Depression can cause people to witness low levels of energies; they may also lose interest in pursuing their daily activities. Very much like depression, other mental conditions associated with an imbalance in brain chemicals are anxieties, fears, psychosis as well as a few types of phobias. It is highly recommended to take needful treatment in a timely manner. Medications belonging to a genre called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are widely used to treat mental conditions. These help strike the right balance of substances such as serotonin, norepinephrine, etc. Sertraline is a widely prescribed drug in this genre. It is important to know its safe dosage level prior to taking it.
Neuro-transmitting substances such as serotonin play a critical role in your mental wellbeing. A suboptimal level of this substance can lead to serious mental conditions. Most common among mental problems are, being in a depressed state of mind, bipolar disorders, anxieties as well as psychosis. These conditions exert sizable influence on your daily life. For example, you may lose your appetite, have a low level of energy and may also develop sleeping problems. In short, quality of life suffers to a significant extent. So, if you are feeling anxious or nursing unnecessary thoughts, it is a good practice to consult with a qualified medical practitioner.
Drugs that are categorized as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) are widely used for treating depression, fears and anxieties. Sertraline is a drug belonging to this genre of medications. It helps restore the needful balance of brain chemicals. In the process, it helps stabilize your sleep patterns, boost your energy as well as bring back your appetite level. In short, ample presence of serotonin frees you from unwanted fears, undesired thoughts as well as phobias.
Safe dosage of sertraline
First of all, you need to know that this is not an over the counter drug. This must never be taken through the self-medication route. Intake of sertraline needs to be accompanied by the prescription of a qualified mental health specialist or a clinical practitioner. Therapeutic range of this drug is fairly large; its active ingredients can help treat mental problems such as obsessive compulsive disorders (OCD), depression, panic, post traumatic stressful conditions as well as social anxieties.
Dosage of sertraline – Factors influencing a safe dose
The safe dosage level of sertraline varies based on multiple factors. Key among them is your body weight, age, underlying mental ailments as well as presence of other medical problems, if any. In case of obsessive compulsive disorder, its standard dose is maintained at 50 milligrams (mg) within a 24-hour time period. On the other hand, for those living with anxieties, panic or trauma, dosage strength of 25 mg is usually administered as a single dose each day. Your caregiving team will watch out for any adverse reactions or harmful side effects. If your system has not developed any undesired reactions in the first few days of starting your treatment, the dosages are increased to 50 mg as a single dose each day.
Most people respond well to dosages that hover at 50 mg each day. In some instances, users may not show much progress at such dosage levels. So, caregiving teams may increase dosages gradually to higher strengths. However, the maximum dosage strength administered within a day is maintained at 200 mg, and this level is never breached. You also need to know that the half-life of key chemicals used in sertraline is 24 hours. Owing to this half-life, alterations in dosages are never made in less than 7 days’ time.
In case of children living with obsessive compulsive disorder, the dosage is always maintained at 25 mg; which is given as a single dose per day. However, this dose is largely prescribed for children in the age group of 7 to 13 years. In case of slightly older children – i.e., those aged between 14 to 17 years, the dosage can be gradually increased to 50 mg every day.
Maintenance dosage of sertraline
Intense as well as chronic episodes of mental problems such as OCD may require a long term medication plan. In such cases, the dosage strength may vary from 25 to 200 mg. The initial doses are maintained at 25 mg and during the course of time, the strength is increased steadily to higher levels. In such long-term treatment plans, the mean dosage value is around 65 to 70 mg each day.
Precautions associated with the intake of sertraline
It is important to tell your treating physician about the drugs you are already taking as well as treatment plans that you are currently pursuing. Your caregiver will need a list of all such drugs; while making this list, care to include over the counter meds, prescription drugs, proteins, minerals or vitamin supplements, herbal drugs as well as dietary aids. Once you have shared this list, never make changes to it i.e., without telling your treating doctor.
Those living with liver conditions such as cirrhosis or hepatitis (inflammation of liver) need to inform about such prior conditions to their caregiving team. Also, women who are pregnant need to be watchful while consuming SSRIs (as well as SNRIs, serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor drugs). This caution is needed as new born babies (born to women who used such drugs during advanced stages of their pregnancy) required breathing support, medium to long term care in a healthcare setting as well as developed a few feeding problems (necessitating tube feeding).
Guidance and supervision is needed while you are discontinuing the intake of sertraline. This is because an abrupt stop of this medication plan may trigger a few withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms show up in the form of sleeping difficulties, tremors or shaking, eating problems, etc. Your treating physician will taper the last few days’ doses to a minimum to prevent most of the aforesaid symptoms from showing up.
In sum, drugs such as sertraline are categorized under selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) meds. These are used for the management and treatment of phobias, depression as well as anxieties. It helps strike the right balance of neuro-transmitting substances and thus ensures better sleep cycles as well as normal appetite levels. Safe dosage for mental conditions ranges from 25 to 200 mg, depending on your mental condition and a few other factors. It is hence a good practice to consult with your treating doctor to know more on the safe dosage levels of sertraline.