Sertraline: How Does It Work? What Side Effects Does It Have?

Sertraline is one of the most well-known psychotropic drugs for the treatment of major depression, panic attacks, social anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. You may also know Sertraline by the commercial name, Zoloft. Although the drug does not cure these conditions, it is used to relieve and control negative thoughts and feelings.

Controversy arises every time researchers publish a study regarding this substance. Are medications really needed to treat such conditions? If so, what are the most effective drugs? Should we choose newer, second- and third-generation medications, or should we just stick to the original formulas?

Mental health professionals ask the same questions. The only thing that is clear is that each patient requires his own, unique strategy to overcome his mental illness. Some patients will overcome depression through psychological therapy. Others will need to supplement psychological therapy with some type of pharmacological treatment. Pharmacological treatments can vary greatly in the type and amount of medicine to achieve the desired effect.

A few years ago, the journal “The Lancet” conducted a study to compare the effectiveness of various psychotropic drugs intended to treat depression. According to the magazine’s research, Zoloft (sertraline) came out on top. This selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) is currently one of the most useful and prescribed drugs for depression. Let’s see how Zoloft works and look at the side effects.

What is sertraline? How does it work?

The effects of sertraline work 4 to 8 hours after taking the medicine. After taking sertraline, the patient usually experiences relaxation, an improvement in mood and better mental control. The drug works by inhibiting the reuptake of serotonin. In general, sertraline increases the presence and availability of serotonin in our body.

We are talking about a modification that changes the way our brain emits chemicals, which directly affects our state of mind. The way the drug affects the patient depends on the level of activation and the psychological state.

In what situations is sertraline useful?

As we have mentioned, sertraline is generally administered for depressive disorders. It helps to control our emotions, thoughts and actions that may be a result of depressive health conditions. However, sertraline will not cure these diseases on its own. To cure depression, the patient must supplement sertraline with other measures, such as psychological therapy.

In addition to being useful in depression, sertraline has also been shown to be effective in the following situations:

• People with post-traumatic stress disorder.
• Patients with social anxiety and panic attacks.

• People with obsessions.

Side effects associated with sertraline

Sertraline is a psycho-pharmaceutical drug. As the word “psycho-pharmaceutical” indicates, sertraline is not a common medicine such as paracetamol or antihistamine. Only a psychiatric specialist can prescribe sertraline. Serotonin reuptake inhibitors, although effective, are far from harmless. They have side effects and those side effects depend on several factors.

The first factor is the duration of treatment. The second factor is the patient’s condition. We know that not all organisms are the same, and can act on the same substance in different ways. Some will not tolerate the drug while others will notice immediate improvement.

Some patients do not follow the guidelines for administration of the drug and are at risk of harming their own health. We must be very careful and carefully follow the guidelines for clinical administration.

Let’s look at the most important side effects of sertraline.

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

In the most severe cases, it can cause tremors, palpitations, decreased libido and urinary incontinence.

Considerations regarding sertraline

An interesting aspect of this drug is that its bioavailability increases when we take it with a meal. It is also worth remembering that the effectiveness of sertraline is significantly reduced if we are smokers or drink alcohol. This should be things to discuss with a doctor now that they are considering which pharmacological resource is best for our health.

However, sertraline is not recommended for children, adolescents or pregnant women, as well as for patients with kidney or liver problems.

To conclude, we would like to clarify the need to follow the specialist’s guidelines for administration when taking the drug. Psychotherapy, especially the drug we describe in this article, continues to be one of the most common therapeutic strategies for treating depressive disorders. These drugs help us to feel better so that the treatment can be successful.