Sertraline is one of the most well-known psychopharmaceuticals for the treatment of major depression, panic attacks, social anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and obsessive compulsive thoughts, it is also well known by its social name, Zoloft, and although it does not cure these medical-psychiatric conditions, it is very useful for alleviating and controlling the flow of negative thoughts and emotions.
Every time a search for this type of chemical resource used for the treatment of mental health is published, a new controversy arises Are they really necessary?Is the use of medicines essential to treat these conditions?What are the most effective options?Should we choose second- and third-generation drugs or can we stick to the usual first-generation formulas?
- Sertraline is an antidepressant in the family of so-called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.
- Clinical evidence suggests that it works better than fluoxetine (Prozac) in some subtypes of depression.
As curious as it may seem, these same issues are also present in the day-to-day life of professionals and specialists working in the field of mental health, if there is one thing that is clear enough today is that each patient requires and responds to a different, exclusive and personalized strategy. There will be those who will be able to overcome depression only through psychological therapy; others, on the other hand, will need psychopharmacological treatment to gain motivation to access psychotherapy. The treatment to be used may also vary, in terms of quantity and frequency.
A few years ago, The Lancet magazine published a survey comparing the effectiveness of most drugs that treat depression. In the earliest places of efficacy, sertraline appeared as Zoloft. This selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRS) remains to this day one of the most useful remedies, and therefore also one of the most prescribed by professionals, in the treatment of mental disorders. Let’s see below what its mechanism of action is and what its side effects are.
The effect of sertraline can only be noticed 4 to 8 hours after taking the drug, the person usually experiences relaxation, mood enhancement and better mental control, the reason for this effect is due to its mechanism of action, we are dealing with a drug that inhibits serotonin reuptake. In essence, it increases the presence of this neurotransmitter in the synaptic cleft, that is, it increases its availability in our body.
So we are talking about a chemical modification of our brain transmissions, which will have direct effects on our mood. There will also be other effects in our body, such as a higher level of activation and psychological effects such as behavior change.
As mentioned above, sertraline is mainly given to patients with depressive disorders, this will help control the emotions, thoughts and actions that often accompany this type of health problem, but will not cure the disease alone, it is also necessary to complement its action with other mechanisms, such as psychological therapy itself.
In addition to being useful in cases of depression, the drug has also been effective in the following cases:
We are facing a psychiatric drug, as its name indicates it is not a normal drug, it is not a paracetamol or a dipyrone that is taken for any pain, it must be prescribed and indicated exclusively by mental health specialists. Serotonin reuptake inhibitors are effective, but they are not without side effects, they have side effects and their impact will depend on several factors.
The first is the duration of treatment. The second is the personal conditions of each patient, because as we already know not all organizations are the same, there will be those who do not tolerate the drug, there will be those who will notice an immediate improvement and there will be those who will not follow the recommendations and will not take it wrong, combining it with other substances, endangering their own health, so we must be very careful and follow the clinical recommendations to the letter.
Let’s see what its main side effects are
In more severe cases, it can also cause tremors, palpitations, decreased libido and urinary incontinence.
An interesting aspect of this remedy is that it improves its bioavailability if we do not take it with meals. In addition, it should be noted that if we are smokers or consume a lot of alcohol, its effectiveness is significantly reduced. This is something we should discuss with our doctor when deciding which pharmacological resource will be best for us.
Sertraline is also not recommended for children, adolescents and pregnant women, as well as for patients with kidney or liver problems.
In conclusion, we will once again reaffirm the importance of following the expert’s instructions, psychopharmaceuticals, and in particular the one we have just detailed, remain a fundamental part of the therapeutic treatment of depressive disorders, even the most common strategy. feel better so that we can, in turn, correctly determine the causes of the problem in psychological therapy.