(sertraline
hydrochloride)
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.
Compulsions: These are actions or thoughts that a person does over and
over again to get rid of their unwanted thoughts. They believe this will help prevent
something terrible from happening. These repeated actions may take hours to
perform and can interfere with daily life.
Posttraumatic Stress
Disorder (PTSD)
People with PTSD suffer from symptoms because they suffered, witnessed or
learned of a life-threatening event or other serious event and felt intense
fear, helplessness or horror because of the event.
A person with PTSD must have one or more symptoms from each
of the following categories for at least a month and these symptoms must
seriously interfere with being able to lead a normal life.
·
Reliving
the event through upsetting thoughts, nightmares or flashbacks, or having very
strong mental and physical reactions if something reminds the person of the
event.
·
Avoiding
activities, thoughts, feelings or conversations that remind the person of the
event; feeling numb to one’s surroundings; or being unable to remember details
of the event. Having a loss of interest in important activities, feeling all
alone, being unable to have normal emotions or feeling that there is nothing to
look forward to in the future may also be experienced.
·
Feeling
that one can never relax and must be on guard all the time to protect oneself,
trouble sleeping, feeling irritable, overreacting when startled, angry
outbursts or trouble concentrating.
ZOLOFT is approved to treat PTSD in both men and women. More
women than men experience PTSD. There were three times more women than men in
ZOLOFT PTSD clinical studies, and in these studies women responded better to
ZOLOFT than men. What this means to the treatment of a patient is unknown. Only
a doctor can determine if ZOLOFT is right for a patient.. Everyone has a normal
substance in the brain called serotonin. It is thought that not having enough
serotonin may contribute to depression, panic disorder, OCD and PTSD. How
ZOLOFT works for all of these conditions is not known. What is known is that
ZOLOFT may help correct the chemical imbalance of serotonin in the brain. This
helps relieve your symptoms. It may take several weeks for your symptoms to get
better.
While you are taking ZOLOFT, you should never take a
monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) medicine. MAOI medicines are used to treat
depression and other conditions. If you have been taking an MAOI, you must stop
the MAOI at least 14 days before you start taking ZOLOFT. In addition,
you must wait at least 14 days after stopping ZOLOFT before you can
safely start taking an MAOI medicine. A very serious reaction or even death
could occur if ZOLOFT is taken at the same time as an MAOI medicine. Be sure to
ask your doctor or pharmacist if any medicine you are taking is an MAOI.
The liquid form of ZOLOFT contains alcohol and should not be
taken if you are taking Antabuse (disulfiram).
Only your doctor can decide if ZOLOFT is right for you.
Before you start ZOLOFT, be sure to tell your doctor if you:
·
are
taking or have taken any prescription medicines within the past 14 days
·
are
taking or have taken any over-the-counter medicines you can buy without a
prescription, including natural/herbal remedies, within the past 14 days
·
have
had any liver problems
·
have
ever had a seizure
·
are
pregnant, plan to become pregnant, think you might be pregnant or are
breast-feeding
·
are
allergic to any medicines or latex
·
have
ever had an allergic reaction to sertraline or any of the other ingredients of
ZOLOFT tablets or Oral Concentrate. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for a list of
these ingredients if you have any questions.
Some medicines can affect how ZOLOFT works. Check with your
doctor or pharmacist before starting any new prescription or non-prescription
medicines, including natural/herbal remedies. Do not stop any of your other
medicines while you are on ZOLOFT without checking with your doctor.
ZOLOFT comes in three different strengths of tablets (25 mg,
50 mg, 100 mg) as well as a liquid (20 mg/mL). Your doctor will tell you how
much to take, and may decide to adjust your dose over time.
If you were prescribed ZOLOFT Oral Concentrate, you must mix
it with another liquid before taking it.
·
Pour 4
oz. (1/2 cup) of any of the following liquids into a drinking glass: water,
ginger ale, lemon/lime soda, lemonade or orange juice. Do not use any other
liquids besides these.
·
Draw up
the proper amount of ZOLOFT Oral Concentrate into the special dropper that
comes with the medicine.
·
Squeeze
the ZOLOFT Oral Concentrate out of the dropper into the drinking glass. Stir
well. It is normal if a slight haze appears after mixing.
·
Drink
all the liquid as soon as you have mixed it. Do not mix it in advance.
Since the dropper bulb for the liquid form of ZOLOFT is made
from dry natural rubber, make sure to let your doctor know if you have had
allergic reactions to latex.
Take ZOLOFT once a day in the morning or evening. You can
take ZOLOFT with or without food. Try to take ZOLOFT at the same time every
day.
Do not take an extra dose if you are having a bad day.
ZOLOFT does not work right away. Do not stop taking ZOLOFT without talking to
your doctor first.
Do not run out of ZOLOFT. Make sure you have your refill for
ZOLOFT at home before you need it. Continue to take ZOLOFT even when you feel
better for as long as your doctor says.
It may take several weeks before you start to feel better.
Do not get discouraged. Keep taking ZOLOFT every day for as long as your doctor
tells you to take it.
Like all medicines, ZOLOFT may cause side effects in some
people. In clinical studies, few people had to stop taking ZOLOFT because of
side effects. The most common ones are:
dry mouth; upset stomach; decreased appetite; feeling unusually
tired or sleepy; trouble sleeping; sexual problems in men and women;
diarrhea/loose stools; tremor; feeling agitated; indigestion; increased
sweating.
Children who take ZOLOFT may also have other side effects
such as excessive movement or twitching, fever, not "feeling well,"
trouble concentrating, not thinking normally, nosebleeds, weight loss, easy
bruising, manic or excited behavior, or rapid mood swings.
Until you learn how you are going to respond to ZOLOFT, be
careful doing activities when you need to be alert, such as driving a car or
operating machinery. Drinking alcohol is not advised while you are being
treated with ZOLOFT.
ZOLOFT may cause other less common side effects besides
those listed here. For a list of all side effects that have been reported, ask
your doctor or pharmacist for the ZOLOFT Professional Package Insert.
In case of an overdose, call your doctor or poison control
center right away or go to the nearest emergency room.
Keep ZOLOFT and all medicines out of the reach of children.
Store ZOLOFT tablets and Oral Concentrate at room temperature (59°-86°F or
15°-30°C).
The above is only a summary. If you have any questions or
want more information about ZOLOFT, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
LINK. www.ZOLOFT.com