is one of the new anti-depressant medications
known as SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors). Like other medications in this class (such as Prozac and Paxil), Zoloft relieves symptoms of depression without the side effects that many people
experience with the older tricyclic antidepressants and MAO inhibitors. Zoloft is used to treat symptoms of major depressive illness (including bipolar disorder or manic depression). Major depression is a serious
medical illness causing mood and physiological changes that significantly interfere with a person's daily functioning. A persistent sad or empty mood accompanies changes in appetite, sleep, and activity level; loss of
interest in usual activities, decrease in sexual desire, difficulty concentrating and remembering, slowed thinking and movement, feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness and guilt; and sometimes suicidal thoughts and
actions. Usually several of these symptoms must be present for at least two weeks for a diagnosis of depression to be made. Zoloft has also been shown effective in relieving anxiety, insomnia, and psychomotor agitation
that sometimes accompany depression.
Follow the directions for using Zoloft provided by your doctor. Store at room temperature between 59 and 86 degrees F (15 and 30 degrees C), away from heat and
light. Continue to take even if you feel better. Do not miss any doses. If you miss a dose, contact your doctor or pharmacist for instructions. Do not take 2 doses at once.
Although the way Zoloft works
for depression, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder is not completely understood, what is understood is that Zoloft is a medicine that helps correct the chemical imbalance
of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is a naturally occurring chemical in the brain that is involved in the transmission of messages between nerve cells.
Panic Disorder
As many as 3 to 7 million
Americans will have panic disorder at some point in their lives. Panic disorder can happen to anyone. It typically begins between young adulthood and the mid-30s. Women are two to three times more likely than men to get
panic disorder.
Research has shown an association between panic disorder and depression. Major depressive disorder occurs in 50% to 65% of people with panic disorder.
Panic disorder seems to run in
families. Therefore, someone who has a close family member who is affected by panic disorder is more likely to develop it, too. However, studies show that most people with a close relative who has panic disorder will
not develop it themselves.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder - OCD
Most of us have worries, doubts, superstitions, or "funny" habits of one kind or another.
However, for some Americans
these feelings become so strong at some point in their lives that they almost take over. These people may have obsessive-compulsive disorder, or obsessive compulsive disorder.
Many people may check to make sure the
stove is off before going away on vacation. But for a person with obsessive compulsive disorder, it can take hours to get out of the house, because he or she must check the stove hundreds of times.
Most
people like to have their things somewhat neat and tidy. But, a person with obsessive compulsive disorder may not be able to stop thinking about tidiness — to the point where it may take hours to make sure objects are
in order.
While many people wash their hands before a meal, a person with obsessive compulsive disorder may not be able to stop thinking about germs and will wash his or her hands over and over again,
until they are chapped or even bleeding.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
In the past, many people believed that only soldiers or other people who had been in a war could get post-traumatic
stress disorder. Because of that, years ago, post-traumatic stress disorder was commonly called "combat fatigue" or "shell shock." But, based on new research, doctors and other healthcare
professionals are learning that all kinds of people from different backgrounds can have traumatic experiences that can — and sometimes do — lead to post-traumatic stress disorder.
Although most people
who experience an extreme traumatic event will not develop post-traumatic stress disorder, as many as 1 out of 13 Americans will get post-traumatic stress disorder at some point during their lives. Slightly more than 1
out of 10 women in the U.S. will get post-traumatic stress disorder. The good news is that, in many cases, post-traumatic stress disorder can be treated successfully.
