How should I use Zoloft(Sertralina)?

Sertraline tablets should be taken orally once daily, either in the morning or evening. It can be taken with food or on an empty stomach.

1. Adult dosage

1.1 Initial treatment: Take 1 tablet (50mg) of sertraline daily.

1.2 Dosage adjustment: For patients with poor response to 1 tablet (50mg) daily but good drug tolerance, the dosage can be increased. Since the elimination half-life of sertraline is 24 hours, the interval between dosage adjustments should not be shorter than 1 week. The maximum dosage is 4 tablets (200mg) per day.

1.3 Efficacy can be observed within seven days of medication. Complete onset of action requires a longer time, especially for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Maintenance treatment: Long-term medication should be adjusted according to efficacy and maintained at the minimum effective therapeutic dose.

2. Dosage for pediatric populations (children and adolescents)

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD):

2.1 In children (6–12 years old), the initial dosage should be 25 mg once daily.

2.2 In adolescents (13–17 years old), the initial dosage should be 50 mg once daily.

2.3 Although the dose-response relationship for treating OCD has not been established, clinical trials have shown that administering 25–200 mg/day can effectively treat pediatric OCD patients (6–17 years old).

2.4 If the efficacy of 25 or 50 mg/day is suboptimal, increasing the dosage (up to 200 mg/day) may benefit the patient. Since the body weight of pediatric OCD patients is typically lower than that of adults, this should be considered before dosing to avoid overdosage. The elimination half-life of sertraline is 24 hours, and the interval between dosage adjustments should not be shorter than 1 week.