“Can I switch anti-depressants right away?”
I'm currently taking Cymbalta 60 mg. It's working fine, but it has become pretty expensive. I want to switch to Effexor 75 mg. Is it okay to switch to this anti-depressant right away?
3 Answers
Not a good idea to switch from one to the other suddenly as they are similar but not the same medication. Don’t ever switch medications without speaking first with your healthcare provider. Your doctor or Nurse Practitioner has gone to school for many years to become specifically trained in their field. You would not get your car fixed at a dentist’s office, nor would you get teeth pulled at the mechanic’s shop. Please do not make changes in your medications without talking to your doctor first.
You will need to be weaned down to 30 mg of cymbalta for several days first and then start Effexor 75 mg daily and titrated up to 150 mg daily after a week.
It would be safer to reduce the Cymbalta by 20 mg and add the Effexor 75 mg. These are roughly equivalent doses. If there are no ill effects, after 10 days try to reduce by another 20 mg and add another 75 mg If all goes well, in another 10 days take the 3rd step. The dose of Effexor my not be adequate for the antidepressant effect you have with 60 mg of Cymbalta.
