How to switch from Sertraline to fluoxetine?

[random_woman]

I am currently in my 22 day of taking Sertraline and just started 100 mg yesterday. Let me start by saying that I'm going to keep taking my Sertraline for 6-8 weeks and then make an informed desicision. My main reason for thinking about switching is that I used to be on Fluoxetine and it decreases my appetite. I hate being hungry.

But I find myself worrying a lot about what the switch will be like if I decide to change from Sertraline to Fluoxetine. Do any of you have experience and/or knowledge in this?

Is it likely that pdoc will make me taper down to 50 mg before switching or is it possible to make a switch from 100 mg Sertraline to 20 or 40  mg Fluoxetine from one day to another? I am anxiety free right now and I am very scared that tapering from 100 to 50 mg of Sertraline will make me anxious again. (Though I really was not anxious when I took 50 mg in my second week of starting treatment).

I want to believe this - but can I? (source: http://www.bpac.org.nz/BPJ/2012/december/docs/bpj_49_nzf_pages_34-35.pdf)

Short acting SSRIs including citalopram, escitalopram, paroxetine and sertraline can generally be stopped without tapering, and a different SSRI started the next day.

Discontinuation symptoms are unlikely because SSRIs have the same mechanism of action, and any effects will be covered by the new SSRI, which should be started at a low dose

[crazyguy]

Switching from one SSRI to another shouldn't be too big of a deal really....... usually the doctor just has you stop one and start another right away, no washout or taper period has ever been suggested to me. 

Did fluoxetine help with your anxiety before?

[random_woman]

Switching from one SSRI to another shouldn't be too big of a deal really....... usually the doctor just has you stop one and start another right away, no washout or taper period has ever been suggested to me. 

Did fluoxetine help with your anxiety before?

That sounds great!

I never used to have anxiety before. I had one anxiety attack in april and was fine until september when I got another one and thats when I got anxious on a daily basis.

Edited October 28, 2015 by random_woman
bad english

[Velvet Elvis]

I usually skip a few doses before switching but that's about it.

 

[random_woman]

I usually skip a few doses before switching but that's about it.

 

Skip a few doses? Would you really go from 100 mg Sertraline to 0 for a few days? I would never dare.  I think it's highly possible that it would trigger bad anxiety and DP/DR in me. The side effects from starting Sertraline were so scary that I'm now worried about ever being able to quit it. Fluoxetine on the other hand is easy for me to stop, since it's got such a long half life. It feels much safer to me.

[Velvet Elvis]

Just as it takes SSRIs over a month to kick in, it takes a long time for them to stop working as well.  You shouldn't notice any difference if you just go a couple days, not that you need to.