Sertraline is slowly absorbed, with peak concentrations (Cmax) occurring at 4–10 hours following ingestion, and has a half-life of 24–32 hours in children, adolescents and adults [11–20]. The therapeutic concentration range for sertraline has not been well established, but has been proposed to be 10–150 ng/mL [21].
The half-life of Zoloft is 24 to 26 hours, which means that it can take roughly a day for half of the drug to be eliminated from their blood. In another 24 hours, the amount of sertraline in the person's body will decrease to 25% or half of the amount that remained. In urine, Zoloft can remain for about nine days.
Your Symptoms Have Not Improved After A Couple Of Months
Antidepressant medications should improve systems after three months of taking them as prescribed by a doctor. If you have not noticed an improvement in your symptoms then it could mean that your antidepressant dose is too low.
The average terminal elimination half-life of plasma sertraline is about 26 hours. Based on this pharmacokinetic parameter, steady-state sertraline plasma levels should be achieved after approximately one week of once-daily dosing.
Official answer. It may take several weeks or longer for an increased dose of Zoloft (sertraline) to take effect. Only use Zoloft at the dosage prescribed by your doctor. Do not increase your dose without first speaking with your doctor.
Sertraline is slowly absorbed after oral administration, with peak plasma concentrations at 6-8 h. Plasma concentrations are linearly related to dose. The elimination half-life is about 32 h; metabolism is by demethylation to an inactive metabolite.
Sertraline increases serotonin, a potent neurotransmitter, in your brain. With higher levels of serotonin is thought to come feelings of wellbeing and happiness. It does this by its action as a selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor (SSRI).
It usually takes 4 to 6 weeks for sertraline to work fully, although you should start to feel better after 1 to 2 weeks. Side effects such as feeling sick, headaches and trouble sleeping are common. They're usually mild and go away after a couple of weeks.
“Zoloft withdrawal symptoms peak at 36 to 96 hours after stopping Zoloft and could last up to 6 weeks.”
How long does sertraline take to start working? Antidepressants like sertraline can start to work on depression within the first two weeks of treatment, and the improvement continues over the following few weeks. It may take four weeks or longer for you to get the full effect.
Possible reasons why your antidepressant is no longer working include: using another medication that interferes with its effects, using alcohol or other drugs, having another medical condition, undergoing added stress, and more.
Dosage and strength
Sertraline is available as 25mg, 50mg or 100mg tablets. The usual dose of sertraline is 50mg a day in adults. But your doctor may start you on a lower dose, then increase it gradually to a maximum dose of 200mg a day. If you have liver problems, your doctor might give you a lower dose.
Avoid cola drinks, chocolate and caffeine containing food items with sertraline since the combination can result in a condition called serotonin syndrome with symptoms of high fever, agitation, vomiting, nausea, rapid heartbeat, trembling, sweating and weird movements on the muscles.
If you feel like your antidepressant has stopped working, you're not alone. It's common for a medication that once worked wonders to become ineffective, especially if you've been taking it for a long time. Symptoms return for up to 33% of people using antidepressants — it's called breakthrough depression.
A few people may get sexual side effects, such as problems getting an erection or a lower sex drive. In some cases these can continue even after stopping the medicine. Speak to your doctor if you are worried. Taking sertraline for more than a year has also been linked to a small increased risk of getting diabetes.
The long-term effects of sertraline on the brain can go far beyond discontinuation syndrome, causing physical changes like weight fluctuation and problems with your sex drive.
Brain zaps are one of the most commonly reported yet underappreciated symptoms experienced while coming off Zoloft. Brain zaps feel like electric shocks passing through the brain/head/neck, and are common withdrawals for most antidepressants.
Quitting without consulting a doctor can be dangerous to your physical and mental health; suicide is often a major concern when SSRIs and similar medications are stopped suddenly. It can also trigger worse symptoms and a relapse of depression or anxiety.
A common side effect is Zoloft weight gain. Not everyone experiences sertraline weight gain. Much of the time, research shows that body weight gain is modest or temporary. That said, it's still important to understand the potential side effect and discuss it with your doctor before starting treatment.
Nausea. The most common side effect of sertraline in clinical trials was nausea. About 1 in 4 people taking sertraline experience it. It's most likely to occur when you first start sertraline or right after a dose increase.
Some people report feeling more energized or less anxious within days of beginning treatment, though — which can be a welcome effect. Others say it takes longer than a month before noticing any significant changes in mood or behavior. “It's not uncommon to feel a difference in about 3 – 6 weeks after beginning Zoloft.
Zoloft (sertraline) "Zoloft has changed my life. I used to feel like I wanted to stop living. I had anxiety with racing thoughts, feeling short of breath, social anxiety, and obsessive bad thoughts. I no longer feel suicidal and my irritability has gotten 100% better.
One of the widely-reported side effects of SSRIs is 'blunting', where patients report feeling emotionally dull and no longer finding things as pleasurable as they used to. Between 40-60% of patients taking SSRIs are believed to experience this side effect.
One of the most common antidepressants, sertraline, leads to an early reduction in anxiety symptoms, commonly found in depression, several weeks before any improvement in depressive symptoms, a UCL-led clinical trial has found.