I have been taking Zoloft since July 2007. I am now up to 200 mgs, but still not do not have any relief from my anxiety or depression. Is it time to switch to another antidepressant?Answered by:Jonathan W. Stewart
If you have experienced no relief after four weeks on a given dose of a medication it is usually time to make a change.
If you are tolerating the medication and not yet at its maximal dose, usually the most appropriate thing to do would be to raise the dose. If you are not tolerating and have reached the drugs maximal dose, it is time to either add another agent or stop this one and switch to another. There is little data supporting when to augment (i.e., continue the current medication and add another) vs. switch treatments (i.e., stop #1 and then start #2).
Dr. Stewart, who received his B.A. from Swarthmore College and his M.D. from Yale University, has worked at the DES since 1978. He is interested in the diagnosis and treatment of affective disorders, particularly in biologic and clinical measures that help treatment decisions.
