Here are the most common side effects of Zoloft you may experience when you start taking it:. Zoloft also comes with a black box warning for suicidal thoughts and behaviors.
Short-term studies have shown that antidepressants increased the risk of suicidality in children, adolescents, and young adults compared to a placebo. The Food and Drug Administration also warns patients against taking sertraline Zoloft if they are pregnant, breastfeeding, have preexisting eye problems sertraline makes patients more susceptible to developing glaucoma , and those with bipolar disorder who are not also taking a mood stabilizer.
Zoloft taken with monoamine oxidase inhibitors MAOIs or other drugs that increase serotonin such as other antidepressants, triptans, and dextromethorphan, which is found in cough and cold products could cause serotonin syndrome , a life-threatening emergency that can cause hallucinations, seizures, comas, tremors, delirium, and other serious side effects. What works for one person may not work for another. Depression symptoms will completely go away for about 1 out of every 3 people who take SSRIs, but more research still needs to be done on why SSRIs work for some people and not for others.
Your healthcare provider is the best person to ask which antidepressant will be most effective for you. As mentioned earlier, your healthcare provider is the best person to ask about how to treat your anxiety. Medications can be effective in treating anxiety, but Dr. Naidoo says you may have other options as well. She mentions dietary changes, mindfulness, breathing exercises, and physical exercise as additional ways to combat anxiety.
Your physician can help you come up with a treatment plan that will fit well into your life. Skip to main content Search for a topic or drug. Studies in women suggest that this medication poses minimal risk to the infant when used during breastfeeding.
Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary.
When you are taking this medicine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below.
The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive. Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is not recommended. Your doctor may decide not to treat you with this medication or change some of the other medicines you take.
Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines. Using this medicine with any of the following medicines may cause an increased risk of certain side effects, but using both drugs may be the best treatment for you.
Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur.
Using this medicine with any of the following may cause an increased risk of certain side effects but may be unavoidable in some cases. If used together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use this medicine, or give you special instructions about the use of food, alcohol, or tobacco. The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of this medicine.
Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:. Take this medicine only as directed by your doctor, to benefit your condition as much as possible. Do not take more of it, do not take it more often, and do not take it for a longer time than your doctor ordered. This medicine should come with a Medication Guide. Follow the instructions carefully. Ask your doctor if you have any questions.
Do not mix this medicine with any other liquid. Drink it right away after mixing. Do not mix the medicine with the liquid until you are ready to take your dose. It is okay if the mixture looks hazy. The dose of this medicine will be different for different patients.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you're taking any other medicines, including herbal medicines, vitamins or supplements. Sertraline is one of a group of antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs. These medicines are thought to work by increasing the levels of a mood-enhancing chemical called serotonin in the brain.
Antidepressants like sertraline help to jump start your mood so you feel better. You may notice that you sleep better and get on with people more easily because you're less anxious. You'll hopefully take in your stride little things that used to worry you. Sertraline will not change your personality or make you feel euphorically happy.
It'll simply help you feel like yourself again. Do not expect to feel better overnight, though. Some people feel worse during the first few weeks of treatment before they begin to feel better. You may see an improvement in your symptoms after 1 or 2 weeks, although it usually takes between 4 to 6 weeks before you feel the full benefits. That's because it takes around a week for sertraline levels to build up in your body, and then a few weeks longer for your body to adapt and get used to it.
Do not stop taking sertraline just because you feel it is not helping your symptoms. Give the medicine at least 6 weeks to work.
If you have been feeling better for 6 months or more, your doctor may suggest coming off sertraline. Your doctor will probably recommend reducing your dose gradually over several weeks, or longer if you have been taking sertraline for a long time. This is to help prevent any extra side effects you might get as a reaction to coming off the medicine. Do not stop taking sertraline suddenly, or without talking to your doctor first.
Once you're feeling better it's likely that you'll continue to take sertraline for several more months. Most doctors recommend that you take antidepressants for 6 months to a year after you no longer feel depressed. A few people may get sexual side effects, such as problems getting an erection or a lower sex drive.
In some cases these can continue even after stopping the medicine. Speak to your doctor if you are worried. Taking sertraline for more than a year has also been linked to a small increased risk of getting diabetes. You'll be regularly checked for this. Sertraline is not any better or worse than other antidepressants. Sometimes people respond better to one antidepressant than another.
Sertraline can make you feel more or less hungry than usual, so you may lose or gain weight when you start taking it. If you start to have problems with your weight while taking sertraline, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. Sertraline will not affect any type of contraception, including the contraceptive pill or emergency contraception.
There's some evidence that sertraline can reduce the quality of sperm. This should reverse once you stop taking the medicine. It's not known whether this reduces male fertility. Talk to your doctor if you're concerned. There's no firm evidence to suggest that taking sertraline will reduce fertility in women.
But speak to a pharmacist or your doctor if you're trying to get pregnant. They may want to review your treatment. The positive effects of sertraline may, after a while, improve your sex life as your mood lifts and you become interested in life and relationships again. Sexual side effects usually pass after the first couple of weeks. However, very rarely, they can be long lasting and may not get better even after stopping the medicine.
If these happen and are a problem for you, go back to your doctor to see if there's another treatment you can try.
Some people cannot concentrate properly while they're taking sertraline. It might be best to stop driving and cycling for the first few days of treatment until you know how this medicine makes you feel.
You can drink alcohol while taking sertraline, but it may make you feel sleepy. For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database. All listed dosages are according to the drug manufacturer. Check your prescription and consult your doctor to make sure you're taking the correct dose for you. For people with social anxiety disorder, a typical tablet dosage of Zoloft starts at 25 mg, with an increase to 50 mg after one week. Weekly increases up to a maximum dose of mg are permitted for patients who do not respond to lower doses.
Zoloft comes in tablet or liquid form. In general, Zoloft is taken once daily, with or without food. If you have taken too much Zoloft, get help right away before the drug has a chance to cause unpleasant or dangerous symptoms. The risk of a fatal overdose of Zoloft is low.
Symptoms of an overdose include dizziness, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, increased or slow heart rate, and coma. Side effects of Zoloft can range from mild to more serious. The most common side effects of Zoloft include:.
When first starting Zoloft, or when changing dosage, report any of the following side effects to your doctor immediately:. If your doctor is unavailable and you're experiencing severe symptoms, head to the emergency room immediately.
Tell them about the medication and dosage you are currently taking and when your symptoms first began. Zoloft should be taken as directed unless your healthcare provider provides other guidance. To ensure Zoloft is safe for you, disclose to your doctor your mental health and family history as well all current or past prescription or over-the-counter medications, or any other substances that you are taking or plan to take.
Warnings and interactions when taking Zoloft include:. The black-box warning for Zoloft indicates that it may cause or increase thoughts of suicide in children and young adults under 25 , especially in the first few weeks after starting the drug or after the dose is changed. It's important to note that this article does not indicate every possible outcome of taking Zoloft.
0コメント