Sertraline: Uses And Side Effects

Sertraline is one of the best known psychiatric drugs for the treatment of major depression, panic attacks, social anxiety, post-traumatic stress and obsessive-compulsive thoughts. It is also known by its trade name, Zoloft, and while it does not cure these conditions, it is useful for relieving and controlling the flow of negative thoughts and emotions.

Are drugs really necessary to treat these kinds of conditions? If so… which are the most effective? Should we opt for second and third generation psychiatric drugs right now, or should we stick to the usual formulas? In today’s article we focus on sertraline .

Strange as it may seem, these doubts also assail mental health specialists. It is clear that each  patient requires a unique and personalized strategy. There are those who can overcome their depression through psychological therapy and those who, on the other hand, will need to integrate it with a drug treatment, which can vary in type and quantity until the desired effect is obtained.

A few years ago, The Lancet magazine  conducted research to evaluate the effectiveness of most psychiatric drugs for depression.  In the first places appeared the Zoloft (sertraline). This selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) continues to be one of the most useful today and, in turn, one of the most prescribed by professionals. Let’s see what its mechanism of action is and what side effects are.

What is sertraline? How does it work?

The effect of sertraline usually occurs between 4 and 8 hours after intake.  The person experiences relaxation, an improvement in their mood and greater mental control. The reason for this effect is due to its mechanism of action: a psychotropic drug that inhibits the reuptake of serotonin. In other words, it increases its presence and availability in the body.

Therefore, a chemical change in brain transmissions takes place which directly affects the mood. In addition, it will have other related physiological effects, such as the level of activation, or psychological, such as attitude.

In what situations is sertraline useful?

As we have reported, sertraline is mainly administered in the case of depressive disorders.  It helps to control the emotions, thoughts and actions that sometimes accompany these health conditions, but it does not cure them. To this end, further approaches are needed, such as psychological therapy.

In addition to being useful in cases of depression, it has shown good effectiveness in the following situations:

• Post-traumatic stress.
• Social phobia and panic attacks.
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

Side effects associated with sertraline

Sertraline is a psychotropic drug, therefore it is not a classic drug, it is not a paracetamol or an antihistamine. It should only be prescribed and dosed by a mental health specialist.  Furthermore, serotonin reuptake inhibitors, while effective, are not harmless. They have different side effects and the incidence of these will depend on various factors.

The first is the duration of the treatment. According to the personal conditions of each patient, there are those who do not tolerate it, those who notice immediate improvements, those who do not follow the advice of the professional and take it wrong, perhaps combining it with other substances and endangering their health. We must be very careful and follow clinical recommendations to the letter.

The main side effects of this drug are:

• Nausea.
• Dry mouth.
• Headache.
• Abdominal pain.
• Somnolence or hypersomnia.

In severe cases it can generate tremors, palpitations, reduced libido, urinary incontinence.

Considerations on sertraline

An interesting aspect about this drug is that it improves its bioavailability when taken with meals. If alcohol or tobacco is consumed, its effectiveness is greatly reduced. We should speak to our doctor as he determines the best drug resource for us.

Sertraline is not recommended for children, adolescents, pregnant women, people with kidney or liver problems.

We emphasize once again the importance of following the instructions of the specialists.  Psychotropic drugs, and in particular stertraline, are still part of the most common therapeutic strategy for treating depressive disorders today. They will help us feel better and thus also improve the outcome of adequate psychological therapy.