Sertraline is used medically mainly to treat the symptoms of depression and anxiety. It has also been prescribed for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, panic disorder, and bipolar disorder. It was first approved by the FDA in 1991. The patent for this brand-name drug expired in December 2005. It is anticipated that the generic drug will be available in the United States in June of 2006, manufactured by Andrx, Aurobindo, Genpharm, Ivax, Mylan, and Roxane. In Scandinavia a generic drug called Sertralin, manufactured by HEXAL is available. The price differences between Zoloft and Sertralin are as high as 1.50 dollars per pill.

Sertraline can have a number of adverse effects, including insomnia, asthenia, gastrointestinal complaints, tremors, confusion, dizziness, anorgasmia, and decreased libido; it can induce mania or hypomania in around 0.5% of patients. It has also been known to cause minor weight loss. It is contraindicated in individuals taking MAOIs or undergoing electroconvulsive therapy.

Until 2003 Zoloft was only approved for use in adults ages 18 and over; that year it was approved by the FDA for use in treating children ages 6 to 17 with extreme obsessive compulsive disorder. In June, 2004, Britain banned the use of Zoloft by minors and in February, 2005, Pfizer was forced to change the labeling of Zoloft to include information regarding increased incidences of suicidal behavior and depression in adolescent users of the drug. According to mentalhealth.com, Zoloft is not currently recommended or advised for use in individuals under the age of 18. After these changes, multiple incidences and at least one medical study showed an increased risk of suicide in seniors who were taking Zoloft. In response to these findings, the FDA released a public health warning. This warning indicates that anyone currently using Zoloft for any reason has a greater chance of exhibiting suicidal thoughts or behaviors regardless of age. This warning is questionable, however, due to the types of illnesses Zoloft is used to treat, it is impossible to determine if these tendencies are a side effect of the drug or the illness the drug is meant to treat.
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Tags: bipolar disorder, Britain, depression, director, dizziness, dysphoric disorder, electroconvulsive therapy, fda, FDA's Office of Generic Drugs, food and drug administration, Gary J. Buehler, generic drug applications, insomnia, Ivax, major depressive disorder, mania, Mylan, name prescription products, obsessive compulsive disorder, Office of Generic Drugs, panic disorder, pfizer, post-traumatic stress disorder, retail sales, Scandinavia, Sertaline Sertraline, Sertraline, sertraline hydrochloride, Sertraline tablets, treatment of major depressive disorder, treatment of MDD and some anxiety related disorders, treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder, tremors, United States, USD, Zoloft, Zoloft tablets

I was speaking to one of my colleagues at work a couple of days ago about the horrible rainy weather that we are having right now and she mentioned that she suffers from SAD, seasonal affective disorder. This condition usually affects people in the winter in the northern latitudes, like here in Canada when there is not much sun during the Winter. Wellbutrin XL is a drug that has been hoped to treat this problem.

This week the FDA in the United States approved the first drug for the treatment of SAD and it has been a long wait for many people. Wellbutrin XL is manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline and on June 12th this drug was finally approved for sale to be prescribed for seasonal affective disorder.

A doctor is the only one that can really figure out if the depression you feel is seasonal affective disorder or clinical depression or the “blues” that can all be treated in different ways.
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Tags: affective disorder, affective disorder drug, Canada, Center of Drugs and Research, clinical depression, depression, director, fatigue, fda, functioning, GlaxoSmithKline, hypersomnia, insomnia, major depressive disorder, SAD, seasonal affective disorder, Steven Galson, United States, Wellbutrin XL