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Brand names :: Sertraline     Zoloft was the last anti-depressant I was on before I stopped my meds. Zoloft made me feel like a zombie. My head was always in a cloud. You get used to this feeling and can manage daily but you always feel like you have a head cold without the stuffiness. It worked okay for me and stopped the depressions. Once I stopped it, it left me with a case of the "zaps". Since I have stopped it I have been experiencing great depressions.     Sertraline, an antidepressant (mood elevator), is used to treat depression, obsessive-compulsive disorders, and panic attacks.     ZOLOFT is a prescription medicine used to treat depression, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (also called OCD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (also called PTSD) in adults. ZOLOFT is also used to treat OCD in children (ages 6-12) and adolescents (ages 12-17).     Zoloft is typically not considered an addiction producing drug but dependency can occur with this medication. Therefore, abrupt discontinuation can cause withdrawal symptoms. Gradual discontinuation is recommended.     Zoloft is not a regulated controlled substance by the United States Food and Drug Administration     Depression Symptoms of depression vary from person to person. You may have depression if you have five or more of the following symptoms and you have these symptoms almost all of the time during the same two-week period or longer. At least one of the symptoms must be a “sad” feeling that will not go away or a loss of interest or pleasure in most activities.     Other symptoms are: changes in sleeping patterns restlessness or slowed movements fatigue or lack of energy changes in appetite or weight feeling worthless or guilty for no real reason trouble concentrating or making decisions repeated thoughts of death or suicide In depression, these symptoms interfere with your day-to-day activities.     Panic Disorder People with panic disorder have repeated, unexpected panic attacks. A panic attack is an unexpected attack of fear, anxiety or discomfort with at least four or more of the following symptoms that develop suddenly and usually reach a peak within 10 minutes: fast heart rate or pounding heart chest pain or discomfort sweating trembling or shaking shortness of breath or a feeling of smothering choking feeling nausea or upset stomach dizziness or feeling faint numbness or tingling chills or hot flashes feeling out of touch with reality fear of losing control fear of dying     In panic disorder, the panic attack(s) are followed by one month or longer of concern about having more attacks, or concern about what effect the panic attack(s) may have, or having a change in behavior. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)     In OCD, a person may have two types of symptoms called obsessions or compulsions. Obsessions: These are unwanted thoughts that stay in a person’s mind. Even though the person knows these thoughts do not make sense, they cannot get rid of them. These thoughts can be frightening and embarrassing. Compulsions: These are actions or thoughts that a person does over and over again to get rid of their unwanted thoughts. They believe this will help prevent something terrible from happening. These repeated actions may take hours to perform and can interfere with daily life. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)     People with PTSD suffer from symptoms because they suffered, witnessed or learned of a life-threatening event or other serious event and felt intense fear, helplessness or horror because of the event. A person with PTSD must have one or more symptoms from each of the following categories for at least a month and these symptoms must seriously interfere with being able to lead a normal life. Reliving the event through upsetting thoughts, nightmares or flashbacks, or having very strong mental and physical reactions if something reminds the person of the event. Avoiding activities, thoughts, feelings or conversations that remind the person of the event; feeling numb to one’s surroundings; or being unable to remember details of the event. Having a loss of interest in important activities, feeling all alone, being unable to have normal emotions or feeling that there is nothing to look forward to in the future may also be experienced. Feeling that one can never relax and must be on guard all the time to protect oneself, trouble sleeping, feeling irritable, overreacting when startled, angry outbursts or trouble concentrating.     ZOLOFT is approved to treat PTSD in both men and women. More women than men experience PTSD. There were three times more women than men in ZOLOFT PTSD clinical studies, and in these studies women responded better to ZOLOFT than men. What this means to the treatment of a patient is unknown. Only a doctor can determine if ZOLOFT is right for a patient. Frequency and timing of doses - 1x's a day. Sertraline comes as a gel cap 25 mgs 50 mgs 100mgs and *concentrate to taken by mouth. It may be taken with or without food. *Sertraline concentrate must be diluted before use. Mix the concentrate with 4 ounces (1/2 cup) of water, ginger ale, lemon or lime soda, lemonade, or orange juice. Drink immediately. Do not mix the concentrate with any liquids other than the ones listed. Continue to take sertraline even if you feel well. Do not stop taking sertraline without talking to your doctor, especially if you have taken large doses for a long time. Your doctor probably will want to decrease your dose gradually. This drug must be taken regularly for a few weeks before its full effect is felt. What special precautions should I follow? Before taking sertraline? tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to sertraline or any other drugs. If you are taking sertraline liquid concentrate, tell your doctor if you are allergic to latex. tell your doctor and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription drugs you are taking or have taken within the last 2 weeks, especially anticoagulants [warfarin (Coumadin)]; antihistamines; cimetidine (Tagamet); disulfiram (Antabuse); levodopa (Sinemet, Larodopa); lithium (Eskalith, Lithobid); MAO inhibitors [phenelzine (Nardil), tranylcypromine (Parnate)]; medication for high blood pressure, seizures, depression, Parkinson's disease, asthma, colds, or allergies; methylphenidate (Ritalin); muscle relaxants; sedatives; sleeping pills; thyroid medications; tolbutamide (Orinase); tranquilizers; and vitamins. tell your doctor if you have or have ever had glaucoma, an enlarged prostate, difficulty urinating, seizures, an overactive thyroid gland, or liver, kidney, or heart disease. tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding. If you become pregnant while taking sertraline, call your doctor immediately. if you are having surgery, including dental surgery, tell the doctor or dentist that you are taking sertraline. you should know that this drug may make you drowsy. Do not drive a car or operate machinery until you know how this drug affects you. remember that alcohol can add to the drowsiness caused by this drug. Avoid drinking alcohol while taking sertraline. tell your doctor if you use tobacco products. Cigarette smoking may decrease the effectiveness of this drug. What should I do if I forget a dose? If you take setraline once a day in the morning, take the missed dose as soon as you remember it. However, if it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and continue your regular dosing schedule. If you take sertraline once a day at bedtime and do not remember to take it until the next morning, skip the missed dose. Do not take a double dose to make up for a missed one. What side effects can this medication cause? Side effects from sertraline are common: upset stomach drowsiness weakness or tiredness excitement or anxiety insomnia nightmares dry mouth skin more sensitive to sunlight than usual changes in appetite or weight Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away: constipation difficulty urinating frequent urination blurred vision changes in sex drive or ability excessive sweating If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately: jaw, neck, and back muscle spasms slow or difficult speech shuffling walk persistent fine tremor or inability to sit still fever, chills, sore throat, or flu-like symptoms difficulty breathing or swallowing severe skin rash yellowing of the skin or eyes irregular heartbeat What storage conditions are needed for this medicine? Keep this medication in the container it came in, tightly closed, and out of reach of children. Store it at room temperature and away from excess heat and moisture (not in the bathroom). Throw away any medication that is outdated or no longer needed. Talk to your pharmacist about the proper disposal of your medication. What other information should I know? Keep all appointments with your doctor and the laboratory. Your doctor will order certain lab tests to check your response to sertraline. Do not let anyone else take your medication. Ask your pharmacist any questions you have about refilling your prescription.