# Is it possible to grow tolerant to a SSRI (like Zoloft)??



## Dmoskos23 (Sep 9, 2006)

- I know this is probably not the best place to be going for medication questions, but I don't know where else to go!!
- I take Zoloft (SSRI class) for SAD 100 mg every morning. I just recently started taking an herbal supplement that contained 5-HTP for a few days then stopped once I discovered the possible interactions with 5-HTP and any SSRI. To be quite honest my biggest fear is that my old Social Anxiety Symptoms are beginning to come back, and that scares the crap out of me. It has been 4 days since I stopped taking those herbal supplements and I am still feeling very anxious in social situations!! Any advice you could give either through personal experience or stories you have heard would be much appreciated. I hate SAD and would do anything to keep the symptoms away!! 
- Is it possible I may have flooded my brain with Serotonin, and now my normal 150 mg dosage of Zoloft will not have the same effect??


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## korey (Apr 25, 2006)

To address the title of your thread: Yes, it is absolutely possible to grow tolerant to an SSRI. I say that speaking from personal experience, though. I was once taking 20mg Lexapro each day, but it eventually stopped working, so I switched to Zoloft. Zoloft gave me intolerable side effects, so I switched to Lexapro's prodrug, Celexa. I think it is still working for me. I am at the max dosage of it (80mg/day).

The doctor who prescribed the Zoloft for you would be the best person to ask about using the 5-HTP supplements. If it was helping you, then maybe your doctor would allow its usage. He or she might just want to increase your dosage of Zoloft, though. Most doctors aren't too keen on over the counter supplements because they're not regulated or officially approved for anything.

I am not sure about the serotonin brain flood, but if your Zoloft doesn't seem to be helping you anymore, then you might want to consider switching to another medication. As I addressed the title, you generally can become tolerant to SSRIs. I doubt you triggered serotonin syndrome, though. If you had triggered it, you would definitely have noticed. I think most people who get it usually end up in the hospital. Here is a small list of signs and symptoms of serotonin syndrome: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serotonin_syndrome#Signs_and_symptoms


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## AlekParker (Oct 31, 2006)

korey what were your "intolerable side effects" from zoloft?


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## korey (Apr 25, 2006)

AlekParker said:


> korey what were your "intolerable side effects" from zoloft?


Constant headaches and G.I. problems.


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## nystrele (Nov 5, 2006)

your question is very relevant and i can tell you after more than a decade on most every med there is for SAD... yes. the term typically applied is "poop out." i was first on serzone for about a year and a half and it just stopped working... then the same for paxil, effexor, zoloft... all of them seem to be somewhat effective for a time, then lose their efficacy, even when i was at peak dose. i have no great solution for you unfortunately... my search continues. good luck to you!


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