Does Venlafaxine Interact With Zoloft?

Posted on Thu, 30 Mar 2017

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Thu, 30 Mar 2017 Answered on

Thu, 27 Apr 2017 Last reviewed on

Question : I was on venlafaxine 300 mg. was not working so dr changed it to zoloft. took 150mg venlafaxine for a week then 75 mg with 50 mg of zoloft. then just 50mg of zoloft. I got diahrea upset stomach and referral pain to my sholder which is worse than an 8 on a ten scale. Now I have right quadron pain especially under my ribs. Is all this pain from going off venlafaxine and taking zoloft?

Answered by Dr. Seikhoo Bishnoi (40 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
The pain is probably occurring due to Zoloft.

Detailed Answer:
Hello thanks for asking from HCM

I can understand your concern. Zoloft is Sertraline and is a SSRI drug. It's is normal to see diarrhoea and gastric upset as side effects when the drug is started. In most individuals these adverse effects last for about a week or two. I don't think withdrawal of Venlafaxine is the reason of these side effects. The pain in right quadrant is also probably occurring due to Zoloft. The pain will decrease by own in some days. No need to worry. If pain persists then talk to a doctor for evaluation.

Thanks and Take care.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar