I have researched Zoloft (sertraline) and several other drugs that work against anxiety and social anxiety extensively before getting on it. I was compulsively obsessive about finding information about a drug to help me with my compulsive obsessiveness.
In my research, I found that Zoloft in particular is unlike the like the other so-called SSRIs in several important areas.
- Unlike Paxil, Prozac, and Lexapro, it does not contain the element fluorine, which is controversial for supposedly causing negative psychological and physical symptoms such as thyroid disorder.
- Unlike those medications, it inhibits dopamine, thereby raising dopamine levels. Those other medications reduce dopamine levels.
- Compared to Paxil, Prozac, Lexapro and others, it does not have as strong a sedative effect.*
- Unlike Paxil, Prozac, Lexapro and others, it does not reduce your attention span or verbal recall.
* Zoloft (to sound like a commercial here) is not for everyone, however. It can be stimulating rather than sedating, when one may want to be sedated, and, moreover, in some individuals can actually increase anxiety and even trigger manic episodes leading to a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Also, it does not affect norepinephrine like Paxil does, and so may not have the effects that would bring.
In conclusion, there are some factors worth considering that make Zoloft different from the other SSRIs. Zoloft is not something I necessarily recommend over any other drug, because everyone responds differently. Your doctor may have even told you that all the SSRIs work the same way. Well, with what I have found by research, this is not entirely the case when it comes to Zoloft or any of the other SSRIs. They each have their own slight quirks in how they function and what side effects they produce that are worth looking into. (especially if you are mildly ocd, hehe).
16 Mar 2008, 9:39 pm
