Always take your medicine exactly as your GP tells you to. Do not stop taking your medicine unless your GP tells you to.
You'll usually take sertraline once a day. Try to stick to the same time every day.
If you have trouble sleeping, you should take it in the morning.
You can take sertraline with or without food.
Avoid grapefruit juice
Do not drink grapefruit juice while you are taking this medicine.
Grapefruit juice can increase the amount of sertraline in your body and increase the risk of side effects.
Alcohol and sertraline
Avoid alcohol when taking sertraline. It may make you sleepy.
Dosage
The usual dose is 50mg a day for adults.
Your GP might start you on a lower dose and increase it gradually to a maximum daily dose of 200mg.
Lower doses for liver problems
Your GP might give you a lower dose or tell you to take sertraline less often if you have liver problems.
If you take too much
Emergency action required: Call 112 or 999 or contact your GP immediately if you:
- take more than your prescribed dose of sertraline
Do not drive yourself to the emergency department (ED). Get someone else to drive or call for an ambulance.
Take the sertraline packet or leaflet plus any remaining medicine if you need to go to hospital.
How long it takes to work
It usually takes about 2 weeks for sertraline to begin working, but sometimes longer.
After around a week, sertraline levels will start to build up in your body. It takes a few more weeks for your body to get used to sertraline.
Do not stop taking sertraline after a week or two because you feel it is not helping. Usually it takes between 4 to 6 weeks to feel the full effect.
You might feel worse during the first few weeks of treatment before you begin to feel better.
Talk to your GP if you do not feel any better after 6 weeks.
How long you will need to take sertraline
Once you feel better you will probably continue to take sertraline for several more months.
Most doctors recommend that you take antidepressants for 6 months to a year after you no longer feel depressed. If you stop too soon, depression can come back.
Long-term use
Sertraline is safe to take for a long time.
Taking sertraline puts you at risk of developing diabetes. But the risk is low. You will be regularly checked for this.
Stopping sertraline
Do not stop taking sertraline unless your GP tells you to.
You might get unpleasant withdrawal symptoms if you stop taking sertraline suddenly.
These include:
- dizziness
- feeling sick
- numbness or tingling in your hands or feet
- feeling anxious
- headaches
- shaking
Withdrawal symptoms are usually harmless and only last a few days. You can prevent these from happening by reducing your dose gradually.
If you forget to take it
Do not worry if you occasionally forget to take your sertraline.
Take your next dose the next day at the usual time.
Never take 2 doses to make up for a forgotten one.