Sertraline

Drug Status in USA : Approved
Drug Status in Canada : Approved

pronunciation

pronounced as (ser' tra leen)

Why is this medication prescribed?

Sertraline is used to treat depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (bothersome thoughts that won't go away and the need to perform certain actions over and over), panic attacks (sudden, unexpected attacks of extreme fear and worry about these attacks), posttraumatic stress disorder (disturbing psychological symptoms that develop after a frightening experience), and social anxiety disorder (extreme fear of interacting with others or performing in front of others that interferes with normal life). It is also used to relieve the symptoms of premenstrual dysphoric disorder, including mood swings, irritability, bloating, and breast tenderness. Sertraline is in a class of antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). It works by increasing the amounts of serotonin, a natural substance in the brain that helps maintain mental balance.


How should this medicine be used?

Sertraline comes as a tablet and a concentrate (liquid) to take by mouth. It is usually taken once daily in the morning or evening. To treat premenstrual dysphoric disorder, sertraline is taken once a day, either every day of the month or on certain days of the month. Take sertraline at around the same time every day. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take sertraline exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor.

Sertraline concentrate must be diluted before use. Immediately before taking it, use the provided dropper to remove the amount of concentrate your doctor has told you to take. Mix the concentrate with 4 ounces (1/2 cup

  • 120 milliliters
) of water, ginger ale, lemon or lime soda, lemonade, or orange juice. Do not mix the concentrate with any liquids other than the ones listed. Drink immediately.

Your doctor may start you on a low dose of sertraline and gradually increase your dose, not more than once a week.

It may take a few weeks or longer before you feel the full benefit of sertraline. Continue to take sertraline even if you feel well. Do not stop taking sertraline without talking to your doctor.


What are the precautions to be followed?

Before taking sertraline,
  • tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to sertraline or any other medications. Before taking sertraline liquid concentrate, tell your doctor if you are allergic to latex.
  • tell your doctor if you are taking monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors, including isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam, Zelapar), and tranylcypromine (Parnate), or have stopped taking them within the past 2 weeks, or if you are taking pimozide (Orap). Your doctor will probably tell you not to take sertraline. If you stop taking sertraline, you should wait at least 2 weeks before you start to take an MAO inhibitor.
  • do not take disulfiram (Antabuse) while taking sertraline concentrate.
  • tell your doctor and pharmacist what other prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you are taking or plan to take. Be sure to mention any of the following: anticoagulants ('blood thinners') such as warfarin (Coumadin); antidepressants ('mood elevators') such as amitriptyline (Elavil), amoxapine (Asendin), clomipramine (Anafranil), desipramine (Norpramin), doxepin (Adapin, Sinequan), imipramine (Tofranil), nortriptyline (Aventyl, Pamelor), protriptyline (Vivactil), and trimipramine (Surmontil); aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn); cimetidine (Tagamet); diazepam (Valium); digoxin (Lanoxin); linezolid ; lithium (Eskalith, Lithobid); medications for anxiety, mental illness, Parkinson's disease, and seizures; medications for irregular heartbeat such as flecainide (Tambocor) and propafenone (Rythmol); methylene blue; oral medications for diabetes such as tolbutamide (Orinase); medications for migraine headaches such as almotriptan (Axert), eletriptan (Relpax), frovatriptan (Frova), naratriptan (Amerge), rizatriptan (Maxalt), sumatriptan (Imitrex), and zolmitriptan (Zomig); sedatives; sibutramine (Meridia); sleeping pills; and tranquilizers. Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medications or monitor you carefully for side effects.
  • tell your doctor if you have recently had a heart attack and if you have or have ever had seizures or liver or heart disease.
  • tell your doctor if you are pregnant, especially if you are in the last few months of your pregnancy, or if you plan to become pregnant or are breast-feeding. If you become pregnant while taking sertraline, call your doctor. Sertraline may cause problems in newborns following delivery if it is taken during the last months of pregnancy.
  • you should know that sertraline may make you drowsy. Do not drive a car or operate machinery until you know how this medication affects you.
  • ask your doctor about the safe use of alcoholic beverages while you are taking sertraline.
  • you should know that sertraline may cause angle-closure glaucoma (a condition where the fluid is suddenly blocked and unable to flow out of the eye causing a quick, severe increase in eye pressure which may lead to a loss of vision). Talk to your doctor about having an eye examination before you start taking this medication. If you have nausea, eye pain, changes in vision, such as seeing colored rings around lights, and swelling or redness in or around the eye, call your doctor or get emergency medical treatment right away.

What are possible side effects of this medication ?

Sertraline may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:
  • nausea
  • diarrhea
  • constipation
  • vomiting
  • dry mouth
  • gas or bloating
  • loss of appetite
  • weight changes
  • drowsiness
  • dizziness
  • excessive tiredness
  • headache
  • pain, burning, or tingling in the hands or feet
  • nervousness
  • uncontrollable shaking of a part of the body
  • sore throat
  • changes in sex drive or ability
  • excessive sweating
Some side effects can be serious. If you experience any of the following symptoms or those listed in the IMPORTANT WARNING or SPECIAL PRECAUTIONS section, call your doctor immediately:
  • seizures
  • fever, sweating, confusion, fast or irregular heartbeat, and severe muscle stiffness
  • abnormal bleeding or bruising
  • hallucinating (seeing things or hearing voices that do not exist)

Sertraline may cause other side effects. Call your doctor if you have any unusual problems while taking this medication.


How to store the medication and dispose it of after its use later?

Keep this medication in the container it came in, tightly closed, and out of reach of children. Store it at room temperature and away from excess heat and moisture (not in the bathroom). Throw away any medication that is outdated or no longer needed. Talk to your pharmacist about the proper disposal of your medication.


Drug Category/Class

  • Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors
  • Antidepressive Agents
  • Antidepressants
  • Psychoanaleptics
  • Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors
  • Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A2 Inhibitors
  • Cytochrome P-450 CYP2C9 Inhibitors
  • Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A2 Inducers
  • Cytochrome P-450 CYP2C9 Inducers
  • Cytochrome P-450 CYP2C19 Inducers
  • Cytochrome P-450 CYP2B6 Inducers
  • Cytochrome P-450 CYP2B6 Inhibitors
  • CYP2B6 Inhibito
Prescribed For the management of major depressive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder with or without agora...
Weight :306.23
Structure Sertraline
Generic Drug Sertraline prescribed For the management of major depressive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder with or without agora...
Formula

C17H17Cl2N

Sertraline has 166 Brands listed


Actiser (100 mg)Actiser (25 mg)
Actiser (50 mg)Aderta (50 mg)
Alin (50 mg)Alsert (50 mg)
Asert (100 mg)Asert (50 mg)
Atline (100 mg)Atline (50 mg)
Axilin (50 mg)Bioserene (50 mg)
Censir (50 mg)Daxid (100 mg)
Daxid (50 mg)Dazolin (100 mg)
Dazolin (50 mg)Denzy (100 mg)
Denzy (50 mg)Deplin (50 mg)
Depser (50 mg)Depsert (100 mg)
Depsert (25 mg)Depsert (50 mg)
Eccite (100 mg)Eccite (50 mg)
Episod (100 mg)Episod (25 mg)
Episod (50 mg)Inosert (100 mg)
Inosert (25 mg)Inosert (50 mg)
Insert (50 mg)Lindep (100 mg)
Lindep (25 mg)Lindep (50 mg)
Mares (50 mg)Medisert (100 mg)
Medisert (50 mg)Mentolift (50 mg)
Normaset (100 mg)Normaset (50 mg)
Obzin (100 mg)Obzin (50 mg)
Ocd (50 mg)Pifser (100 mg)
Pifser (25 mg)Pifser (50 mg)
Resert (100 mg)Resert (50 mg)
Restalin (25 mg)Restalin (50 mg)
Retalin (100 mg)Retalin (50 mg)
Sen (50 mg)Senta (100 mg)
Senta (25 mg)Senta (50 mg)
Sentral (50 mg)Serdep (100 mg)
Serdep (50 mg)Serena (50 mg)
Serenata (100 mg)Serenata (50 mg)
Serfia (50 mg)Serjet (100 mg)
Serjet (25 mg)Serjet (50 mg)
Serlift (100 mg)Serlift (25 mg)
Serlift (50 mg)Serlin (100 mg)
Serlin (50 mg)Serly (50 mg)
Serne (100 mg)Serne (25 mg)
Serne (50 mg)Sernit (100 mg)
Sernit (50 mg)Seron (25 mg)
Seron (50 mg)Serotra (100 mg)
Serotra (50 mg)Serpan (25 mg)
Serta (100 mg)Serta (25 mg)
Serta (50 mg)Sertaj (100 mg)
Sertaj (50 mg)Sertakem (100 mg)
Sertakem (50 mg)Sertawin (100 mg)
Sertawin (50 mg)Sertax (50 mg)
Sertee (100 mg)Sertee (25 mg)
Sertee (50 mg)Sertil (100 mg)
Sertil (50 mg)Sertim (100 mg)
Sertim (50 mg)Sertima (100 mg)
Sertima (50 mg)Sertimo (100 mg)
Sertimo (25 mg)Sertimo (50 mg)
Sertin (100 mg)Sertin (50 mg)
Sertodep (100 mg)Sertodep (50 mg)
Sertop (100 mg)Sertop (50 mg)
Sertosh (100 mg)Sertosh (50 mg)
Sertrac (50 mg)Sertral (50 mg)
Sertrax (100 mg)Sertrax (25 mg)
Sertrax (50 mg)Serybest (100 mg)
Serybest (50 mg)Seta (50 mg)
Setal (25 mg)Setal (50 mg)
Setalin (100 mg)Setalin (25 mg)
Setalin (50 mg)Setax (50 mg)
Setex (100 mg)Setex (50 mg)
Setmax (100 mg)Setmax (25 mg)
Setmax (50 mg)Setrakon (50 mg)
Setraline (100 mg)Setraline (50 mg)
Sezol (25 mg)Srlin (100 mg)
Srlin (50 mg)Steel (100 mg)
Steel (50 mg)Steet (50 mg)
SymsTaline (50 mg)
Talser (50 mg)Tralin (100 mg)
Tralin (50 mg)Tras (50 mg)
Xsert (50 mg)Yline (100 mg)
Yline (25 mg)Yline (50 mg)
Zanserta (50 mg)Zert OD (100 mg)
Zert OD (25 mg)Zert OD (50 mg)
Zoline (100 mg)Zoline (50 mg)
Zoloft (100 mg)Zoloft (50 mg)
Zosert (100 mg)Zosert (25 mg)
Zosert (50 mg)Zotral (100 mg)
Zotral (25 mg)Zotral (50 mg)

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