zoloft compensation - About:

Sertraline hydrochloride (brand names Zoloft and Lustral) is an antidepressant of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) class. It was introduced to the market by Pfizer in 1991. Zoloft is primarily used to treat major depression in adult outpatients as well as obsessive–compulsive, panic, and social anxiety disorders in both adults and children. In 2007, it was the most prescribed antidepressant on the U.S. retail market, with 29,652,000 prescriptions.

zoloft compensation - Medical uses:

Zoloft is used for a number of conditions including: major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), panic disorder and social phobia (social anxiety disorder).[8] It has also been used for premature ejaculation and vascular headaches but the evidence is less robust.

 

zoloft compensation - Overdosage:

Acute overdosage is often manifested by emesis, lethargy, ataxia, tachycardia and seizures. Plasma, serum or blood concentrations of sertaline and norsertraline, its major active metabolite, may be measured to confirm a diagnosis of poisoning in hospitalized patients or to aid in the medicolegal investigation of fatalities.

 

zoloft compensation - Mechanism of action

Zoloft is primarily a serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI), with a binding affinity (Ki) of 3.3 nM.[150] Therapeutic doses of zoloft (50–200 mg/day) taken by patients for four weeks resulted in 80–90% inhibition of serotonin transporter (SERT) in striatum as measured by positron emission tomography. A daily 9 mg dose was sufficient to inhibit 50% of SERT.[151]

 

Zoloft is also a dopamine reuptake inhibitor, with a Ki=315 nM,[152] a ?1 receptor agonist with 5% of its SRI potency,[153] and an ?1-adrenoreceptor antagonist with 1–10% of its SRI potency.[150] However, though confirming sertraline's high affinity for ?1 receptors, different studies suggest that the drug actually behaves as an antagonist at those.[154]

 

zoloft compensation - In pregnancy and lactation:

The studies comparing the levels of zoloft and its principal metabolite, desmethylsertraline, in mother's blood to their concentration in umbilical cord blood at the time of delivery indicated that fetal exposure to sertraline and its metabolite is approximately a third of the maternal exposure.[121][122] The use of zoloft during the first trimester of pregnancy was associated with increased odds of the following birth defects: omphalocele (six-fold), anal atresia and limb reduction defects (four-fold), and septal defects (two-fold).[123] Concentration of zoloft and desmethyl zoloft in breast milk is highly variable and, on average, is of the same order of magnitude as their concentration in the blood plasma of the mother. As a result, more than half of breast-fed babies receive less than 2 mg/day of zoloft and desmethyl zoloft combined, and in most cases these substances are undetectable in their blood.[124] No changes in serotonin uptake by the platelets of breast-fed infants were found, as measured by their blood serotonin levels before and after their mothers began zoloft treatment.[125]