Can the dose of Zoloft be increased from 50 mg to 75 mg? 

Can the dose of Zoloft be increased from 50 mg to 75 mg? 

Yes, the dose of Zoloft can be increased from 50 to 75 mg if your healthcare provider believes that you need a higher dose now. The initial treatment with Zoloft is usually started from 25-50mg, depending on the severity of the depression, the age of the person, and how well the person tolerates this antidepressant. 

New users should be started with 25 mg of Zoloft, however, the most effective dose is found to be 50 mg. If 50 mg is not enough to actively control the symptoms associated with your mental health condition, it is absolutely okay to switch to 75 mg of Zoloft. 

Zoloft dose can also be increased from 50mg to 100mg, which can cause side effects at first, but it does start to get better. The daily maximum dose of Zoloft is 200mg.

However, this should only be done with your doctor’s approval. You should never take such things into your own hands as only your doctor can determine the safety and efficacy of an increased Zoloft dose. 

When should your dose be increased from 50 mg to 75 mg? 

Your healthcare provider will most likely increase your dose from 50 to 75 mg when you respond well to the 50 mg dose. Mostly, the treatment with antidepressants is started from the lowest effective dose. This is because these meds could be a little tricky and not everyone responds ideally to them. 

They cause side effects in 95% of the cases, but they are usually tolerated by the people and they begin to subside when your body adjusts to the medication. However, that’s not always the case. 

Some people may not recover from Zoloft-induced side effects and this is why their treatment is not continued. However, for the people who respond well to the 50 mg dose at the beginning of their treatment but the dose is not sufficient enough to actively control the disease, the dose is later escalated to 75 mg. 

In some cases, the treatment is continued with the 75 mg dose for as long as needed. However, some people may escalate further to a 100 mg dose for adequate therapeutic response. 

Make sure you stick to your doctor’s recommended doses. Only your healthcare provider can determine which dose is the best possible one for you. 

What should you expect when your Zoloft dose is increased from 50 mg to 75 mg?

You should expect the following things when your Zoloft dosage is increased from 50 mg to 75 mg (1):

• The new increased dose will take some time to work
• Once it kicks in, it will control your depression more efficiently 
• The increased dose may cause more side effects 

The new increased dose will take some time to work

This is one of the most important things that you need to understand when your dose is increased from 50 mg to 75 mg. It is a known fact that antidepressants take time to work and this basic fact is often neglected by people. The same happens when your dose is increased. 

The higher dose will not cure your depression overnight. You need to give it some time to work and you also need to give your body some time to adjust to this new dose. 

People are generally sensitive to antidepressants simply because of the nature of these meds and there’s nothing wrong with giving your body some time to adapt. Just make sure you do not stop the treatment halfway and continue to take your antidepressant according to your doctor’s directions. 

Once it kicks in, it will control your depression more efficiently 

Once your body adjusts to the new dose and it kicks in, you will start to feel better. The entire point of dose escalation is to help you achieve a better therapeutic outcome and dose escalation only helps those people who respond well to Zoloft. 

After the constant use of Zoloft, you will begin to notice a significant difference in your behaviour and mood. 

The drug will actively increase the level of serotonin in your body, which is an excitatory neurotransmitter responsible for modulating mood, cognition, reward, learning, memory, and various other psychological functions. You just need to trust the process and wait. 

The increased dose may cause more side effects 

This is a known fact that a higher dose of Zoloft is susceptible to more prominent side effects. Most of the side effects usually occurred soon after you take the newly increased dose. 

When your body slowly adjusts to it, they start to fade away. Some of the commonly reported side effects after Zoloft dose escalation include (2):

• Loss of appetite
• Tiredness
• Feeling angry or agitated
• Weight gain
• Inability to digest food
• Nausea
• Metallic taste 
• Diarrhoea
• Loss of libido
• Muscle tension
• Sweating/Night sweats
• Tremors or shaking
• Insomnia
• Decreased sex drive
• Impotence
• Inability to ejaculate

What to do if you can’t cope with the increased Zoloft dose?

Reach out to your healthcare provider if you can’t cope with the newly increased dose. Although it is a common practice to increase the antidepressant dose once your body accepts it or adjusts to it, some people may not respond well to it. 

In such a case, your doctor may reduce your dose a little to help your body adjust first, before trying dose escalation again. If a low dose is not enough to help your condition and a higher dose is intolerable for you, your doctor may safely switch your antidepressant to a more tolerable one. 

Just make sure you do not make any changes to your prescription on your own.

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