The side effects of sertraline may be increased appetite, insomnia, depression, depersonalization, anxiety, decreased libido, dizziness, tremors, palpitations, diarrhea and chest pain.
Sertraline is a serotonin reuptake inhibitor medication that is used as an antidepressant to treat mood disturbances. Its main use lies in the intervention of major depressive episodes, although it is also frequently used to treat obsessive compulsive disorders, anxiety disorders, agoraphobia, social phobia and post-traumatic stress disorder.
It is consumed orally and, after ingestion, its active principles access the brain regions where they carry out the action of the name of the drug: they selectively inhibit serotonin reuptake. This fact means that when sertraline is consumed, the amounts of this substance increase in the brain..
Serotonin is a chemical in the brain (a neurotransmitter) that is responsible for many activities, but above all it controls mood, self-esteem, relaxation and well-being.
For this reason, when you suffer from depressive episodes, by increasing the amounts of these substances through sertraline, the mood improves and depression decreases..
However, by modifying this brain function, other types of unwanted effects may also appear.
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The consumption of sertraline can cause a large number of side effects, so its consumption should always be done under prescription and medical supervision..
Although the side effects, as we will see below, are numerous, it should be noted that these are not usually very frequent, nor are they exceeding in quantity and severity with respect to those of other medications.
In fact, if the drug is administered correctly, in people who require this drug and with adequate doses, these side effects are unlikely to appear..
However, in the world of medicine, controlling all variables is practically impossible, so whenever we take a drug we expose ourselves to possible adverse reactions.
The main symptoms that can appear with the consumption of sertraline are:
Sertraline can cause appetite disturbances. The most common is that this increases, although other types of symptoms may also be witnessed.
In general, the consumption of sertraline can slightly increase the appetite, but if the alteration is very noticeable, a doctor should be consulted to evaluate the dimension of the side effect..
Sleep can also be disturbed by sertraline. These alterations usually occur especially at the beginning of treatment and can be resolved over time..
However, we must be alert about these symptoms as they can significantly affect the well-being of the person.
The most common is that the drug causes drowsiness but it can also cause the opposite effect, causing insomnia and even nightmares..
As paradoxical as it may sound, an antidepressant drug like sertraline can induce depression.
These effects are especially important when the drug is administered to treat disorders other than depression and, before their appearance, the medical professional should be consulted promptly..
Depersonalization is an alteration of the perception or experience of oneself, in such a way that the person feels “separated” from the mental processes or the body.
This experience usually lasts a few seconds and during its course you have the feeling that what is happening is unreal.
Especially with the first consumed doses of sertraline, you may experience pictures of anxiety, agitation or nervousness..
If the activation symptoms do not resolve quickly it is important to consult with the doctor to review the treatment.
The active principles of sertraline affect quite directly on brain regions that control sexual functioning.
In this way, this drug can cause alterations such as decreased libido, ejaculatory failure or even erectile dysfunction..
These alterations usually subside when the drug is stopped taking.
The effects of sertraline on the central nervous system can cause dizziness, nausea and vomiting..
These three effects are very annoying symptoms that appear as adverse reactions in a large number of medications, including sertraline..
The consumption of this medicine can also affect the function of the joints and cause tremor or hypertonia (increased muscle tone)..
With regard to the cognitive level, sertraline can cause secondary effects on attention.
Less frequently, it can also cause visual disturbances and paresthesias..
Apart from dizziness and nausea, activation of the central nervous system caused by sertraline can cause other symptoms..
Palpitations, hot flashes, yawning and dry mouth are the most common. Before the appearance of these symptoms it is especially relevant to consult with the doctor.
Sertraline can also affect the digestive system and produce very diverse symptoms such as constipation or diarrhea..
In addition, dyspepsia (gastric secretion disorder, gastrointestinal motility, or gastric sensitivity that disturbs digestion) and abdominal pain may also be experienced..
Finally, the latest side effects that can be experienced as a direct form of sertraline consumption encompass a large number of pains.
Joint pain (arthralgia) in muscle groups (myalgia) and chest pain are the most common. The appearance of any of these symptoms after taking sertraline, should be consulted with a doctor..
The doctor must evaluate the present symptoms, assess whether it is caused by the direct effects of sertraline and make decisions regarding treatment to mitigate the adverse reactions suffered..
There are no studies on the effects of this drug in pregnant women. In animal studies, teratogenicity is not evidenced, but negative effects are seen in fetuses born..
The use of psychoactive drugs during pregnancy, including sertraline, is generally discouraged. However, in cases of pregnant women who require psychiatric treatment, the benefit / risk of ingesting sertraline should be assessed..
With regard to breastfeeding, it is also recommended to avoid the use of sertraline if a newborn is to be breastfed. However, as in the previous case, in each case a medical professional must carry out a benefit / risk assessment..
One of the main doubts that appear when taking psychotropic drugs lies in the effects they have on driving. Can I drive if I take a psychoactive drug? How will it affect my driving? It is dangerous? It is illegal?
These doubts can appear whenever a drug is taken and as a general rule, you should consult with the medical professional to find out.
Without denying what has been said so far (consultation with the doctor should always be done), sertraline is not, a priori, incompatible with driving. In this way, a person who takes this medicine, who responds well to treatment and who does not experience side effects, can drive without problems..
However, if the consumption of sertraline produces any of the symptoms described above such as sedation, nausea, drowsiness or dizziness, greater caution must be exercised..
In general, it is completely discouraged from carrying out potentially dangerous tasks when these symptoms appear, so driving or using heavy machinery should be avoided..
If before the appearance of the side effects the doctor is consulted and the treatment can be restored, achieving the elimination of the side effects, it will be possible to drive again.
Thus, the relationship between sertraline and conduction is not so closely linked to the characteristics of the drug but to the effects it causes in the person.
If the medication causes any symptoms that may endanger the act of driving, this activity will have to be avoided entirely. However, if it does not cause any adverse reaction, optimal driving conditions can be ensured..
The main therapeutic use of sertraline is in treating psychopathological disorders. The mental disorder for which it is most indicated are major depressive episodes and depressive disorders. However, this drug is also effective to intervene other types of psychopathologies.
The most common are anxiety disorders: obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder, agoraphobia, social anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Despite this, there are a series of warnings and precautions that may advise against the use of this medicine. These are:
Sertraline is an antidepressant medication that, as such, is designed to target regions of the brain that modulate mood and depressive symptoms. Specifically, sertraline acts on one of the most important substances in regulating people's mood, serotonin.
Serotonin is a series of chemical substances that are distributed by different brain regions. High amounts of this substance in the brain are related to good mood and low amounts are related to depression.
In this way, sertraline manages to increase the amounts of this substance in the brain regions, inhibiting its reuptake. This reason explains that it is effective for depression, since increasing the amounts of serotonin increases mood.
However, this factor also explains the appearance of most side effects of the drug, since serotonin not only controls mood.
Thus, by modifying the functioning of serotonin through sertraline, the activity of the rest of the mechanisms that this substance controls is also modified..
The main processes in which serotonin participates are:
What other side effects of sertraline have you had??
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