What is Sertraline?
Sertraline is as an antidepressant from the group of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). It is mainly prescribed for the people suffering from MDD or major depressive disorder, anxiety, or obsessive-compulsive disorder etc. Studies state that It is the most prescribed drug for the patients with depression and behavioral disorder problems.
Antidepressants may increase the risk of suicidal thinking, major depressive disorder (MDD) and various other psychological disorders, especially in those patients who are under the age of 18 years. Sertraline works and directs the brain to secrete the chemical serotonin which helps it control the feelings of depression, anxiety, or any other compulsive disorder issues. This means that some people may get suicidal thoughts on starting with the antidepressants for the first time. Therefore, the patient himself and also the family members must stay alert and careful to any such development, and on noticing such feelings, they must consult the treating physician immediately.
How to Take Sertraline?
One should take Sertraline as per advice from his doctor. Also, all the guidelines given on the label must be followed. Your dosage can be decided and adjusted by your doctor depending upon your condition and the requirement. Do not try to take the medicine in more or less quantity than what has been recommended. Follow the given time schedule and take the medicine at the same time every day.
It may take around 4-6 weeks for the drug to show the symptoms of improvement in your condition. Therefore, you should continue to take the medication as instructed by your and inform him if your condition does not improve. But, in no case should you suddenly stop taking this drug, as this may lead to undesired withdrawal symptoms. In case you want to stop its consumption, then your doctor can advise you how to go about this.
Possible side effects
As it has been discussed above that there may be some behavioral changes in the drug consumption, one should report any alarming symptom to the doctor. This may include panic attacks, sleeplessness, anxiety, very hostile or aggressive behavior, increase in depression and so on.
Sertraline is not advised for people below 18 years of age without a proper prescription from a doctor.
Precautions
Before you start taking this drug, inform your doctor or the chemist of any drug allergy that you have had. This is because there may be certain inactive ingredients in Sertraline which may cause some allergic reactions in your body. To know more about these possible allergies, you may discuss this with your pharmacist or your doctor.
Besides any drug allergy, you must also tell your doctor about any previous your medical issues, especially if you have had bleeding problems, seizure or thyroid disorder, or there is a family history of glaucoma.
One important aspect is that one should avoid alcohol consumption until the time he is on this drug. Secondly, as it may cause dizziness or drowsiness, you should avoid driving, or doing any activity where complete alertness is required or which may cause a serious accident.
As this drug may be prescribed to young children too for certain disorders, monitoring their health for any side effects is quite important. In young children, loss of appetite, nausea, weight loss may occur. Tell your doctor about these symptoms when you notice them.
Pregnant women should avoid using this antidepressant, as this may cause harm to the fetus. If a mother has used the medicine during the last quarter of her pregnancy, the newborn baby might experience difficulty in breathing or feeding, seizures or other such withdrawal symptoms. Instant medical attention is required if you notice any of the symptoms in the baby.
Sertraline is a wildly popular antidepressant among physicians as well as patients. Doctors have observed that SSRIs usually cause lesser side effects as compared to the conventional tricyclic antidepressants. Also, these medicines are less expensive and take lesser time in showing results as compared to other therapies. Hence, with an optimistic attitude, a doctor’s guidance and a high-quality medication, you may overcome your depression issues soon.
