Sertraline side effects

List of precautions
Activation of Mania/Hypomania Weight Loss Seizure Abnormal Bleeding Weak Uricosuric Effect Interference with Cognitive and Motor Performance Hyponatremia Platelet Function

Activation of Mania/Hypomania
During premarketing testing, hypomania or mania occurred in approximately 0.4% of Sertraline treated patients.Return to top

Weight Loss
Significant weight loss may be an undesirable result of treatment with sertraline for some patients, but on average, patients in controlled trials had minimal, 1 to 2 pound weight loss, versus smaller changes on placebo. Only rarely have sertraline patients been discontinued for weight loss.Return to top

Seizure
Sertraline has not been evaluated in patients with a seizure disorder. These patients were excluded from clinical studies during the product’s premarket testing. No seizures were observed among approximately 3000 patients treated with Sertraline in the development program for major depressive disorder. However, 4 patients out of approximately 1800 (220 <18 years of age) exposed during the development program for obsessive-compulsive disorder experienced seizures, representing a crude incidence of 0.2%. Three of these patients were adolescents, two with a seizure disorder and one with a family history of seizure disorder, none of whom were receiving anticonvulsant medication. Accordingly, Sertraline should be introduced with care in patients with a seizure disorder.Return to top

Abnormal Bleeding
Published case reports have documented the occurrence of bleeding episodes in patients treated with psychotropic drugs that interfere with serotonin reuptake. Subsequent epidemiological studies, both of the case-control and cohort design, have demonstrated an association between use of psychotropic drugs that interfere with serotonin reuptake and the occurrence of upper gastrointestinal bleeding. In two studies, concurrent use of a non-selective nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug (i.e., NSAIDs that inhibit both cyclooxygenase isoenzymes, COX 1 and 2) or aspirin potentiated the risk of bleeding. Although these studies focused on upper gastrointestinal bleeding, there is reason to believe that bleeding at other sites may be similarly potentiated. Patients should be cautioned regarding the risk of bleeding associated with the concomitant use of Sertraline with non-selective NSAIDs (i.e., NSAIDs that inhibit both cyclooxygenase isoenzymes, COX 1 and 2), aspirin, or other drugs that affect coagulation.Return to top

Interference with Cognitive and Motor Performance
In controlled studies, Sertraline did not cause sedation and did not interfere with psychomotor performance.Return to top

Hyponatremia
Several cases of hyponatremia have been reported and appeared to be reversible when Sertraline was discontinued. Some cases were possibly due to the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion. The majority of these occurrences have been in elderly individuals, some in patients taking diuretics or who were otherwise volume depleted.Return to top

Platelet Function
There have been rare reports of altered platelet function and/or abnormal results from laboratory studies in patients taking Sertraline. While there have been reports of abnormal bleeding or purpura in several patients taking Sertraline, it is unclear whether Sertraline had a causative role.Return to top

Weak Uricosuric Effect
Sertraline is associated with a mean decrease in serum uric acid of approximately 7%. The clinical significance of this weak uricosuric effect is unknown.Return to top