Are you or a loved one suffering from depression or anxiety?
Has your doctor recommended you take Zoloft or the generic version Sertraline?
Are you concerned about possible side effects?
If so then this is the video for you.
Keep watching to learn a little more about what to watch out for and how this medication
can be a help to you.
Welcome to Family Med, I'm Dr. Richardson and this is your home for practical and accurate
information to help your family make healthy decisions.
This is the channel that focuses on bringing better health to your home.
On today's episode we are going to be going over a common antidepressant named Sertraline
or more commonly referred to as Zoloft.
Sertraline is the generic version of Zoloft which has been around in the United States
since 1991.
Zoloft is a medication that is used most commonly to treat clinical depression and anxiety but
is also commonly used to treat conditions such as Obsessive Compulsive disorder, PTSD,
and severe PMS.
It's in the class of medications that we call SSRI's or Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors.
These are a group of medications that target the hormone Serotonin and help decrease how
rapidly it is broken down in the nerves thus keeping your serotonin levels higher.
It's one of the vital chemicals or neurotransmitters that help regulate a lot of the functions
of the body like mood, social behavior, appetite and digestion, sleep, memory among other things.
It is one of the chemicals that plays a big role in depression and anxiety and your overall
mental health.
When you are suffering from depression or anxiety or the other conditions that I mentioned
earlier, in addition to things like eating healthy and exercise, counseling and therapy
and getting plenty of sleep, targeting these chemicals in the brain has been found to be
very helpful in allowing people to resume a normal life when they are battling with
these conditions.
You don't have to live with these conditions controlling your life.
Go see your doctor so you can get an accurate diagnosis and figure out a good treatment
plan for you.
Remember depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD and any other mental health disease are as real
of a medical condition as diabetes or high blood pressure and you shouldn't feel any
different about treating these conditions than you would any other disease.
Ok, so you've talked to your doctor and you both have decided that for your symptoms Zoloft
is going to part of your treatment plan.
What should you expect?
Well, first of all it comes in a pill at doses of 25, 50 and 100mg.
The most common doses range from 50mg to over 200mg in some people.
It's important to remember that this is the kind of medication that you need to take daily
if you are going to be on it.
Most people will start to notice some difference within 1-2 weeks but it typically doesn't
reach its full effect for 4-6 weeks.
So, you should be following up with your doctor within 2-4 weeks after starting on it to report
on how things are working.
If you are going to be taking it, you want to make sure that you are not missing a lot
of doses.
Doing so can really affect how well it's going to work and increase your risk of having side
effects.
Also, unless you're having some significant problems with the medication, especially after
being on it a few weeks, you don't want to stop this medication abruptly.
After being on it for a while your brain gets used to a certain level of the Serotonin and
stopping it quickly will really throw you off and make you feel bad.
Most doctors recommend that, if the medication is working well, you take it for at least
6 months before you think about stopping it.
Stopping it sooner than that, because you feel like your depression or anxiety is gone,
increases your risk for having your symptoms return.
If you feel like it is something that is making a big difference in your life and you want
to continue on it longer than the 6 months then it is safe to do so.
I have patients that have decided that they need to stay on it for years and that works
for them.
So what kind of side effects should you look out for?
Well, as with any medication you can find a big list of side effects that will be listed
in the paperwork from your pharmacist.
Sometimes these lists can be intimidating but in the case of Zoloft it is generally
well tolerated.
I rarely have patients on it that want to stop due to significant side effects.
However, any medication has the potential to having some side effects.
Some common ones that are possible would be some headaches, nausea, tiredness or difficulty
sleeping, some dry mouth, constipation or diarrhea, heartburn or abdominal pain.
These types of symptoms tend to be short lived in most people and often times, by modifying
when you take it or by taking it with food you can improve or even avoid a lot of them.
Usually with time, they start to get better on their own.
One area that concerns a lot of people is the effect that antidepressants can have on
your intimate relations.
This can be a known problem with most antidepressants, and certainly Zoloft can be one of them.
It doesn't happen to everybody but it is not uncommon.
This probably one of the more common reasons that patients will come back asking to try
something different.
If it is working for your other symptoms though don't despair because there are some things
we can do to work with the problem, so don't stop it until you talk to your doctor if that
is a concern.
Probably the most common reason I have somebody stop this or any antidepressant medication
though is that they "didn't like the way it made them feel".
It may help with their depression or anxiety, so they don't feel sad anymore, but they don't
feel happy either.
That certainly isn't the goal of this kind of treatment.
Our goal is to help lift you up out of the hole you are in and help you see that life
is doable again.
If we turn you into a zombie and you are neither happy or sad we aren't doing you any favors.
We still want you to be happy when you are supposed to be happy and sad when your supposed
to be sad.
So if you are noticing things like that then talk to your doctor about other options that
are out there.
There are some rare side effects that you need to pay more close attention to though.
This is not an exhaustive list, however it's important to know that first, all antidepressant
medication including sertraline have the risk of making your symptoms worse at first.
You may be feeling really down right now, but if all of a sudden your depression and
anxiety get worse or you start having suicidal thoughts you need to be in contact with your
doctor and get help.
I always recommend when starting these kinds of medications that you confide in somebody
you trust and tell them that you are taking it.
Let them know about these risks so they can help you recognize what is happening and assist
you in getting the help you need.
Other rare side effects can be certain heart arrythmias, an increased risk of bleeding,
electrolyte disturbances, liver problems, allergic reactions and something called Serotonin
syndrome where your body gets too much serotonin.
This is very rare but can present with symptoms like agitation, confusion, rapid heart rate
and high blood pressure, dilated pupils, loss of muscle coordination, muscle rigidity, diarrhea
and heavy sweating.
If you think this is happening to you, get into your doctor or the emergency room right
away.
The worst part about discussing the side effects of medications is scaring you away from taking
them.
It's important to keep the perspective that the vast majority of people taking sertraline
do really well with minimal to no side effects.
So, if you are deciding to not take a medication like this due to a fear of having a very rare
side effect, you can potentially be robbing yourself from an important tool in treating
this disease.
Remember it's important to keep the perspective that if you are having a problem with the
medication, you don't need to stay on it.
There are a lot of other options out there so get with your doctor and talk to them about
your concerns.
Depression/anxiety and other mental health conditions can be very debilitating.
They are as real as any other medical condition out there.
When you have a true clinical depression taking something like Zoloft can be a life altering
step.
I'm always amazed at what a significant difference this medication has had in the life of my
patients.
It's certainly not for everybody and yes there are other nonmedication options out there
that may work for you.
If, however, you and your doctor feel that this is the best option for your treatment
plan you now have a good foundation of knowledge of what to expect and what kind of side effects
to watch for.
Having that information can be really powerful in your life.
This is not an all-inclusive discussion of Zoloft.
My purpose in sharing this information is to help give information that you can think
about and discuss with your own doctor.
It's not meant to give you direct medical advice in your own personal situation.
So, take this information and discuss it with your own doctor.
Overall, I hope you have found this information to be helpful especially in taking away some
of the stigma that surrounds taking medication for mental health issues.
To keep learning about other aspects of your health check out my other videos.
To learn about whether another antidepressant named Lexapro is for you click here.
To find out about simple ways to save a lot of money on your healthcare click here.
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Until next time, this FamilyMed with Dr. Richardson and remember to take care of your body because
it's the only one you have.