Consult your healthcare provider for advice. Your doctor will weigh the benefits of taking an antidepressant vs. Some doctors will prescribe a low dose of antidepressant while pregnant. Combining antidepressants with alcohol can worsen symptoms of depression or anxiety, impair your thinking and alertness, and increase sedation and drowsiness. SSRIs can be very useful in the treatment of anxiety, but it is best to consult with your healthcare provider about which one is best for you, taking into account your medical history, medical condition s , and other medications you are taking.
Everyone has a different experience; some people have no change in weight, and some may gain or lose some weight while on these medications. Skip to main content Search for a topic or drug. Lexapro vs. Zoloft: Differences, similarities, and which is better for you. By Karen Berger, Pharm.
Want the best price on Zoloft? Want the best price on Lexapro? Top Reads in Drug vs. Toujeo vs Lantus: Main Differences and S Dulera vs Advair: Main Differences and S Suboxone vs Methadone: Main Differences Looking for a prescription? Search now! Type your drug name. Adults: 10 mg daily; maximum 20 mg per day maximum 10 mg per day in elderly Adolescent: varies; average of 10 mg daily Taper gradually when discontinuing.
Adults: mg daily; maximum mg per day Children: varies; average of 25 to 50 mg daily Taper gradually when discontinuing. These drugs are a type of antidepressant called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors SSRIs. SSRIs work by increasing levels of serotonin, a substance in your brain that helps maintain your mood. Read on to learn more about similarities and differences between Lexapro and Zoloft. Lexapro is prescribed to treat depression and generalized anxiety disorder.
Zoloft is prescribed to treat depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, and several other mental health conditions.
The table below compares the conditions each drug is approved to treat. Both medications are available in most pharmacies in brand-name and generic versions. Generics are generally cheaper than brand-name products.
At the time this article was written, the prices for the brand-name and generic versions of Lexapro and Zoloft were similar, according to GoodRx. Health insurance plans typically cover antidepressant medications such as Lexapro and Zoloft, but prefer you to use the generic forms.
The charts below list examples of side effects of Lexapro and Zoloft. Keep reading: Managing sexual side effects from antidepressants ». A concern that many people have about taking antidepressants is weight gain. Lexapro and Zoloft are two antidepressants that may cause less weight gain. The drug interactions of Lexapro and Zoloft are very similar. This information can help your doctor prevent possible interactions.
Lexapro and Zoloft contain many of the same warnings for use with other medical conditions. For example, both medications are pregnancy category C drugs. The chart below lists other medical conditions you should discuss with your doctor before taking Lexapro or Zoloft.
Both Lexapro and Zoloft raise the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior in children, adolescents, and young adults. Lexapro is not approved for children younger than 12 years. For more information, read about antidepressant use and the risk of suicide. Stopping these medications suddenly can cause withdrawal symptoms.
These can include:. Talk to your doctor or prescribing nurse or the experts at Minded if you experience any of these or other side effects. And because it is an SSRI like Lexapro, Zoloft may also increase your risk for potentially life-threatening bleeding in your gums, nose, stomach, or intestines. This risk is increased if you are also taking medications such as aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories NSAIDs—like ibuprofen or naproxen , and warfarin, or other anticoagulant drugs.
You should seek medical attention right away if you experience any of these or other serious side effects. The Black Box warning for Zoloft says that antidepressant medications may increase the risk of suicidal thoughts or behaviors in children and young adults under 25 years old. Zoloft is an SSRI that can affect your baby during pregnancy and while breastfeeding. Be sure to discuss your depression or anxiety treatment plan with your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are planning to do so.
As with Lexapro, you should not drink alcohol while taking Zoloft. Alcohol may temporarily appear to improve your mood, but it can actually worsen depression and anxiety symptoms long-term.
Alcohol can also decrease the benefits of medications like Zoloft and increase their negative side effects such as sedation. And there is a risk of accidentally overdosing on Zoloft if it is taken with alcohol.
Symptoms of an overdose of Zoloft may include :. Because SSRIs like Zoloft must be taken regularly to be effective and to avoid withdrawal symptoms , you should not skip doses of Zoloft in order to drink alcohol. Like Lexapro, if you need to stop taking Zoloft, you will want to work with your doctor to come up with a plan to do so carefully and gradually to avoid withdrawal symptoms. In some cases, antidepressant medication withdrawal symptoms are mild and last only a week or two.
However, in other cases, withdrawal symptoms may last weeks or even months. Both Lexapro and Zoloft can take several weeks for improvement in your depression or anxiety symptoms to become noticeable. Because neither medication has a lead over the other in this area, it usually is not a factor in decision-making when choosing between these two medications. In general, you might notice your sleep, energy, and appetite get better within the first two weeks of starting Lexapro or Zoloft. It can take 6 to 8 weeks for other symptoms—such as depressed mood or lack of interest in day-to-day activities—to improve as well.
Lexapro and Zoloft are similarly effective in terms of treating major depressive disorder MDD. One study found that people on Lexapro and people on Zoloft reported similar levels of improvements in their depression symptoms. Zoloft and Lexapro have also been found to be effective treatment options for anxiety disorders. According to a study published in the Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy, both medications reduced anxiety symptoms compared to placebos, and both were well tolerated in terms of side effects.
Weight gain is a common concern about antidepressant medications. While some of these medications may have a higher rate of weight gain compared to others, in some cases, weight gain is not directly caused by the medication itself. For example, sometimes people lose weight when they are depressed before they have started treatment.
When their appetite returns as their depression is treated effectively, they may begin to gain back the weight they lost. But this is not necessarily caused by the medication itself. Instead, it is actually a result of an improvement in depression symptoms. That being said, a study published in General Hospital Psychiatry found that both Lexapro and Zoloft—as well as other antidepressant medications— could lead to weight gain. While head-to-head comparisons for Zoloft vs Lexapro are not available, studies suggest that both can cause weight gain when taken long-term.
A study published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine in , for example, found that people taking Zoloft over a two-year period gained an average of While a study in the International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology found that people taking Lexapro over a week period i. Lexapro and Zoloft should not be taken together. Because both medications are SSRIs, taking them together can lead to dangerously high levels of serotonin collecting in your body.
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