Zoloft (Sertraline)

• Generic name: Sertraline hydrochloride
• Brand/Trade names: Zoloft
• Dosages: 25 mg, 50 mg, 100 mg tablets
• Pharmacologic category: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor
• FDA Approved: December 30, 1991
• Manufacturer: Pfizer Inc.
• Habit forming? No
• Pregnancy risk factor: C

Zoloft (Sertraline HCL) is in a class of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Zoloft affects chemicals in the brain that may become unbalanced and cause depression, panic or anxiety, obsessive or compulsive symptoms, or other psychiatric symptoms. This medication is approved to treat depression, social anxiety disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) in adults over age 18. It is also approved for OCD in children and adolescents age 6-17 years.

The most common side effects of Zoloft (sertraline) are nausea, dry mouth, fatigue, and decreased libido.

• Elimination half-life: 26 hr.
• Metabolism: sertraline undergoes extensive first-pass metabolism. The principal initial metabolic pathway is N-demethylation. The liver is the primary site of metabolism.
• Excretion: Renal

• relatively low risk of weigt gain [8]
• the only medication approved for the long-term treatment of PTSD
• low potential for drug interactions
• minimal anticholinergic side effects
• well tolerated and effective for chronic depression [9]

• general anxiety disorder [1]
• bulimia nervosa [2]
• premature ejaculation [3]
• autistic disorders [6]
• fibromyalgia [4]
• bipolar depression [5]
• binge eating disorder (BED) [7]

Sertraline appears also to be a minor dopamine reuptake inhibitor.

• Zoloft (Sertraline) - Reviews, Ratings by Patients on DrugLib.com
• User Reviews for Zoloft on Drugs.com
• Zoloft user reviews - treatment success rate on DailyStrength.org
• Zoloft And Weight Gain on HealingWell.com

• 1. Allgulander C, Dahl AA, Austin C, Morris PL, Sogaard JA, Fayyad R, Kutcher SP, Clary CM. Efficacy of sertraline in a 12-week trial for generalized anxiety disorder. Am J Psychiatry. 2004 Sep;161(9):1642-9
• 2. Milano W, Petrella C, Sabatino C, Capasso A. Treatment of bulimia nervosa with sertraline: a randomized controlled trial. Adv Ther. 2004 Jul-Aug;21(4):232-7.Click here to read. PubMed
• 3. Murat Basar M, Atan A, Yildiz M, Baykam M, Aydoganli L. Comparison of sertraline to fluoxetine with regard to their efficacy and side effects in the treatment of premature ejaculation. Arch Esp Urol. 1999 Nov;52(9):1008-11. PubMed
• 4. Gonzalez-Viejo MA, Avellanet M, Hernandez-Morcuende MI. A comparative study of fibromyalgia treatment: ultrasonography and physiotherapy versus sertraline treatment. Ann Readapt Med Phys. 2005 Nov;48(8):610-5. PubMed
• 5. Post RM, Altshuler LL, Leverich GS, Frye MA, Nolen WA, Kupka RW, Suppes T, McElroy S, Keck PE, Denicoff KD, Grunze H, Walden J, Kitchen CM, Mintz J. Mood switch in bipolar depression: comparison of adjunctive venlafaxine, bupropion and sertraline. Br J Psychiatry. 2006 Aug;189:124-31.
• 6. Hellings JA, Kelley LA, Gabrielli WF, Kilgore E, Shah P. Sertraline response in adults with mental retardation and autistic disorder. J Clin Psychiatry. 1996 Aug;57(8):333-6. PubMed
• 7. McElroy SL, Casuto LS, Nelson EB, Lake KA, Soutullo CA, Keck PE Jr, Hudson JI. Placebo-controlled trial of sertraline in the treatment of binge eating disorder. Am J Psychiatry. 2000 Jun;157(6):1004-6.
• 8. Maina G, Albert U, Salvi V, Bogetto F. Weight gain during long-term treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder: a prospective comparison between serotonin reuptake inhibitors. J Clin Psychiatry. 2004 Oct;65(10):1365-71. PubMed
• 9. Keller MB, Kocsis JH, Thase ME, Gelenberg AJ, Rush AJ, Koran L, Schatzberg A, Russell J, Hirschfeld R, Klein D, McCullough JP, Fawcett JA, Kornstein S, LaVange L, Harrison W. Maintenance phase efficacy of sertraline for chronic depression: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 1998 Nov 18;280(19):1665-72.

Last modified: April, 2010