eMedExpert Home > Compare Drugs > Sertraline (Zoloft)

• Efficacy: Sertraline and amitriptyline have comparable antidepressant efficacy in the treatment of Major Depression. Sertraline has been shown a tendency to produce greater improvements on quality of life measures 23, 24.
• Side effects and tolerability: Sertraline has more favorable safety profile and is better tolerated than amitriptyline.
  Sertraline is associated with a lower frequency of somnolence, dry mouth, constipation, ataxia, and pain and a higher frequency of nausea, anorexia, diarrhea, and insomnia. So, anticholinergic and sedative side effects are less common and gastrointestinal effects are more common with sertraline than with amitriptyline 25.
  The authors conclude that sertraline has a considerably less detrimental effect on psychomotor performance and may have a slight activating effect not found with amitriptyline 26.
• Discontinuation rates: Amitriptyline therapy is associated with significantly more discontinuations due to treatment-related adverse events, in comparison to sertraline 23, 24.

• Efficacy: Both sertraline and imipramine are highly effective treatments for major depressive disorder and panic disorder 27.
• Side effects: Sertraline has more favorable side effect profile than Imipramine. Sertraline is significantly better tolerated with significantly fewer discontinuations due to adverse events 1, 27.
• Onset of action: The improvement begins more rapid with Imipramine than with Sertraline. But no enduring differences beyond week 8 of treatments 1.

• Efficacy: Sertraline and nortriptyline are equally effective in the treatment of late-life major depression, including those patients presenting with severe depression. However, secondary efficacy (posttreatment measures of cognitive function, memory, and quality of life) may be significantly higher with sertraline treatment. Nortriptyline treatment may be associated with a mildly negative effect on cognition. Sertraline-treated patients may have greater improvement in energy and in most quality-of-life measures. Both drugs have similarly beneficial effects on anxiety and sleep 2.
• Side effects: Nortriptyline is associated with a significant higher rate of increase in pulse rate 2.
• Onset of action: The time course of antidepressant response is comparable for sertraline and nortriptyline 2.

• Efficacy: Response rate is higher with Venlafaxine than with Sertraline in the major depressive disorder. The remission rate with venlafaxine (67%) is significanly higher than with sertraline (36%) 3, 13.
• Side effects: Most common adverse events with venlafaxine are nausea, headache, and sweating and with sertraline are nausea, headache, and diarrhea 3. Venlafaxine is associated with the risk of blood pressure increase 9. Antidepressant-induced sexual dysfunction occurs more frequently with sertraline, than with venlafaxine 17.
• Discontinuation syndrome: Sertraline may be associated with a lower symptom burden during treatment discontinuation 9.

• Efficacy:
  Panic disorder. Both sertraline and paroxetine are equally effective in panic disorder. However, sertraline is associated with significantly less clinical worsening during taper period than paroxetine 4.
  Generalized anxiety disorder: Both paroxetine and sertraline appear similarly effective for the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder 14.
• Tolerability: Sertraline is significantly better tolerated. Paroxetine has a higher rate of treatment discontinuation due to adverse events 4.
• Side effects: Paroxetine has a significantly higher rate of weight gain 4. Also, paroxetine is associated with higher incidence of sexual side-effects like delay of orgasm or ejaculation and impotence 19.
• Discontinuation syndrome: Paroxetine discontinuation is accosiated with the higher degree of emergence of new somatic and psychological symptoms in patients than sertraline 15.
• Drug interactions: Sertraline may have advantages paroxetine in elderly patients because of the comparatively low potential for drug interactions.

• Efficacy:
  Major depression. Sertraline and fluoxetine have comparable antidepressant efficacy in the treatment of Major depression. However, sertraline has advantages over fluoxetine in those patients with severe depression and low anxiety in the melancholia 5, 6.
  Obsessive-compulsive disorder. Both medications have significant efficacy in the treatment of moderate to severe OCD. However, patients treated with sertraline have a greater likelihood of remission as well as an earlier improvement 8.
• Tolerability: Sertraline is considered to be better tolerated than fluoxetine 7.
• Side effects: Sertraline has advantages over fluoxetine on parameters such as sleep and weight disturbance in severely depressed patients, and sleep disturbance, weight, cognitive disturbance and retardation in melancholic patients 6.
  Fluoxetine treatment is associated with a higher incidence of agitation, anxiety and insomnia than sertraline 7.
• Discontinuation syndrome: Fluoxetine has fewer discontinuation-emergent events than sertraline 15.
• Drug interactions: Sertraline may have advantages fluoxetine in elderly patients because of the comparatively low potential for drug interactions.

• Efficacy: Sertraline and escitaloptam have comparable antidepressant efficacy in the treatment of major depressive disorder 10.
• Tolerability: Both medications are generally well tolerated 10.

• Efficacy: Sertraline and citaloptam have similar efficacy in the treatment of major depression. However, citalopram has more pronounced antianxiety effects 11, 12.
• Side effects: Sertraline treatment is associated higher rate of gastrointestinal side effects 12. Sertraline is associated with lower incidence of weight gain and sexual side effects than citalopram 18, 20.

• Efficacy:
  Depression: Bupropion SR and sertraline are similarly effective in the treatment of depression 16, 21.
  Anxiety in major depressive disorder: Bupropion SR and sertraline have comparable antidepressant and anxiolytic effects and an equally rapid onset of clinically significant anxiolytic activity 22.
• Tolerability: Bupropion SR and sertraline are similarly well tolerated 16.
• Side effects: Nausea, diarrhea, insomnia, and somnolence occurs significantly more wirh sertraline treatment than with bupropion SR. Dry mouth occurs more frequently with bupropion SR than with sertraline. Both medications are associated with similar decreases in body weight. Sertraline treatment is more often associated with sexual dysfunction compared with bupropion SR 16, 21. Bupropion SR may be a more appropriate antidepressant choice than sertraline in patients for whom sexual dysfunction is a concern.

• Efficacy: Trazodone and sertraline are equally effective in reducing depressive symptoms and promoting remission, and have similar onset times. Trazodone may be a therapeutic option in the treatment of patients with major depression showing prevalent sleep disturbances 28.
• Side effects: Adverse drug reactions associated with trazodone are mostly of mild intensity and mainly of the nervous system. Most common side effects with sertraline are gastrointestinal (nausea, diarrhea).

• Sertraline (Zoloft) Medical Facts

• 1. Mavissakalian MR. Imiprmaine vs. sertraline in panic disorder: 24-week treatment completers. Ann Clin Psychiatry. 2003 Sep-Dec;15(3-4):171-80 PubMed
• 2. William Bondareff, M.D., Ph.D., Murray Alpert, Ph.D., Arnold J. Friedhoff, M.D., Ellen M. Richter, Ph.D., Cathryn M. Clary, M.D. and Evan Batzar, M.S. Comparison of Sertraline and Nortriptyline in the Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder in Late Life. Am J Psychiatry; May 2000; 157:729-736 Article
• 3. Mehtonen OP, Sogaard J, Roponen P, Behnke K. Randomized, double-blind comparison of venlafaxine and sertraline in outpatients with major depressive disorder. Venlafaxine 631 Study Group. J Clin Psychiatry. 2000 Feb;61(2):95-100 PubMed
• 4. Bandelow B, Behnke K, Lenoir S, Hendriks GJ, Alkin T, Goebel C, Clary CM. Sertraline versus paroxetine in the treatment of panic disorder: an acute, double-blind noninferiority comparison. J Clin Psychiatry. 2004 Mar;65(3):405-13 PubMed
• 5. Feiger AD, Flament MF, Boyer P, Gillespie JA Sertraline versus fluoxetine in the treatment of major depression: a combined analysis of five double-blind comparator studies. Int Clin Psychopharmacol. 2003 Jul;18(4):203-10. PubMed
• 6. Flament MF, Lane RM, Zhu R, Ying Z. Predictors of an acute antidepressant response to fluoxetine and sertraline. PubMed
• 7. Aguglia E, Casacchia M, Cassano GB, Faravelli C, Ferrari G, Giordano P, Pancheri P, Ravizza L, Trabucchi M, Bolino F, et al. Double-blind study of the efficacy and safety of sertraline versus fluoxetine in major depression. Int Clin Psychopharmacol. 1993 Fall;8(3):197-202. PubMed
• 8. Bergeron R, Ravindran AV, Chaput Y, Goldner E, Swinson R, van Ameringen MA, Austin C, Hadrava V. Sertraline and fluoxetine treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder: results of a double-blind, 6-month treatment study. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2002 Apr;22(2):148-54. PubMed
• 9. Sir A, D'Souza RF, Uguz S, George T, Vahip S, Hopwood M, Martin AJ, Lam W, Burt T. Randomized trial of sertraline versus venlafaxine XR in major depression: efficacy and discontinuation symptoms. J Clin Psychiatry. 2005 Oct;66(10):1312-20. PubMed
• 10. Ventura D, Armstrong EP, Skrepnek GH, Haim Erder M. Escitalopram versus sertraline in the treatment of major depressive disorder: a randomized clinical trial. Curr Med Res Opin. 2007 Feb;23(2):245-50. PubMed
• 11. Ekselius L, von Knorring L, Eberhard G. A double-blind multicenter trial comparing sertraline and citalopram in patients with major depression treated in general practice. Int Clin Psychopharmacol. 1997 Nov;12(6):323-31. PubMed
• 12. Stahl SM. Placebo-controlled comparison of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors citalopram and sertraline. Biol Psychiatry. 2000 Nov 1;48(9):894-901. PubMed
• 13. Einarson TR, Arikian SR, Casciano J, Doyle JJ. Comparison of extended-release venlafaxine, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and tricyclic antidepressants in the treatment of depression: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Clin Ther. 1999 Feb;21(2):296-308. PubMed
• 14. Ball SG, Kuhn A, Wall D, Shekhar A, Goddard AW. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor treatment for generalized anxiety disorder: a double-blind, prospective comparison between paroxetine and sertraline. J Clin Psychiatry. 2005 Jan;66(1):94-9. PubMed
• 15. Rosenbaum JF, Fava M, Hoog SL, Ascroft RC, Krebs WB. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor discontinuation syndrome: a randomized clinical trial. Biol Psychiatry. 1998 Jul 15;44(2):77-87. PubMed
• 16. Croft H, Settle E Jr, Houser T, Batey SR, Donahue RM, Ascher JA. A placebo-controlled comparison of the antidepressant efficacy and effects on sexual functioning of sustained-release bupropion and sertraline. Clin Ther. 1999 Apr;21(4):643-58. PubMed
• 17. Kennedy SH, Eisfeld BS, Dickens SE, Bacchiochi JR, Bagby RM. Antidepressant-induced sexual dysfunction during treatment with moclobemide, paroxetine, sertraline, and venlafaxine. J Clin Psychiatry. 2000 Apr;61(4):276-81. PubMed
• 18. Meijer WE, Heerdink ER, van Eijk JT, Leufkens HG. Adverse events in users of sertraline: results from an observational study in psychiatric practice in The Netherlands. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2002;11:655–62. PubMed
• 19. Montejo-Gonzalez AL, Llorca G, Izquierdo JA, Ledesma A, Bousono M, Calcedo A, Carrasco JL, Ciudad J, Daniel E, De la Gandara J, Derecho J, Franco M, Gomez MJ, Macias JA, Martin T, Perez V, Sanchez JM, Sanchez S, Vicens E. SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction: fluoxetine, paroxetine, sertraline, and fluvoxamine in a prospective, multicenter, and descriptive clinical study of 344 patients. J Sex Marital Ther. 1997 Fall;23(3):176-94. PubMed
• 20. Montejo AL, Llorca G, Izquierdo JA, Rico-Villademoros F. Incidence of sexual dysfunction associated with antidepressant agents: a prospective multicenter study of 1022 outpatients. Spanish Working Group for the Study of Psychotropic-Related Sexual Dysfunction. J Clin Psychiatry. 2001;62 Suppl 3:10-21. PubMed
• 21. Kavoussi RJ, Segraves RT, Hughes AR, Ascher JA, Johnston JA. Double-blind comparison of bupropion sustained release and sertraline in depressed outpatients. J Clin Psychiatry. 1997 Dec;58(12):532-7. PubMed
• 22. Trivedi MH, Rush AJ, Carmody TJ, Donahue RM, Bolden-Watson C, Houser TL, Metz A. Do bupropion SR and sertraline differ in their effects on anxiety in depressed patients? J Clin Psychiatry. 2001 Oct;62(10):776-81. PubMed
• 23. Moller HJ, Glaser K, Leverkus F, Gobel C. Double-blind, multicenter comparative study of sertraline versus amitriptyline in outpatients with major depression. Pharmacopsychiatry. 2000 Nov;33(6):206-12. PubMed
• 24. Lydiard RB, Stahl SM, Hertzman M, Harrison WM. A double-blind, placebo-controlled study comparing the effects of sertraline versus amitriptyline in the treatment of major depression J Clin Psychiatry. 1997 Nov;58(11):484-91. PubMed
• 25. Cohn CK, Shrivastava R, Mendels J, Cohn JB, Fabre LF, Claghorn JL, Dessain EC, Itil TM, Lautin A. Double-blind, multicenter comparison of sertraline and amitriptyline in elderly depressed patients. J Clin Psychiatry. 1990 Dec;51 Suppl B:28-33. PubMed
• 26. Mattila MJ, Saarialho-Kere U, Mattila M. Acute effects of sertraline, amitriptyline, and placebo on the psychomotor performance of healthy subjects over 50 years of age. J Clin Psychiatry. 1988 Aug;49 Suppl:52-8. PubMed
• 27. Lepola U, Arato M, Zhu Y, Austin C. Sertraline versus imipramine treatment of comorbid panic disorder and major depressive disorder. Clin Psychiatry. 2003 Jun;64(6):654-62. PubMed
• 28. Munizza C, Olivieri L, Di Loreto G, Dionisio P. A comparative, randomized, double-blind study of trazodone prolonged-release and sertraline in the treatment of major depressive disorder. Curr Med Res Opin. 2006 Sep;22(9):1703-13. PubMed