AboutDr. Ravindra Bhaskar Ghooi Expertise I can provide information on drugs and medicines, their actions, uses, interactions and adverse effects. To avoid confusion, generic names of
medicines may please be provided. I am a pharmacologist, having worked
on animal and human pharmacology, and presently I am the Dean of Bilcare Research Academy, where we teach courses on clinical research. We dont work on saturdays and sundays, hence questions reachng me on these days will be replied on Monday, please bear with me.
Question I was prescribed Cymbalta 90 mg. in conjunction with Zoloft 300 mg. daily. Could you please tell me the possible side effects of taking the two together. I took them both for over a year and developed a seizure disorder.
Answer Hi Sherry,
The manufacturers of cymbalta recommend as follows:
Based on the mechanism of action of SNRIs and SSRIs, including Cymbalta and the potential for serotonin syndrome, caution is advised when Cymbalta is coadministered with other drugs that may affect the serotonergic neurotransmitter systems, such as triptans, linezolid (an antibiotic which is a reversible non-selective MAOI), lithium, tramadol, or St. John's Wort (see WARNINGS, Serotonin Syndrome). The concomitant use of Cymbalta with other SSRIs, SNRIs or tryptophan is not recommended.
Zoloft is an SSRI, and hence I would say that their combination is not recommended. However I am aware that some doctors do use them together and have had good results. I have not found seizure discorder as a result of their interaction. Hence your developemnt of seizures should be considered independently and not necessarly as a result of the interacton.
Ravi Ghooi
