Does Zoloft lose effectiveness over time?

This brief review will answer the question, “Does Zoloft lose effectiveness over time?”. We will also discuss why Zoloft lose its effectiveness over time and what to do if Zoloft does not work effectively.

Does Zoloft lose effectiveness over time? 

Yes, Zoloft may lose effectiveness over time. It is commonly observed by doctors that their patients stop responding to an antidepressant after some time. 

Most doctors increase the dose to help overcome the insufficient activity of the med, but there’s a certain limit to which the dose can be increased. 

Some people may stop responding to Zoloft much earlier than others. According to researchers, there could be some external factors that may make your Zoloft ineffective or less effective than it once was. 

Why does Zoloft lose its effectiveness over time? 

There are some reasons why Zoloft may lose its efficacy and doesn’t work the way it did when you first started taking it. These include:

• Tolerance
• Low dosage strength 
• Use of another prescription medication 
• Excess levels of stress
• An underlying health condition 

Tolerance

Some people may build tolerance with time and Zoloft may not work that well in such cases. This usually happens when your body gets used to the medication and stops considering it a foreign chemical. 

This leads to reduced sensitivity of the receptors and they don’t initiate the expected response when you take the medication. 

Low dosage strength 

This is common in new users of Zoloft who stick to the initial dose. Most healthcare providers start the treatment with antidepressants with the lowest effective dose. This helps your body adjust to the medication first, before starting to take sufficient doses. 

Some people stick to the initial dose and they soon stop responding to it. This problem is usually solved by increasing the dose and most people work well with the newly increased dose for a long time. 

Use of another prescription medication

The addition of another prescription medication can make Zoloft ineffective. Drug interactions are quite common. Some medications can interfere with the absorption of Zoloft in your blood, a step which is necessary for a drug to work (1,2). 

Antibiotics and steroids are two major medications that are known to affect the absorption of Zoloft and generally SSRIs. (1)

Excess levels of stress

An excessively stressful lifestyle can make Zoloft ineffective. This is because stress can affect your mental health and can disturb the number of chemicals in your brain. 

This can result in the progression of depression and you may not find your antidepressant working at all. Stress is a normal part of life, but you can still engage in activities that help keep your mind off worries, at least for a while. Make sure you find a way to manage your stress levels. 

An underlying health condition

An underlying health condition may make your Zoloft ineffective. People with chronic health conditions like diabetes, hypertension, or a breathing disorder can trigger episodes of depression which may become difficult for Zoloft to control (2). 

This is why people with chronic illnesses may take longer to respond to antidepressants in general. 

Zoloft does not negatively affect the liver or kidneys, but some people with underlying liver or kidney conditions may require dosage adjustment.

What to do if Zoloft does not work effectively? 

If Zoloft doesn’t work effectively, talk to your healthcare provider. Your doctor will determine the next step and whether or not you need dose escalation. 

There are plenty of other antidepressants which can easily replace Zoloft if it’s not the right choice of antidepressant for you. Just reach out to your doctor and follow the directions. 

There are plenty of reasons why a patient can switch from Zoloft to any other SSRI, like Lexapro, or any other antidepressant. This can sometimes overcome the problems faced by a person on Zoloft. 

However, the best possible alternative to Zoloft can only be determined by your doctor. Don’t ever switch your antidepressant on your own. 

What do researchers say about the long-term effectiveness of Zoloft?

Studies have demonstrated that Zoloft remains effective over the long term for various conditions like depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder (3,4).

Furthermore, there is data indicating that Zoloft can be effective and well tolerated, even at lower doses, for treating recurrent depression during both the acute and maintenance phases of treatment. (4).

References