Zoloft®: Uses, unwanted effects and notes when using

Zoloft®: Uses, unwanted effects and notes when using

This is an automatically translated article.

Article by Pharmacist, Master Pham Thi Kim Dung – Pharmacist – Faculty of Pharmacy – Vinmec Times City International Hospital

Zoloft is a drug indicated for the symptomatic treatment of depression. To ensure effectiveness and avoid side effects, users need to strictly follow the instructions of the doctor or pharmacist.

1. What are the uses of Zoloft®?

The active ingredient of Zoloft® is sertraline, indicated for the symptomatic treatment of depression including symptoms of anxiety, with or without a history of mania; treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder in adults and children; treating post-traumatic stress disorder or treating social anxiety disorder.

Mental illnesses need to be thoroughly examined and consulted before using the drug. You should not self-diagnose the disease, do not self-medicate, especially do not use other people’s medicines without consulting a specialist.

2. Usual use and dosage of Zoloft®

Zoloft® should be taken every day, at a certain time of day to avoid forgetting it. Food does not significantly affect the absorption of the drug, so it can be taken on an empty stomach or after a full meal.

In adults, the therapeutic dose range of the drug is quite wide, depending on the indications for treatment, the patient’s condition as well as the duration of drug use. Usually, the drug is prescribed starting from a low dose of 25-50 mg / day. The dose may be increased after each week of treatment by 25 mg/week to a maximum dose of 200 mg/day.

Long-term maintenance doses are usually prescribed by the physician at the lowest effective dose and adjusted according to the patient’s response to treatment.

In children 6 to 17 years of age, in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder, the doctor may prescribe 25-50mg/day depending on age and also consider increasing the dose after at least one week of treatment Add 25mg/week to a maximum dose of 200mg/day if absolutely necessary.

Patients need to take the correct dose as prescribed by the doctor, do not arbitrarily increase the dose or stop the drug without consulting the doctor.

3. Possible side effects when using Zoloft®

Common side effects of Zoloft® include gastrointestinal disturbances such as constipation, diarrhea, dyspepsia, vomiting and nausea; Dry mouth ; sweating; dizziness, headache, insomnia, fatigue, abnormal sexual activity. You should talk to your doctor or pharmacist about discomfort while taking the drug for more advice, especially if the discomfort is long-term or affects your quality of life.

The drug may increase the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors weeks to months after taking the drug, especially in children and adolescents. Relatives need to monitor for clinical signs of worsening or increase in suicidal thoughts and behaviors and notify the doctor as soon as they are detected.

During the use of the drug, some serious side effects may occur, although not common. You need to immediately notify your doctor or go to the nearest medical facility for timely examination and treatment if you have symptoms of fever, irritation, confusion, hallucinations, headache, sweating, diarrhea. severe, vomiting, tremors, convulsions, tachycardia. This could be a manifestation of serotonin syndrome.

The drug may increase the risk of bleeding, especially in people using concomitant anticoagulants (such as warfarin, acenocoumarol, rivaroxaban, dabigatran, apixaban…), drugs that affect platelet function ( such as clopidogrel, aspirin, ticagrelor…), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (such as ibuprofen, diclofenac…) or have coagulopathy or other bleeding disorders.

Adults > 50 years of age may have an increased risk of fracture after several years of drug use. The drug can affect the growth and physiological development of children. Patients may need to be consulted carefully before deciding to use drugs for their children.

Although uncommon, the drug can affect vision. When you experience any unpleasant symptoms in your eyes while taking this medicine, you need to notify your doctor and go to an ophthalmologist for timely examination, evaluation and treatment.

In addition, Zoloft® may cause electrolyte disturbances (hyponatremia) after several weeks of taking the drug, which is completely reversible upon discontinuation of the drug.

4. Notes when using Zoloft®

Talk to your doctor about your medical history and any medications you are taking within 14 days before using Zoloft®. Because the drug can potentially interact with other medications, it’s important to talk to your doctor before taking any more medications for other health problems.

Depressive symptoms can begin to be observed after 1 week of treatment. Usually, the effect of improving sleep quality and appetite will be earlier, the effect of improving emotional state can take up to about 4-6 weeks of treatment. Long-term anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder… may take a longer time to see the effects of the medication. Therefore, you should not arbitrarily stop taking the drug when you do not feel the effect in the first time and never stop taking it without your doctor’s instructions. Abrupt discontinuation of the drug can lead to “withdrawal syndrome” with symptoms of fatigue, headache, dizziness, nausea, tremors, chills, diarrhea, visual disturbances, anxiety, irritability, Insomnia…

During the first time of taking the drug, you should avoid operating machinery, because the drug can cause fatigue, dizziness and affect your safety. You need to avoid alcohol while taking the drug.

You need to adhere to treatment and have regular or appointment re-examination to be evaluated, monitored and treated effectively and safely. Using drugs is only one of the measures to improve mental health, the coordination with improving social situation, physical activity and rehabilitation, appropriate confiding and counseling are also measures. crucial for patients to have a better quality of life. Zoloft is a drug indicated for the symptomatic treatment of depression. To ensure effectiveness and avoid side effects, users need to strictly follow the instructions of the doctor or pharmacist.

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