Can you take sertraline for a long time?

Can you take sertraline for a long time?

Clinical trials of sertraline show that it’s safe to use for the long-term, with many cases of people using sertraline for years at a time. When used as a treatment for depression, doctors typically recommend using sertraline for up to one year after your depression symptoms end.

Can you stay on antidepressants for life?

MYTH: Once on antidepressants, I’ll be on them for life. FACT: Not true. A general rule clinicians often use is that a person should be treated with antidepressants at least one-and-a-half times as long as the duration of the depressive episode before they can begin to be weaned off.

Is it bad to be on antidepressants for a long time?

Some recent studies have suggested serious potential risks. People who used antidepressants had a 14% higher risk of heart attacks and strokes and a 33% greater risk of death, according to findings in a meta-analysis of 17 studies that was published in 2017 in the journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics.

Can you eventually stop taking sertraline?

Missing doses of sertraline may increase your risk for relapse in your symptoms. 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).

Can sertraline damage your brain?

The study — conducted in nonhuman primates with brain structures and functions similar to those of humans — found that the antidepressant sertraline, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) marketed as Zoloft, significantly increased the volume of one brain region in depressed subjects but decreased the …

How do I wean myself off of sertraline?

Gradually tapering off Zoloft under a doctor’s supervision can reduce or avoid the symptoms altogether. 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.

Does sertraline affect memory?

Hallucinations. Impulsiveness. Memory loss. Symptoms associated with psychosis, major depression, or mania.

Is it easy to come off sertraline?

Sertraline has a relatively short half-life of approximately 24 hours and has a moderate risk of causing withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms may occur a few days after a person begins to taper their dose and may last for 1–3 weeks.

Will I lose weight coming off sertraline?

If you decrease your daily calorie intake as a result, you could potentially lose weight by stopping your antidepressants. On the other hand, if you experience loss of appetite with depression, and your depression comes back after stopping antidepressants, you may also lose weight.

Can I drink alcohol with sertraline?

You can drink alcohol while taking sertraline, but it may make you feel sleepy. It might be best to stop drinking alcohol until you see how the medicine makes you feel.

What is the maximum dose of sertraline?

Single doses of 50 to 200 mg sertraline have been found to result in peak plasma concentrations of 20 to 55 ng/mL (65–180 nM), while chronic treatment with 200 mg/day sertraline, the maximum recommended dosage, has been found to result in maximal plasma levels of 118 to 166 ng/mL (385–542 nM).

Does Zoloft for anxiety really help?

Zoloft can help in alleviating different kinds of anxiety problems, ranging from depression to panic disorder or attacks, phobias, PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) and OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder). It attacks some of the common anxiety symptoms such as loss of appetite, insomnia, mood disorder and lethargy.

Does Zoloft work immediately?

Research suggests that Zoloft starts working in terms of its action upon neurochemical targets – almost immediately. In other words, within an hour or two of taking Zoloft, the medication is modifying neurotransmitter levels throughout the brain, as well as receptor sites.

What are the side effects of too much Zoloft?

The most common are drowsiness, vomiting, tachycardia , nausea, agitation, bradycardia, tremors and dizziness. These are all side effects of Zoloft and are increased by the increased level of Zoloft in the system. In extreme cases, an overdose can cause seizures, delirium, hallucinations, hypertension, fainting, coma and even loss of life.