ZOLOFT

What are the precautions when taking sertraline hcl (Zoloft)?

Before taking sertraline, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are allergic to it; or if you have any other allergies. This product may contain inactive ingredients, which can cause allergic reactions or other problems. Talk to your pharmacist for more details.

Before using this medication, tell your doctor or pharmacist your medical history, especially of: bleeding problems, liver disease, seizure disorder, thyroid disease.

This drug may make you dizzy or drowsy. Do not drive, use machinery, or do any activity that requires alertness until you are sure you can perform such activities safely. Avoid alcoholic beverages.

Before having surgery, tell your doctor or dentist about all the products you use (including prescription drugs, nonprescription drugs, and herbal...

DRUG INTERACTIONS:
Drug interactions may change how your medications work or increase your risk for serious side effects. This document does not contain all possible drug interactions. Keep a list of all the products you use (including prescription/nonprescription drugs and herbal products) and share it with your doctor and pharmacist. Do not start, stop, or change the dosage of any medicines without your doctor's approval. Some products that may interact with this drug include: pimozide, other drugs that can cause bleeding/bruising (including antiplatelet drugs such as clopidogrel, NSAIDs such as ibuprofen, "blood thinners" such as warfarin).

Avoid taking MAO inhibitors (isocarboxazid, linezolid, moclobemide, phenelzine, procarbazine, rasagiline, selegiline, tranylcypromine) during treatment with this medication and for two weeks before and after treatment. In some cases a serious (possibly fatal) drug interaction may occur.

Before using sertraline, report the use of other drugs that increase serotonin, such as dextromethorphan, lithium, St. John's wort, sibutramine, street drugs such as MDMA/"ecstasy," tramadol, tryptophan, certain antidepressants including SSRIs (such as citalopram, paroxetine) and SNRIs (such as duloxetine, venlafaxine), "triptans" used to treat migraine headaches (such as eletriptan, sumatriptan), among others. The risk of serotonin syndrome may be more likely when you start or increase the dose of these medications.

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking other products that cause drowsiness including alcohol, antihistamines (such as cetirizine, diphenhydramine), drugs for sleep or anxiety (such as alprazolam, diazepam, zolpidem), muscle relaxants, and narcotic pain relievers (such as codeine). Check the labels on all your medicines (such as allergy or cough-and-cold products) because they may contain ingredients that cause drowsiness. Ask your pharmacist about using those products safely.

Aspirin can increase the risk of bleeding when used with this medication. However, if your doctor has directed you to take low-dose aspirin for heart attack or stroke prevention (usually at dosages of 81-325 milligrams a day), you should continue taking it unless your doctor instructs you otherwise.

Zoloft and Breastfeeding: An Overview
According to the Zoloft® (sertraline hydrochloride) prescribing information, it is not known whether Zoloft or any of its byproducts pass through breast milk, and if so, how much. Therefore, the drug's manufacturer recommends that women stop nursing if they are taking Zoloft.

However, most healthcare providers usually advise their patients that it is okay to breastfeed while taking Zoloft. This is because, in most cases, the benefits of breastfeeding a child outweigh the possible risks of the Zoloft.

Zoloft and Pregnancy: An Overview
Zoloft® (sertraline hydrochloride) is a pregnancy Category C medicine, meaning that Zoloft could potentially cause harm to your unborn child. This is especially true during the third trimester of pregnancy.

Zoloft and Pregnancy Category C
The U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) uses a pregnancy category system to classify the possible risks to a fetus when a specific medicine is taken during pregnancy. Pregnancy Category C refers to medicines that have not been studied in pregnant humans but do appear to cause harm to the fetus in animal studies. Also, medicines that have not been studied in any pregnant women or animals automatically are given a pregnancy Category C rating.

Even if a drug does appear to have adverse effects in animal fetuses, it's important to remember that animals do not always respond to medicines the same way that humans do. Therefore, a healthcare provider may still prescribe a pregnancy Category C medicine to a pregnant woman if he or she believes that the benefits to the woman outweigh the possible risks to the unborn child.

Zoloft Side Effects
As with any medicine, side effects are possible with Zoloft® (sertraline hydrochloride); however, not everyone who takes the drug will experience side effects. In fact, most people tolerate it well. If problems do occur, in most cases, they are minor and either require no treatment or can be easily treated by you or your healthcare provider.

Common Side Effects of Zoloft
Zoloft has been studied thoroughly in clinical trials, in which a group of people taking the drug have side effects documented and compared to another group not taking the medicine. This way, it is possible to see what side effects occur, how often they appear, and how they compare to the group not taking the medicine.

In these studies, the most common Zoloft side effects included:

• Nausea -- in up to 30 percent of people
• Insomnia -- up to 28 percent (see Zoloft and Insomnia)
• Ejaculation problems -- up to 19 percent (see Zoloft Sexual Side Effects)
• Diarrhea or loose stools -- up to 24 percent
• Dizziness -- up to 17 percent
• Dry mouth -- up to 16 percent (see Zoloft and Dry Mouth)
• Fatigue -- up to 16 percent
• Drowsiness -- up to 15 percent
• Indigestion -- up to 13 percent
• Shakiness (tremor) -- up to 11 percent
• Loss of appetite -- up to 11 percent
• Decreased sex drive (libido) -- up to 11 percent.

Other common side effects that occurred in more than 2 percent of people included:

• Increased sweating
• Burning or tingling sensation (paresthesias)
• Pain
• Headache (see Zoloft and Migraines)
• Weight loss (see Zoloft and Weight Loss)
• Abdominal pain (stomach pain)
• Constipation
• Vision changes
• Hot flashes
• Nervousness.

Symptoms of a Zoloft Overdose
If a person overdoses on Zoloft, the symptoms can vary. The most common Zoloft overdose symptoms include:

• Drowsiness
• Vomiting
• Increased heart rate (tachycardia) or slow heart rate (bradycardia)
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Agitation
• Shakiness (tremor).

Other Zoloft overdose symptoms may include, but are not limited to:

• Coma
• Seizures
• Delirium
• Hallucinations
• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• Fainting
• Loss of life.

  Loss of life following a Zoloft overdose has been reported in about 1 percent of cases. The risk of death is significantly higher when the overdose also includes other medicines.