Posted by silvercoin on August 3, 2006, at 8:09:09
In reply to Emsam- wait 2 weeks after taking SSRI?, posted by SadDoggie on August 2, 2006, at 17:38:05
> I was thinking of starting Emsam and my doctor told me I have to stop Effexor and wait 2 weeks before I can start taking it. Is this really necessary? I don't think I can take 2 weeks without Effexor. Hell the best I can do is a few days.
Doctors tend to stick to the 14 day rule, but this is really a general catch-all. The actual period of time it takes a med to completely clear your system is 5 half lives. Effexor has a relatively short half life and technically would not require a 2 week interval, but you do need to distinguish between the XR and standard versions because they have different half lives. The makers of Cymbalta recognize this and only specify a 5 day interval, as their med has a half life of less than 1 day, typically around 12 hours, I believe. People taking Prozac need to allow a longer interval to elapse before taking an MAOI, perhaps 5 weeks, due to this med's exceptionally long half life. However, you may not be able to get your doctor to drop the 2 week rule in view of your med's short half life, as this may push your doctor out of his comfort zone. This has typically been the case with my own doctor.Todd
poster:silvercoin
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