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Before Using
In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For this medicine, the following should be considered:
Allergies
Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully.
Pediatric
Appropriate studies have not been performed on the relationship of age to the effects of sertraline for the treatment of depression in the pediatric population. Safety and efficacy have not been established.
Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated pediatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of sertraline for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder in children above 6 years of age. However, safety and efficacy have not been established in children below 6 years of age.
Geriatric
Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated geriatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of sertraline in the elderly. However, elderly patients may be more sensitive to the effects of this medicine than younger adults, and are more likely to have hyponatremia (low sodium in the blood) and age-related liver problems, which may require caution and an adjustment in the dose for patients receiving sertraline.
Pregnancy
| Pregnancy Category | Explanation | |
|---|---|---|
| All Trimesters | C | Animal studies have shown an adverse effect and there are no adequate studies in pregnant women OR no animal studies have been conducted and there are no adequate studies in pregnant women. |
Breastfeeding
Studies in women suggest that this medication poses minimal risk to the infant when used during breastfeeding.
Drug Interactions
Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is not recommended. Your doctor may decide not to treat you with this medication or change some of the other medicines you take.
- Clorgyline
- Furazolidone
- Iproniazid
- Isocarboxazid
- Levomethadyl
- Linezolid
- Moclobemide
- Nialamide
- Pargyline
- Phenelzine
- Pimozide
- Procarbazine
- Selegiline
- Toloxatone
- Tranylcypromine
Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.
- Abciximab
- Acenocoumarol
- Almotriptan
- Amitriptyline
- Amoxapine
- Ancrod
- Anisindione
- Antithrombin III Human
- Ardeparin
- Aspirin
- Astemizole
- Bivalirudin
- Certoparin
- Cilostazol
- Clomipramine
- Clopidogrel
- Dalteparin
- Danaparoid
- Defibrotide
- Dermatan Sulfate
- Desipramine
- Desirudin
- Desvenlafaxine
- Dexfenfluramine
- Dicumarol
- Dipyridamole
- Dothiepin
- Doxepin
- Droperidol
- Duloxetine
- Eletriptan
- Enoxaparin
- Eptifibatide
- Erythromycin
- Fenfluramine
- Flecainide
- Fondaparinux
- Frovatriptan
- Heparin
- Imipramine
- Lofepramine
- Milnacipran
- Nadroparin
- Naratriptan
- Nortriptyline
- Oxycodone
- Parnaparin
- Pentosan Polysulfate Sodium
- Phenindione
- Phenprocoumon
- Prasugrel
- Protriptyline
- Rasagiline
- Reviparin
- Rizatriptan
- Sibutramine
- St John's Wort
- Sumatriptan
- Tapentadol
- Terfenadine
- Ticlopidine
- Tinzaparin
- Tirofiban
- Tramadol
- Trimipramine
- Warfarin
- Zolmitriptan
Using this medicine with any of the following medicines may cause an increased risk of certain side effects, but using both drugs may be the best treatment for you. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.
- Aceclofenac
- Acemetacin
- Alclofenac
- Alprazolam
- Benoxaprofen
- Bromfenac
- Bufexamac
- Bupropion
- Carbamazepine
- Carprofen
- Celecoxib
- Cimetidine
- Clonixin
- Clozapine
- Darunavir
- Dexketoprofen
- Diclofenac
- Diflunisal
- Dipyrone
- Droxicam
- Efavirenz
- Etodolac
- Etofenamate
- Etoricoxib
- Felbinac
- Fenbufen
- Fenoprofen
- Fentiazac
- Floctafenine
- Flufenamic Acid
- Fluphenazine
- Flurbiprofen
- Fosphenytoin
- Ginkgo
- Ibuprofen
- Indomethacin
- Indoprofen
- Isoxicam
- Ketoprofen
- Ketorolac
- Lamotrigine
- Lithium
- Lornoxicam
- Meclofenamate
- Mefenamic Acid
- Meloxicam
- Metoclopramide
- Morniflumate
- Nabumetone
- Naproxen
- Niflumic Acid
- Nimesulide
- Oxaprozin
- Parecoxib
- Phenylbutazone
- Phenytoin
- Pirazolac
- Piroxicam
- Pirprofen
- Propafenone
- Propranolol
- Propyphenazone
- Proquazone
- Rifampin
- Rofecoxib
- Sulindac
- Suprofen
- Tenidap
- Tenoxicam
- Tiaprofenic Acid
- Tolmetin
- Valdecoxib
- Zolpidem
- Zomepirac
Other Interactions
Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. Discuss with your healthcare professional the use of your medicine with food, alcohol, or tobacco.
Using this medicine with any of the following may cause an increased risk of certain side effects but may be unavoidable in some cases. If used together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use this medicine, or give you special instructions about the use of food, alcohol, or tobacco.
- Grapefruit Juice
Other Medical Problems
The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of this medicine. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:
- Bipolar disorder (mood disorder with alternating episodes of mania and depression), or risk of or
- Bleeding problems or
- Hyponatremia (low sodium in the blood) or
- Purpura (purplish or brownish-red discoloration of the skin), history of or
- Seizures, history of—Use with caution. May make these conditions worse.
- Diseases affecting metabolism or diseases involving blood circulation—Caution should be used in patients with these medical problems.
- Heart disease, unstable or
- Heart attack, recent history of—The effects of sertraline in patients with these conditions are not known.
- Kidney disease or
- Liver disease—Use with caution. The effects may be increased because of slower removal of the medicine from the body.
- Mania or hypomania, history of—Use of sertraline may activate these conditions.
