Zoloft - Drug Description

Sertraline

• Zoloft - Side Effects & Drug Interactions
• Zoloft - Warnings & Precautions
• Zoloft - Additional Info
• Zoloft - Clinical Pharmacology
• Zoloft - Overdosage & Contraindications
• Zoloft - Indications & Dosage
• Zoloft - Patient Info

DESCRIPTION

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).

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.