Sertraline is an antidepressant in a group of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Sertraline affects chemicals in the brain that may become unbalanced and cause depression, panic, anxiety, or obsessive-compulsive symptoms.
Sertraline is used to treat depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).
Sertraline may also be used for purposes other than those listed in this medication guide.
What should I discuss with my doctor before taking sertraline?
You may have an increased risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior at the start of treatment with an antidepressant medication, especially if you are under 18 years old. Talk with your doctor about this risk. While you are taking sertraline you will need to be monitored for worsening symptoms of depression and/ or suicidal thoughts during the first weeks of treatment, or whenever your dose is changed. In addition to you watching for changes in your own symptoms, your family or other caregivers should be alert to changes in your mood or symptoms. Your doctor will need to check you at regular visits for at least the first 12 weeks of treatment.
Do not use sertraline if you are using pimozide (Orap), or an MAO inhibitor such as isocarboxazid (Marplan), tranylcypromine (Parnate), phenelzine (Nardil), or selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam). Serious and sometimes fatal reactions can occur when these medicines are taken with sertraline. You must wait at least 14 days after stopping an MAO inhibitor before you can take sertraline.
Before taking sertraline, tell your doctor if you have:
liver or kidney disease;
seizures or epilepsy;
bipolar disorder (manic depression); or
a history of drug abuse or suicidal thoughts.
If you have any of these conditions, you may not be able to use sertraline, or you may need a dosage adjustment or special tests during treatment.
FDA pregnancy category C. This medication may be harmful to an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment.
It is not known whether sertraline passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.
How should I take sertraline?
Take this medication exactly as it was prescribed for you. Do not take the medication in larger amounts, or take it for longer than recommended by your doctor. Your doctor may occasionally change your dose to make sure you get the best results from the medication.
Take each tablet with water.
Try to take the medicine at the same time each day.
Try to take sertraline at the same time each day.
Sertraline may be taken with or without food.
It may take 4 weeks or more for you to start feeling better. Do not stop using sertraline without first talking to your doctor. You may have unpleasant side effects if you stop taking this medication suddenly.
Store sertraline at room temperature away from moisture and heat.
What happens if I miss a dose?
Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. However, if it is almost time for the next regularly scheduled dose, skip the missed dose and take the next one as directed. Do not take extra medicine to make up the missed dose.
What happens if I overdose?
Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have taken too much of this medication. Symptoms of a sertraline overdose may include dizziness, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, rapid heartbeat, agitation, tremor, confusion, seizures, and coma.
What should I avoid while taking sertraline?
Do not take sertraline together with pimozide (Orap), isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam), or tranylcypromine (Parnate).
Avoid drinking alcohol, which can increase some of the side effects of sertraline.
Avoid using other medicines that make you sleepy (such as cold medicine, other pain medication, muscle relaxants). They can add to sleepiness caused by sertraline.
Sertraline can cause side effects that may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be awake and alert.
What are the possible side effects of sertraline?
Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: skin rash or hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
Contact your doctor promptly if you have any of the following side effects, especially if they are new symptoms or if they get worse: mood changes, anxiety, panic attacks, trouble sleeping, irritability, agitation, aggressiveness, severe restlessness, mania (mental and/ or physical hyperactivity), thoughts of suicide or hurting yourself.
Call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:
seizure (convulsions);
tremors, shivering, muscle stiffness or twitching;
problems with balance or coordination; or
agitation, confusion, sweating, fast heartbeat.
Other less serious side effects are more likely to occur, such as:
feeling nervous, restless, or unable to sit still;
drowsiness, dizziness, weakness;
sleep problems (insomnia);
nausea, diarrhea, dry mouth, or changes in appetite or weight; or
decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm.
Side effects other than those listed here may also occur. Talk to your doctor about any side effect that seems unusual or that is especially bothersome.
What drug(s) may interact with sertraline?
Sertraline has the potential to interact with a variety of medications, check with your healthcare professional. The following list contains some of these interactions.
Do not take sertraline with any of the following medications:
astemizole (Hismanal®)
cisapride (Propulsid®)
pimozide (Orap®)
terfenadine (Seldane®)
thioridazine (Mellaril®)
medicines called MAO inhibitors-phenelzine (Nardil®), tranylcypromine (Parnate®), isocarboxazid (Marplan®), selegiline (Eldepryl®)
Sertraline may also interact with the following medications:
amphetamine
bosentan
carbamazepine
certain diet drugs (dexfenfluramine, fenfluramine, phentermine, sibutramine)
other medicines for mental depression, mania, anxiety, psychosis or difficulty sleeping
phenobarbital
prescription pain medications
procarbazine
rifabutin
rifampin
rifapentine
selegiline
St. John's wort
tolbutamide
tramadol
warfarin
What is the shelf life of the pills?
The expiry date is mentioned on each blister. It is different for different batches. The shelf life is 2 years from the date of manufacture and would differ from batch to batch depending on when they were manufactured.
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Why do doctors in the USA get away with being so unethical and denying women informed consent?
By tying birth control to pap smears? There is no medical reason for a pap smear to be required before getting birth control. All that's needed to safely prescribe birth control pills is a check of the circulatory system (blood pressure and heart) and a medical history.
That's not saying pap smears aren't helpful for some women, but why don't women have the right to choose their own healthcare plans like men do? We are just told and coerced into doing "what's best for us." If a woman wants to have pap smears every three or five years instead of annually that shouldn't mean a doctor can hold her birth control prescription hostage. If a woman wants to get a birth control prescription from her family doctor and go to a gyno a few months later for a pap smear, that should be her prerogative. Women should have the right to make an informed choice and accept the risks and benefits of that choice. Men aren't coerced into getting prostate exams (a MUCH more common cancer than cervical btw) in order to get viagra or condoms.
Not to mention in most other countries these "well woman" exams are not even recommended at all. Finland has the lowest rates of cervical cancer in the world and they don't start paps until age 30 and every 5 years.
megan, it doesn't matter if it's in the woman's best interest. The point is that it's for HER to decide when, where and IF she has one. A prostate exam is in the man's best interest but he is always given the option and not witheld services or treated like a naughty child for not having one.
And you're clearly deceived if you think a pap smear has one thing to do with safety of birth control. A pap smear is a cancer test, period. It has nothing to do with birth control safely. This question is not about me anyway, this is about the sorry way women are treated.
megan you just aren't getting the point. It's great if a woman goes in for regular paps and they can be useful, but there is no reason for it to be tied to birth control! That "policy" is just a paternalistic attitude on part of the doctors. A woman can get birth control on one visit and come back later for a pap smear, there's no reason it should have to go hand in hand.
When they withhold your birth control, yes they are pretty much forcing you, and for no medical necessary reason. Because it's either have the pap right then, or not get pills and probably get pregnant. And once again you just really don't understand that it's about the difference between how men and women are treated, not about whether the exam is important or not because I agree with you pap smears are helpful. But it's not right to take away informed consent just by virtue of someone being female.
about longer hair growth?
I am 33 years old male. I am suffering from androgenic alopecia, i am using minoxidil and finasteride even my hair not growing properly. It is very short and i would like to my hair to grow long. Any body please suggest me how to grow hair healthy and long. please please please..........
How long do I wait after drinking vodka before I can take tramadol ?
I want to drink vodka but I take tramadol if I'm going to stop taking tramadol tommorow morning and not have them untill after I drink in aprox 45 hours time how long do I wait before I can take my 50 my tablet
JUST TRYING TO FINISH MY OTHER.?
Well my question got put in Earth Day and I don't know how to move it. My previous question was in Diabetic? MY CONCLUSION IS: MY DOG TOOK DEREMAXX AT 0630 and then became disoriented and ate the poo which in effect had NOTHING TO DO WITH THESE LIFE THREATENING SEIZURES. SHE WOULD BE LETHARGIC, DISORIENTED, LISTLESS, CATATONIC, NO EATING,I WAS JUST TRYING TO FIND OUT IF DIABETIC INSULIN CAT POO COULD BE TOXIC SO I WOULD KNOW HOW TO TREAT HER FOR WHAT I ORIGINALLY THOUGHT WAS SEVERE HYPOGLYCEMIA OR ADESONIAN CRISIS. Please be careful with DEREMAXX. It helped my dog for months but then something went WRO G OR TOXIC OR SOMETHING AND I KEPT DIGGING TO FIGURE IT OUT. I think I came just shy of killing my dog because it didn't seem there was any answer for these episodes until I read a blog about DEREMAXX. So I stopped the DEREMAXX 8 Days ago and there has been NO SEIZURE/HYPOGLYCEMIC/ADESONIAN EPISODES AND I WASN'T TROLLING (whatever that is) and LASTLY MY DOG HASN'T MESSES WITH THE CATBOX EITHER BECAUSE WE HAVE BLOCKED HER FROM GETTING TO IT ESPECIALLY IN THE NIGHT. Conclusion DEREMAXX: CAUTION. Now I just give my dog Tramadol and DASEQUIN and she is happier than she has been in months. Thank you!
Problems with tramadol hcl 50mg?
I got prescribed this for middle ear infections in both my ears a few days ago and now I'm feeling really weird. Like...I'm laying in my bed about to fall asleep and it feels like everything is jumping. And my heart feels like it's racing really fast. I don't know if this is supposed to happen or what. But it's really freaking me out and I don't want to go to sleep. Anyone ever experienced this before with this medicine? What do I do to make it stop? I'm not gonna take these pills anymore. I'll just deal with the pain. But idk what to do. Please help me.
medication jumble.... too many combinations?
I'm usually on Prozac for depression, birth control (irrelevant), Buspar for anxiety, weening off xanax (4mg) (doc said to take a little buspar and ease it in as im easing off xanax), cyclobenzaprine for tmj pain and tramadol (100mg) for tmj pain. This is a lot and I don't know if they are a doctor or not but is this a lot?
What are the side affects of ( ETODOLAC ) 500mg blue tablet?
What are the side affects of ( ETODOLAC ) 500mg blue tablet?
And what are the side affects of one ( 500mg ETODOLAC & five 50mg TRAMADOL )
I took 5 tramadol and 1 etodolac only because i have a very high tollerance to pain pills and it made me feel really loopy for almost 12 hours now, is that normal?
If anyone has any thoughts or more information about these two pill being taken together or seperate please feel free to add on,
Thanks
Prescribed Ultram and Tramadol at the same time?
Today my doctor gave me 2 prescriptions for pain medications 1 was Ultram, and the other was Tramadol. He said I could take these together. I looked up both and they seem to be the same thing. I also read that they can cause seizures if you take too much. Im not sure whether or not to trust my doctor on this one. Does anyone know anything about these medications or have any advice on what I should do?
has anyone tried pink viagra for women?
If anyone has or you know someone who did, did it work? Im considering ordering it online since the FDA has not approved it but I want to make sure Im not buying some useless pill.
Voting Question: What medications should I avoid touching in the pharmacy if I'm pregnant?
I'm a pharmacy tech, and I'm 15 weeks pregnant. I was just told by the pharmacist yesterday that there are a few medications I should avoid touching. She only named Methotrexate, Avodart, and Finasteride. She couldn't remember what else. I can't find a list anywhere online, can someone please help?