Zoloft- Precautions to keep in mind
Sertraline is used to treat mental depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and social anxiety disorder.
Sertraline belongs to a group of medicines known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). These medicines are thought to work by increasing the activity of serotonin, which is a chemical in the brain.
This medicine is available only with your doctor’s prescription.
Once a medicine has been approved for marketing for a certain use, experience may show that it is also useful for other medical problems. Although these uses are not included in product labeling, sertraline is used in certain patients with the following medical conditions:
Precautions to keep in mind
It is important that your doctor check your progress at regular visits, to allow for changes in your dose and to help reduce any side effects.
Do not take sertraline with or within 14 days of taking an MAO inhibitor (e.g., isocarboxazid [Marplan®], phenelzine [Nardil®], procarbazine [Matulane®], selegiline [Eldepryl®], or tranylcypromine [Parnate®]). Do not take an MAO inhibitor within 14 days of taking sertraline. If you do, you may have extremely high blood pressure or convulsions (seizures).
Make sure your doctor knows about all the other medicines you are using. Sertraline may cause a serious condition called serotonin syndrome when taken with some medicines. Do not use sertraline with linezolid (e.g., Zyvox®), lithium, tryptophan, St. John’s Wort, or some pain or migraine medicines (e.g., tramadol [Ultram®], sumatriptan [Imitrex®], zolmitriptan [Zomig®], or rizatriptan [Maxalt®]). Check with your doctor first before taking any other medicines, including pimozide (e.g., Orap®). Do not use the liquid form of sertraline if you are also using disulfiram (Antabuse®).
Avoid drinking alcoholic beverages while taking sertraline.