Your doctor will advise you how long to take sertraline for, as it depends on why you are taking it. For depression it might be six months, for OCD it might be 12 months and for other anxiety related conditions such as PTSD and panic disorder it might be up to 18 months.
Are there any long-term side effects? For most people, sertraline is safe to take for a long time. 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.
The researchers found that, once pre-existing risk factors had been taken into account, long-term antidepressant use was associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease, and an increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease and from any cause.
Specifically, weight gain seems to be a common long-term risk, especially the medications that affect serotonin levels. This could be because serotonin is associated with an increase in appetite. There is also a risk of higher blood sugar levels and diabetes with taking antidepressants long-term.
If you feel like your antidepressant has stopped working, you're not alone. It's common for a medication that once worked wonders to become ineffective, especially if you've been taking it for a long time. Symptoms return for up to 33% of people using antidepressants — it's called breakthrough depression.
Guidance from the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence recommends that antidepressants are used as 'maintenance' treatment for up to 2 years to prevent their depression returning (relapse). It also recommends cognitive-behavioural therapy to change habits of thought and behaviour.
Stopping sertraline abruptly may result in one or more of the following withdrawal symptoms: irritability, nausea, feeling dizzy, vomiting, nightmares, headache, and/or paresthesias (prickling, tingling sensation on the skin). Depression is also a part of bipolar illness.
Sertraline can cause permanent memory problems, particularly if taken irregularly, even at minimum dosage, wrecking careers and friendships.
It's usually recommended that a course of SSRIs continues for at least 6 months after you feel better, to prevent your condition coming back when you stop. However, if you've experienced previous episodes of depression, a 2-year course may be recommended.
Overall, citalopram appears to be the best-tolerated SSRI, followed by fluoxetine, sertraline, paroxetine, and fluvoxamine. The latter 2 drugs are associated with the most side effects and the highest discontinuation rates because of side effects in clinical trials.
Tyramine-Rich Food Products:Interaction between sertraline and tyramine-rich foods like cheese, milk, beef, chicken liver, meat extract, avocados, bananas, canned figs, soy beans and excess chocolate can result in a sudden and dangerous increase in blood pressure.
The usual dose of sertraline is 50mg a day in adults. But your doctor may start you on a lower dose, then increase it gradually to a maximum dose of 200mg a day. If you have liver problems, your doctor might give you a lower dose.
You should know that your mental health may change in unexpected ways when you take sertraline or other antidepressants even if you are an adult over 24 years of age. You may become suicidal, especially at the beginning of your treatment and any time that your dose is increased or decreased.
The maximum Zoloft dosage for intermittent dosing is 100 mg per day.
From sertraline
The manufacturer advises a 7 day washout period but 13 days may be considered to account for the long half-life of sertraline's active metabolite.
Mild serotonin syndrome symptoms often includes the following: Shivering and tremors. Twitching or involuntary muscle movements. Excessive sweating.
A four to seven day wash-out period is recommended to allow concentrations of fluoxetine and its active metabolite to decrease. MAOIs and moclobemide should never be adminstered with another antidepressant, and clomipramine should never be administered with SSRIs or venlafaxine.
According to the University of Regina research, popular SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) antidepressant medications, such as Prozac, Paxil, Lexapro, Zoloft, etc., are associated with a twofold increase in the odds of developing some form of cognitive impairment, such as dementia, including Alzheimer's.
Zoloft (sertraline) "For those suffering from OCD, bad thoughts, overthinking, depression, terrible headaches, give ZOLOFT a chance. First month don't expect much.
Nausea. Nausea is the most common side effect from Zoloft, affecting around one in every four people who take sertraline. 2 While common, this side effect typically abates over time. You will most likely feel nauseous when you first begin taking your medication or your doctor increases your dose.
Do I have to take antidepressants forever is a question that some ask as they struggle with depression. This is one of the more common myths associated with the condition. You do not need to take antidepressants forever nor do you need to get a prescription from a counselor or therapist.
Usually, sertraline's dose is gradually reduced over around four weeks. A sample taper schedule is reducing the dose by 50 mg every 5–7 days to a final dose of 25–50 mg before the drug is stopped.
Some specific common antidepressants need a longer taper
To further reduce the dose 25mg (half a 50mg tablet) every other day; 25mg every 3 days is not advisable as after 3 days the sertraline will have dropped to low levels risking discontinuation and initiation symptoms.