Can switching from zoloft to the generic brand cause panic attacks and anxiety?
kw009514 asked:
I have been taking zoloft for about 1 year for panic attacks and depression. I had been feeling great again. About 2 weeks after i switched from the name brand zoloft to the generic brand I started feeling anxious and nervous again and had 2 panic attacks for no apparant reason. I was becoming more tired and irritable, more than usual. They only thing I could think of was the switch in medications. I thought those days of anxiety and panic were over. Please help.
I have been taking zoloft for about 1 year for panic attacks and depression. I had been feeling great again. About 2 weeks after i switched from the name brand zoloft to the generic brand I started feeling anxious and nervous again and had 2 panic attacks for no apparant reason. I was becoming more tired and irritable, more than usual. They only thing I could think of was the switch in medications. I thought those days of anxiety and panic were over. Please help.
It could happen I suppose…although they tell you there is no difference with the generic brands. I would certainly call your Dr. or Pharmacist to get their opinion. I certainly would’nt ignore the new symptoms.
hard to say. I also switched to the generic recently but am fine.
It shouldn’t matter. Sertraline, the generic of Zoloft must be AB equivalent to brand name Zoloft in the “orange book” in order for it to be therapeutically equivalent. Usually the change is psychological because the FDA requires the generic to be exactly the same as the brand name. if it makes you feel better, go back to brand name. but, it will be more expensive.
You may be one of those people that cannot take the generic brand over the original brand. Go back to the real zoloft and see if it happens again. It will be worth the extra cost if it makes the difference.
You shouldn’t notice any difference between the generic and the brand name. Generics have the same active ingredients as brand name medications, and are just as effective. They are regulated just like the brand name medications. Sometimes, some generics may have different INactive ingredients than the brand name, but that should not change the effect the medication has on you.
I began taking Zoloft myself earlier this year and then my health insurance company would only pay for Setraline HCL (the generic). It’s virtually eliminated my depression after many years. But that’s just me. There is no single treatment for everyone who has clinical depression.
Definitely contact your psychiatrist or whomever put you on Zoloft, as you probably need a different anti-depressant.