are you on sertraline well in this video we're going to be talking about the five things that you need to know about sertraline so number one what is sertraline well certainly also known as zoloft is the selected serotonin reuptake inhibitor and basically it blocks the reuptake and release of serotonin in our brains increasing the level of serotonin that we have which in turn helps boost mood keep you calm and relaxed and promotes good sleep it has six fda approved indications that's right six so most of all of the ssris and antidepressants for that matter and only two of them are actually for depression that's major depressive disorder and premenstrual dysphoric disorder the other four are anxiety disorders such as ocd or obsessive-compulsive disorder panic disorder post-traumatic stress disorder and social anxiety disorder so i like to use sertraline for those patients who have a mix of anxiety and depression but where anxiety tends to be the dominating symptom because sertraline has those four indications for anxiety disorder number two what are the side effects yeah all medications have side effects and surgery is no exception the most common side effects that you'll experience are going to be nausea a little bit of stomach upset headache dizziness or some people will feel really tired with the medication or sleepy so just take it at night if that's you or some may have some activation or feel boost of energy so you take it in the morning now just so you know those side effects will typically only last for one week so hang in there and it's actually a sign the medication is working because we actually have and make a lot of serotonin in our gut that's why you get butterflies in your stomach when you're nervous so it's a sign the medication is working after your body gets used to the medication and adjusts to it those symptoms typically will resolve on their own so stick with it if you're on day two and you're feeling a little nauseous don't give up give it a good week and continue taking it it's a sign it's working which takes us to number three how long does it take for it to actually start working well let me be real with you here sertraline is not a miracle truck you don't take the medication and then voila everything is in rose-colored glasses and your mood is all of a sudden changed it doesn't work that way actually it's going to take anywhere from two to eight weeks and typically four to six weeks is the duration where most people will start to feel the effects or feel the benefit of the medication so i like to start patients on a low dose of surgery just to get their body used to it and tolerate it see you back in one month see how you're responding to the medication if you're not yet responding but you're tolerating it well then we'll increase the dose come back in another month which will be eight weeks and by then you should notice the difference if not then it's time to switch it to something else but again that's something that you need to discuss with your mental health care provider which takes us to number four well how long do i have to take it for well that depends typically you're going to take this medication whether it's for depression or anxiety anywhere from 6 to 12 months and that's something that you and your provider will have to discuss and determine when is the right time to start coming off of the medication however about 25 of patients who have depression or anxiety will have a chronic course of depression or anxiety and need longer term treatment so this is case by case and this is something that you will have to determine with your provider but typically if this is your first bout of depression or anxiety and your first time taking sertraline is typically going to be anywhere from six to 12 months after your symptoms have resolved which takes us to our last tip or last thing that you need to know about surgery number five can i just stop taking searchline on my own no this is not advised because though certainly does not cause dependence or addiction if you abruptly stop taking it it can cause a withdrawal or discontinuation syndrome which can cause nausea tremors feeling dizzy muscle weakness and muscle pain it can also cause brain zaps or feeling like electricity is running through your brain so you don't want to stop this abruptly on your own you want to talk to your mental health care provider so you can slowly and safely taper off of circulating so are you taking surgery if so please leave a comment below about your experience with the medication and if there's any questions that you have that we didn't cover in this video or are you taking another medication and want to learn more about that put that in the comment section as well so that we can cover more medications that are important to you i thank you for watching and i'll look forward to seeing you next week