Sertraline (Zoloft) versus Other Medications

Zoloft vs. Effexor (venlafaxine)

Efficacy: Response rate is higher with Effexor than with Zoloft in the major depressive disorder. The remission rate with Effexor (67%) is significantly higher than with Zoloft (36%).

Side effects: Most common adverse events with Effexor are nausea, headache, and sweating and with Zoloft are nausea, headache, and diarrhea. Venlafaxine is associated with the risk of blood pressure increase. Antidepressant-induced sexual dysfunction occurs more frequently with sertraline, than with venlafaxine.

Discontinuation syndrome: Zoloft may be associated with a lower symptom burden during treatment discontinuation.

Sertraline (Zoloft) vs. Paroxetine (Paxil)

Efficacy: Panic disorder. Both sertraline and paroxetine are equally effective in panic disorder. However, Zoloft is associated with significantly less clinical worsening during taper period than paroxetine.

Generalized anxiety disorder: Both paroxetine and sertraline appear similarly effective for the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder.

Tolerability: Zoloft is significantly better tolerated. Paroxetine has a higher rate of treatment discontinuation due to adverse events.

Side effects: Paxil has a significantly higher rate of weight gain. Also, paroxetine is associated with higher incidence of sexual side-effects like delay of orgasm or ejaculation and impotence.

Discontinuation syndrome: Paroxetine discontinuation is associated with the higher degree of emergence of new somatic and psychological symptoms in patients than sertraline.

Drug interactions: Zoloft may have advantages over Paxil in elderly patients because of the comparatively low potential for drug interactions.

Sertraline (Zoloft) vs. Citalopram (Celexa)

Efficacy: Sertraline and citaloptam have similar efficacy in the treatment of major depression. However, citalopram has more pronounced antianxiety effects.

Side effects: Zoloft treatment is associated higher rate of gastrointestinal side effects. Zoloft is associated with lower incidence of weight gain and sexual side effects than Celexa.

Zoloft is an antidepressant, mechanism of action of which is the suppression of serotonin reuptake in neurons. It leads to a decrease in the amount of serotonin in the synapses and the rate of transmission of nerve impulses increases, which has a calming effect, helps reduce anxiety, panic and depression. Zoolft does not cause drug addiction and weight gain during the long-continued treatment course.

Zoloft is a mild antidepressant, and it is recommended for treatment of different depressions, including against the diseases of internal organs, which are accompanied by low mood or bouts of panic attacks.

Zoloft is also effective in the treatment of latent and atypical depressions, which are manifested as symptoms of various diseases of the nervous system and internal organs (including chronic pain) and which are relieved during the treatment of depression. The course of treatment with Zoloft successfully eliminates as symptoms of depression and anxiety as symptoms of internal organs and vegetative nervous system diseases, promotes the normalization of sleep and relieves pain.

Lately, Zoloft has been actively used for the treatment of patients with organic neurological diseases, accompanied by depression. Zoloft has a good effect in Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.

In social phobias (communication disorders) Zoloft is increasingly the drug of choice.