Sertraline

Sertraline is the generic name for Zoloft, an SSRI anti-depressant.

Side effects include

nausea
diarrhea
constipation
vomiting
dry mouth
gas or bloating
loss of appetite
weight changes
drowsiness
dizziness
excessive tiredness
headache
pain, burning, or tingling in the hands or feet
nervousness
uncontrollable shaking of a part of the body
sore throat
changes in sex drive or ability
excessive sweating

Some side effects can be serious. If you experience any of the following symptoms call your doctor immediately:

blurred vision
seizures
abnormal bleeding or bruising
hallucinating (seeing things or hearing voices that do not exist)

When I first started taking Zoloft, a few years ago, I was taking too much and did experience blurred vision. However, my doctor was a complete quack and when I described it to him I didn't use the phrase "blurred vision". I just told him that as I drove down the highway the scenery looked like a flat oil painting. So he ignored me.

Pay careful attention to doctors who aren't paying attention to you and if that describes your doctor you need to find another one. Quack doctors do more harm than side effects to medication and psychiatry has more than its share of quacks.

Sertraline has negative interactions with

•astemizole (Hismanal®)
•cisapride (Propulsid®)
•pimozide (Orap®)
•terfenadine (Seldane®)
•thioridazine (Mellaril®)
•medicines called MAO inhibitors-phenelzine (Nardil®), tranylcypromine (Parnate®), isocarboxazid (Marplan®), selegiline (Eldepryl®)

Sertraline may also interact with the following medications:
•amphetamine
•bosentan
•carbamazepine
•certain diet drugs (dexfenfluramine, fenfluramine, phentermine, sibutramine)
•certain migraine headache medicines (almotriptan, eletriptan, frovatriptan, naratriptan, rizatriptan, sumatriptan, zolmitriptan)
•cimetidine
•cyclosporine
•dextroamphetamine
•dextromethorphan
•diazepam
•doxercalciferol
•furazolidone
•linezolid
•other medicines for mental depression, mania, anxiety, psychosis or difficulty sleeping
•phenobarbital
•prescription pain medications
•procarbazine
•rifabutin
•rifampin
•rifapentine
•selegiline
•St. John's wort
•tolbutamide
•tramadol
•warfarin

St. Johns Wort is an effective herbal treatment for depression. Do not take both St. Johns Wort and sertraline becuase they have a cumulative effect on brain chemistry.

Erectile dysfunction is one of the most frequent side effects of SSRI medications. An herb that can help counteract that is Ginko Biloba. Ginko Biloba improves blood flow and is helpful in erectile dysfunction, diabetes, high blood pressure, and memory loss.