Switching from Sertraline to Vortioxetine for SSRI-Induced Side Effects

Evidence Supporting the Switch

Sertraline is specifically associated with higher rates of sexual dysfunction compared to some other SSRIs, making it a reasonable candidate for switching, according to the American College of Physicians 1, 2

Sertraline is a first-line agent for OCD, and switching away from it requires careful consideration of whether OCD symptoms are adequately controlled, as recommended by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 3
If OCD symptoms remain problematic, higher doses of vortioxetine (up to 20mg) may be needed, though evidence for vortioxetine in OCD specifically is limited, as noted by the National Institute of Mental Health 4
SSRIs remain the recommended first-line treatment for social anxiety disorder (NNT=4.70) according to the Japanese Society of Anxiety and Related Disorders, and vortioxetine is explicitly excluded from social anxiety disorder treatment guidelines due to inadequate study in this population 3, 4, 5

The combination of vortioxetine with other medications should be well-tolerated, as recommended by the American College of Clinical Pharmacy 3