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Sertraline side effects

Across 136 first-hand reports, people mentioned a side effect 23 times (about 17 per 100 reports). The most common: fatigue, numbness, brain fog. User reports show what people notice — they can't tell you whether Sertraline is safe for you.

Reported side effects

fatigue6
numbness3
brain fog3
sexual dysfunction3
withdrawal2
libido change2
weight gain2
drowsiness2

What got worse for some people

Mood24% worse · 65% better · of 54Libido90% worse · 10% better · of 10Energy56% worse · 33% better · of 9Anxiety8% worse · 86% better · of 37

In their own words

“Zoloft changed everything. It gave me what felt like superpowers: hard erections and the ability to last up to an hour.”
MixedRead the discussion ↗
“I'm meant to be on 75mg of zoloft but I only take 50mg because 75 causes migraines. ... the zoloft helped my panic disorder and ocd but if anything made my depression worse.”
MixedRead the discussion ↗
“I *felt* best on Zoloft...but had absolutely zero libido. Guys also report similar difficulties cumming.”
MixedRead the discussion ↗
“It's a side effect of Zoloft. It was prescribed to me for a while after my wife died... They actually prescribe Zoloft for people with premature ejaculation issues.”
Didn't helpRead the discussion ↗
“I'm coming off sertraline, so on low dose, taking every other day. the sert. made me total zombie. The combo yesterday was freaking awesome, I felt good, totally in the zone, much brighter mood.”
MixedRead the discussion ↗
“I gained weight and lost sexual function on both Zoloft and Lexapro. Those are both SSRIs. I lost weight and gained sexual function on Wellbutrin and Buspar.”
MixedRead the discussion ↗

Is Sertraline safe? What the research covers

AResearch: Strong318 meta-analyses · 906 randomized trials on PubMed
Mol Psychiatry · 2023
Antidepressants for the treatment of adults with major depressive disorder in the maintenance phase: a systematic review and network meta-analysis

Conclusion: Compared to placebo, venlafaxine was associated with a lower incidence of dizziness, while desvenlafaxine, sertraline, and vortioxetine were associated with a higher incidence of nausea/vomiting. In conclusion, desvenlafaxine, paroxetine, venlafaxine, and vortioxetine had reasonable efficacy, acceptability, and tolerability in the treatment of adults with stable MDD.

Lancet Psychiatry · 2020
Comparative efficacy and acceptability of antidepressants, psychotherapies, and their combination for acute treatment of children and adolescents with depressive disorder: a systematic review and network meta-analysis

Conclusion: Despite the scarcity of high-quality evidence, fluoxetine (alone or in combination with CBT) seems to be the best choice for the acute treatment of moderate-to-severe depressive disorder in children and adolescents. However, the effects of these interventions might vary between individuals, so patients, carers, and clinicians should carefully balance the risk-benefit profile of efficacy, acceptability, and suicide risk of all active interventions in young patients with depression on a case-by-case basis.

Sertraline side effects: what 136 users report — PlainPill