Switching from Zoloft to Prozac to avoid withdrawal

[fixitmister]

Has anyone had a good experience switching from Zoloft to Prozac in order to avoid discontinuation symptoms?

I'm attempting to wean off 25mg, and am having to do it verrrrrry slowly because of an ear popping symptom I get as a result of withdrawal.

I've read a reference to a Dr. Ivan Goldberg which suggests that switching to Prozac is a solution to avoiding symptoms. I'm wondering if anyone has had any issues switching from Zoloft to Prozac and whether they've used Prozac as an intermediary solution for weaning off SSRIs? (Just a note: Zoloft has been an excellent drug for me; am stopping for reasons unrelated to side effects.)

Thanks.

[Guest Guest_001]

Sometimes crossing over to Prozac is done to make withdrawal easier.

Note: I have no personal experience with this.

But I don't think it's a great idea. Crossing over to another drug may make things even more difficult.

If you can tolerate it it's probably best to slowly lower the dose.

Prozac has a very long half-life. That's probably why it's suggested to switch to Prozac.

However, while they are both SSRIs, there are significant differences between the drugs.

Prozac is probably the least selective SSRI. It has a significantly different pharmacological profile than Zoloft.

Because of Prozac's long half-life it will probably take a very long time to get it out of your system.

You don't know how Prozac will affect you.

So if it's tolerable, I suggest just tapering the Zoloft slowly. If tablets/dose are an issue, a pharmacy may be able to come up with something that will allow you to reduce your dose very slowly.

Perhaps there is something you can take that can provide symptomatic relief for your ear popping symptom ?

Sometimes it's easier to have an intense but brief withdrawal rather than a very prolongued withdrawal.