Indications & formulation #
Adult depression; separate starting schedules apply to panic, PTSD and social anxiety. This reference covers the selected formulation; other indications and products need their own evidence.
Dose reference #
Adult educational reference · Oral tablet · United States. The clinician selects treatment after assessment; this page does not calculate or change a prescription.
Adult MDD: start 50 mg/day. If needed, increase by 25–50 mg no more often than weekly; maximum 200 mg/day. Panic/PTSD/social anxiety start at 25 mg/day.
Contraindications & important cautions #
MAOIs and pimozide are contraindicated. Assess bleeding, hyponatraemia, activation and serotonin toxicity.
Selected important cautions; consult the full product information for all contraindications and warnings.
Adverse effects #
Gastrointestinal and sexual effects, activation, bleeding and hyponatraemia require context-specific review.
Interactions #
Review MAO inhibitors, other serotonergic agents, pimozide, bleeding-related combinations and relevant metabolic interactions.
Monitoring #
Track symptom/function change, activation, tolerability and adherence; consider hepatic impairment and susceptibility to hyponatraemia.
Special populations #
Mild hepatic impairment: halve starting and therapeutic doses. Moderate/severe hepatic impairment: not recommended. Renal adjustment is not required by this label.
Adult scope. Pregnancy, breastfeeding and pediatric use require the exact product’s population-specific guidance and individual assessment.
Discontinuation, restarting & counseling #
Reduce gradually, monitoring discontinuation symptoms and recurrence.
Condition-specific prescribing #
Additional indication-specific records retain their own formulation and source context.
Sertraline
Major depressive disorder
Adults · Immediate-release tablets · Oral · United States product labeling
- Starting dose
- 50 mg once daily.
- Titration
- Increase by 25–50 mg/day no more often than weekly, according to response and tolerability.
- Treatment range / target
- 50–200 mg/day.
- Maximum / limits
- 200 mg/day.
- Trial & duration
- Assess response and tolerability during the acute trial; maintenance duration is addressed below.
- Monitoring
- Activation, suicidality, sexual/GI effects; sodium when clinically indicated.
- Population & organ-function adjustments
- Mild hepatic impairment: halve starting and maximum doses. Moderate/severe hepatic impairment: not recommended. No renal adjustment in the cited label.
- Important cautions
- Avoid MAOI combinations and pimozide; assess serotonergic combinations and bleeding risk.
Open the condition treatment guide ↗
Sertraline
Panic disorder with or without agoraphobia
Adults · Immediate-release tablets · Oral · United States product labeling
- Starting dose
- 25 mg once daily for the first week; then 50 mg once daily.
- Titration
- Subsequent increases of 25–50 mg/day no more often than weekly, according to response and tolerability.
- Treatment range / target
- 50–200 mg/day.
- Maximum / limits
- 200 mg/day.
- Trial & duration
- Condition-specific trial and continuation guidance below.
- Monitoring
- Activation, mood switch, suicidality, gastrointestinal/sexual effects; sodium when indicated.
- Population & organ-function adjustments
- Mild hepatic impairment: half starting and maximum doses; moderate/severe hepatic impairment: not recommended.
- Important cautions
- Avoid MAOIs and pimozide; reconcile serotonergic and bleeding-related interactions.
Open the condition treatment guide ↗
Sertraline
Adult obsessive–compulsive disorder
Adults · Immediate-release tablets · Oral · United States product labeling
- Starting dose
- 50 mg once daily.
- Titration
- Subsequent increases of 25–50 mg/day no more often than weekly, according to response and tolerability.
- Treatment range / target
- 50–200 mg/day.
- Maximum / limits
- 200 mg/day.
- Trial & duration
- Condition-specific trial and continuation guidance below.
- Monitoring
- Activation, mood switch, suicidality, gastrointestinal/sexual effects; sodium when indicated.
- Population & organ-function adjustments
- Mild hepatic impairment: half starting and maximum doses; moderate/severe hepatic impairment: not recommended.
- Important cautions
- Avoid MAOIs and pimozide; reconcile serotonergic and bleeding-related interactions.
Open the condition treatment guide ↗
Sertraline
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Adults · Immediate-release tablets · Oral · United States product labeling
- Starting dose
- 25 mg once daily for the first week; then 50 mg once daily.
- Titration
- Subsequent increases of 25–50 mg/day no more often than weekly, according to response and tolerability.
- Treatment range / target
- 50–200 mg/day.
- Maximum / limits
- 200 mg/day.
- Trial & duration
- Condition-specific trial and continuation guidance below.
- Monitoring
- Activation, mood switch, suicidality, gastrointestinal/sexual effects; sodium when indicated.
- Population & organ-function adjustments
- Mild hepatic impairment: half starting and maximum doses; moderate/severe hepatic impairment: not recommended.
- Important cautions
- Avoid MAOIs and pimozide; reconcile serotonergic and bleeding-related interactions.
Open the condition treatment guide ↗
Sertraline
Social anxiety disorder
Adults · Immediate-release tablets · Oral · United States product labeling
- Starting dose
- 25 mg once daily for the first week; then 50 mg once daily.
- Titration
- Subsequent increases of 25–50 mg/day no more often than weekly, according to response and tolerability.
- Treatment range / target
- 50–200 mg/day.
- Maximum / limits
- 200 mg/day.
- Trial & duration
- Condition-specific trial and continuation guidance below.
- Monitoring
- Activation, mood switch, suicidality, gastrointestinal/sexual effects; sodium when indicated.
- Population & organ-function adjustments
- Mild hepatic impairment: half starting and maximum doses; moderate/severe hepatic impairment: not recommended.
- Important cautions
- Avoid MAOIs and pimozide; reconcile serotonergic and bleeding-related interactions.
Open the condition treatment guide ↗
Sertraline
Major depressive episode in the perinatal context, after assessment for bipolar disorder
Adults; pregnancy/lactation suitability assessed separately · Conventional tablet · Oral · US adult MDD label; perinatal positioning from Canadian guidance and UK breastfeeding advice
- Starting dose
- Adult MDD label: 50 mg once daily. This is not a pregnancy-specific dose schedule.
- Titration
- Increase by 25–50 mg/day no more often than once weekly according to response/tolerability.
- Treatment range / target
- 50–200 mg/day for adult MDD.
- Maximum / limits
- 200 mg/day in normal hepatic function.
- Trial & duration
- Continue according to the depressive course and relapse risk; reduce gradually when discontinuing.
- Monitoring
- Activation, suicidality, gastrointestinal/sexual effects, bleeding and sodium when indicated; observe the breastfed infant where applicable.
- Population & organ-function adjustments
- Mild hepatic impairment: halve starting and maximum doses. Moderate/severe hepatic impairment: not recommended by this label.
- Important cautions
- MAO inhibitors and other serotonergic medicines; assess maternal and infant factors separately from dose selection.
Brands & products #
Historical catalogue observations. Prices and catalogue presence do not establish current availability or Indian approval.
Reference coverage #
Structured summary of selected adult uses, not an exhaustive monograph. Indian product authorization and local prescribing requirements have not been reconciled.
References · 5
- Sertraline — Oral tablet — selected prescribing information · United States · Checked 2026-10-27 · Selected formulation: Oral tablet · Supports indications, dose, cautions, adverse effects, interactions, monitoring, special populations and stopping. Source sections: Indications and usage; Dosage and administration; Contraindications; warnings and precautions; Use in specific populations; patient counseling
- Sertraline tablets — product label, sections 2, 5 and 8 · United States · Checked 2026-10-26 · Supports: Sertraline — Major depressive disorder (Immediate-release tablets) · United States label · Checked 2026-10-26 · Supports: Sertraline — Panic disorder with or without agoraphobia (Immediate-release tablets); Sertraline — Adult obsessive–compulsive disorder (Immediate-release tablets); Sertraline — Post-traumatic stress disorder (Immediate-release tablets); Sertraline — Social anxiety disorder (Immediate-release tablets)
- DailyMed: Sertraline adult dosing and hepatic adjustments · United States label · Checked 2026-10-26 · Supports: Sertraline — Major depressive episode in the perinatal context, after assessment for bipolar disorder (Conventional tablet)
- CANMAT 2024 guideline: Perinatal mood, anxiety and related disorders · Canada · Checked 2026-10-26 · Supports: Sertraline — Major depressive episode in the perinatal context, after assessment for bipolar disorder (Conventional tablet)
- NHS SPS: SSRI antidepressants during breastfeeding · United Kingdom; full-term healthy infants · Checked 2026-10-26 · Supports: Sertraline — Major depressive episode in the perinatal context, after assessment for bipolar disorder (Conventional tablet)