Drug Information - Zoloft Addiction

Zoloft Addiction

ZOLOFT Sertraline hydrochloride (Zoloft®, Lustral®, Apo-Sertral®, Asentra®, Gladem®, Serlift®, Stimuloton®, Xydep®, Serlain®) is an orally administered antidepressant of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) type.

Sertraline is used medically mainly to treat the symptoms of depression and anxiety. It has also been prescribed for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, panic disorder, and bipolar disorder. It was first approved by the FDA in 1991.

Sertraline can have a number of adverse effects, including insomnia, asthenia, gastrointestinal complaints, tremors, confusion, dizziness, anorgasmia, and decreased libido; it can induce mania or hypomania in around 0.5% of patients. It has also been known to cause minor weight loss. One property of sertraline is that it appears to be also a minor inhibitor of dopamine reuptake. It is contraindicated in individuals taking MAOIs or undergoing electroconvulsive therapy.

Because of its metabolism, liver impairment can affect the elimination of this drug from the body. If someone with liver impairment is treated with sertraline, lower or less frequent dosage should be used. Similarly, patients should limit their alcohol intake while on sertraline (or any antidepressant). Because the liver is doubly taxed with processing both substances (in addition to any other drugs the patient may be taking), alcohol remains in the bloodstream longer, so the effects of alcohol may be more strongly and quickly felt by people taking sertraline or other antidepressants. The recommended limit for alcoholic beverages for people on sertraline is two per day.

Controversy

In June 2003, Britain banned the use of sertraline for children under 18 after studies showed a link to increasing suicidal rates. Similar concern has prevailed in the United States, where only the anti-depressant fluoxetine (another SSRI) is officially endorsed by the FDA for the treatment of depression in minors. However, because the antidepressant-suicide link is correlational, scientists do not know whether the increased suicide risk for people taking antidepressants occurs because the drugs make people suicidal, whether suicide occurs because the drugs un-depress the people enough to motivate the energy required to commit suicide (a popular theory), or because of a third, unknown factor.

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