doctors know about these medications.