|
It is one of the top 15
prescription medications in the market.
US brandname is Zoloft
Other Brand Names:
-
Altruline (Mexico)
-
Aremis (Spain)
-
Atruline (Costa Rica; El Salvador;
Guatemala; Honduras; Nicaragua; Panama)
-
Besitran (Spain)
-
Dominum (Colombia; Peru)
-
Fatral (Indonesia)
-
Gladem (Austria; Germany)
-
Lesefer (Colombia)
-
Lustral (UK)
-
Nudep (Indonesia)
-
Serlain (Belgium)
-
Sertranex (Bahrain; Colombia;
Cyprus; Egypt; Iran; Iraq; Israel; Jordan; Kuwait; Lebanon;
Libya; Oman; Qatar; Republic of Yemen; Saudi Arabia; Syria;
United Arab Emirates)
-
Sertranquil (Colombia)
-
Sosser (Colombia)
-
Zolof (Colombia)
-
Zosert (India)
Generic Name: sertraline
hydrochloride
With a 26 hour half life, it takes five to six days to clear
out of your system.
The layman is unaware that one of the common side effects of
anti depressants is weight gain. This could happen by a change
in the basal metabolic rate without a change in the calorie
intake or play havoc with the hormones and lead to increase of
appetite. This weight gain also increases the difficulty in
treating psychiatric cases because it causes low esteem and
thus mood instability which is counter productive to
depression. This also causes a host of other problems such as
Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Zoloft is from a class of drugs called Selective Serotonin
Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) which were in the past thought to
lead to weight loss and reduced appetite and were even
marketed as anti obesity drugs. Why they cause weight gain is
still not known and still being researched. Though many people
gain weight using Zoloft, a lot a people are known to loose
weight too. It all depends on you metabolism. Though the
company maintains that Zoloft is not habit forming and is not
associated with weight gain. Well, it would not be in their
interests to admit so otherwise, would it? Patients have
reported gaining nearly 60 pounds since starting on Zoloft and
experiencing severe low esteem.
Those who use SSRI’s report symptoms of hypoglycemia
(weakness, dizziness, frequent hunger, and headaches) when
they do not eat. Symptoms of hypoglycemia can also mean
hyperinsulinemia (elevation of insulin in the blood). Some who
had been taking Zoloft (it is the only drug considered safe
for breast feeding mothers) for post partum depression also
reported spiraling weight gain despite exercise — four day
week of intense cardio.
A lot of psychiatrists are of the opinion that the fact that a
patient gains weight after taking anti depressants is an
indication that he is feeling better based on the assumption
that if you are depresses then you will have a poor appetite.
But, studies across a wide spectrum of people reveal that most
people have gained weight without a change in their diet. Of
course, we cannot escape the truth that as we approach middle
age our metabolism slows down and this cannot be ruled out as
one of the reasons for weight gain. But, on the other hand a
weight gain of 15 to 20 pounds in just two to three months is
an amazing amount of weight gain in such a short span.
It is also a fact that cortisol levels are high during
depression and it has a lot do with how your body is balanced
in all the neurotransmitters which affect the hypothatlumus
gland, the pituitary gland, the thyroid gland, the kidneys and
all the hormones which are produced along the way by
neurotransmitters.
|
