About Catherine Expertise Information about medications available in Canada and the US, and some other countries, particularly psychiatric and pain meds, as well as information on drug interactions, generic vs. brand drugs, drug scheduling, and links on where to go if I can`t answer your question. Please do not ask about buying meds online from Canada, as a Canadian, I have no experience with this.
Experience Pharmacy technician, random information databank
I was wondering what drugs cannot be taken when a person is on Zoloft, particularly if there are any sedatives that should not be taken.
The reason I'm asking is because my doctor prescribed valium for me because I was having some very bad anxiety issues because one day I came home and found my best friend dead. Her name was Catharine, that's why I picked you to ask this question to. Anyway, that's all beside the point. Now I'm on Zoloft and have been for about two months, but I have some leftover valium. I don't know if my doctor realizes this, and I don't want to ask if I can take it on occassion if I need it because I don't want to sound like an addict or something!
So anyway, I guess I'm asking specifically if I can take Valium and Zoloft, but I was also curious to know in general if there are some drugs that should not be taken with Zoloft. I also take Benedryl fairly often for allergies, but I stopped taking that because I didn't want things to interact funny or anything.
Thank you,
Darcy
Answer Some doctors are really crazy about Valium and other drugs like that, even though they're less physically addictive in most people than your Zoloft, which is unfortunate, because (unless you mix them with alcohol) they're among the safest drugs out there.
Valium, when taken at a normal prescribed dose (5mg or less, usually), shouldn't cause much of a problem with the Zoloft. The combination would be more likely to make you sleepy than either one alone, so you'd want to avoid driving or anything that you need to be alert or have quick reflexes for, until you know exactly what the combination does to you.
Zoloft shouldn't be taken with other antidepressants, unless your doctor prescribed them all to you and wants you to take them together. It shouldn't be taken with MAOIs (even if your doctor *did* give you both, in which case you may want to find another doctor...), and drinking grapefruit juice or eating grapefruit while you're taking it messes with it's metabolism in your liver - for some strange reason, your liver uses the same enzyme to process grapefruit as it does a lot of drugs. Those are the main ones, and you'll often be advised to avoid alcohol on Zoloft, too, both because of the way they hit your head (makes you feel drunker, according to most people) and hit your liver.
There's a really good online drug interaction checker at https://www.aidsmeds.com/cmm/DrugsNewContent.asp and more information at www.crazymeds.org on Zoloft, Valium, and other drugs, as well.
