Zoloft side effects can make life unpredictable and even miserable. ATMC is not anti-medication, but we ARE proponents of safe and proper care. Nearly 80% of our clients do better off antidepressant drugs than they did while taking them. That tells you something important.
Observably, the hyper-focus on drug treatment as therapeutic or curative has seen lackluster results at best. If a company made cars that didn’t run half the time, who would buy them? Perhaps it’s time for a new approach. Want to learn more? Watch Lyle’s video below and read more about how we address original symptoms, Zoloft side effects, and safe medication cessation.
Tired of compromising your health?
When ATMC started, nearly 2 decades ago, we knew we were on the right track, and our high rates of success over years of service have verified that to be the case. In a serene, social setting, we offer the very best in care for persons seeking to recover from troubling symptoms, safely taper off medications, and remain drug-free. Exhaustively searching out the root causes for symptoms is a brand new concept that we are pleased to see emerging more frequently in the medical community. We are leaders in this field and we would encourage you to read further, to see how we could help you or a loved one regain your natural mental health.
15 Years Experience by Professionals Who Understand Your Journey.
Zoloft (generic sertraline) has been around for a few decades, long enough to tabulate quite a number of troubling side effects associated with this SSRI medication. The FDA has approved prescribing Zoloft for depression plus a number of other reasons, including post traumatic stress disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and social anxiety disorder. Many off-label uses have been reported as well, of particular concern in the elderly population where over-prescribing has become rampant in some areas.
At the very least, prescribing Zoloft to treat such a wide range of symptoms has provided a wealth of information about the Zoloft side effects that have been reported since 1991, when the drug first appeared on the market.1-13,19
Known Zoloft side effects can include:
Increased suicidality, ideation and behavior
Akathisia
Severe rashes, skin eruptions, Stevens-Johnson syndrome
Hallucinations
Serotonin syndrome (fever, muscle rigidity, confusion, agitated delirium, coma, and can be fatal)
Birth defects and medical difficulties in newborns, requiring hospitalization
Abnormal fluid retention, especially critical in the elderly
Abnormal bleeding, suppression of platelet formation
Sexual side effects, impotence, inability to reach orgasm, menstrual-related issues
Impulsive thoughts/behaviors, acting without thinking
Homicidal thoughts/behavior
Confusion
Fatigue, abnormal sleepiness
Memory impairment
Dizziness
Syncope (fainting or passing out)
Dry mouth, runny nose, nosebleeds
Low sodium levels
Diarrhea
Nausea
Dyspepsia (pain in upper abdomen)
Indigestion
Decreased appetite
Excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis)
As each person is a unique package made up of personal health history, genetics, dietary habits, environmental and other factors, the side effects that one person may experience could well differ in another person. Some people report their symptoms follow a cyclic or repeating pattern, and others experience wild shifts from one day to the next. Symptoms may start out mild at first and then intensify. The characteristics of adverse reactions may change over time, developing into a set of difficulties that no-one could ever have predicted. Some are so debilitating that they don’t know how to describe them.
There is a portal where you can report your adverse reactions so that this information can help medical researchers and drug regulators to better understand the effects of pharmaceutical products and make them safer for everyone in the future. It costs nothing to report your experience to FAERS, but the information may prove invaluable to others in the future.
Potential Drug Interactions
Polypharmacy (multiple prescription drugs used in treatment) has become commonplace. Often, when one antidepressant doesn’t work, multiple antidepressants will be prescribed, and when even this combination doesn’t work, antipsychotics will be added to the patient’s daily regimen.
There is another set of side effects when taking Zoloft at the same time or within a 14-day time frame as other medications. Below are some of the drug interactions listed on the drug’s label or elsewhere as noted.4,5,7,14-17
MAOIs like methylene blue, linezolid, etc. can result in serotonin syndrome 4,7
Taking other SSRIs and SNRIs at the same time is also associated with serotonin syndrome and other side effects such as increasing or decreasing their effects, altering their metabolism, and more.
Fentanyl
Tryptophan
St John’s Wort
Lithium
Tramadol
Diazepam (Valium)
Anticoagulants, antiplatelets, including aspirin, warfarin and others, may increase risk of bleeding
Pimozide may trigger cardiac events
Many drugs may affect the metabolism of sertraline, and conversely, sertraline may affect the metabolism of other drugs
Rat studies have been cited to justify that mixing antidepressants and antipsychotics is safe, however, adverse cardiac and other side effects on humans have been documented14-16
Typically, prescribing an SSRI like Zoloft is considered the recommended first-line treatment for depression. Since this practice is so common, please be sure to always inform your prescriber of any other substances or medications you are taking concurrently so that adverse Zoloft side effects from drug interactions can be prevented.
And for your own safety, try to find a physician who is familiar with these data points, because most doctors do not receive such training in medical school. As there is generally a lack of clinical studies on many drug interactions, it is not recommended to experiment when the risk of poor outcomes remains unpredictable, and underappreciated.
Assessing the Risks vs Benefits of SSRIs
More than 20 years ago, reports published in the British Medical Journal reported on concerns about the risks of SSRIs, and welcomed the FDA’s upcoming 2004 review of the risks and side effects of Zoloft and other SSRI antidepressants.18
Since that time, a black box for suicidality has been mandated on the packaging. But the controversy has continued to battle on, with the drug manufacturers attempts to convince the drug regulators that their products are safe and low-risk, and concerned health professionals trying to get the warning bells ringing.
Millions of prescriptions of Zoloft have been filled and many people take SSRIs daily. But the person who needs to be listened to is the individual who is taking the drug and is suffering Zoloft side effects. That is the person who needs help and there is no controversy about that. Where the risks have outweighed the benefits, that is an opportunity where drug-free alternative treatments can provide hope and relief.
The days of false hope and lackluster or worse results can be over. What needs to happen is the roots of the problematic symptoms must be investigated, and when discovered, real and authentic healing can begin.
Your Symptoms are Real
There is no doubt that symptoms are real. And simply not treating the situation is not a viable option. But the option that is not offered in 99% of all cases may be the one that works for you. And that is the option of drug-free alternative treatments for symptoms like depression, anxiety, insomnia, pain, and all the other symptoms that Zoloft is prescribed to treat.
If you are like many others, drugs could have numbed or masked your symptoms effectively, for a time. But drugs like SSRIs stop working over time in many cases, and commonly they begin to introduce other ruinous symptoms. A quick prescription gets a lot of patients in and out of the clinics, but in the long run, this is not a good trade-off. No actual healing has occurred.
That is where drug-free alternative treatments for symptoms play an important role. If you are already taking Zoloft, in the predicament of suffering Zoloft side effects, and want to safely stop taking it, ATMC offers a pathway of treatment that blends alternatives with ultra-safe, slow tapering and a wide range of strategies and tools to soften the withdrawals while tapering. Holistic detox is key to remove not only drug residues, but removing neurotoxic overload that could have something to do with your original symptoms as well.
Find Relief of Symptoms Without Zoloft Side Effects
It is possible to find relief for your original symptoms without resorting to pharmaceutical drugs whose efficacy is limited at best. For real healing, one can find better outcomes by working with professionals who take the time to investigate underlying causes for symptoms. Once the root causes are established, these can be addressed. Symptoms can be reduced and even eliminated effectively, and drug-free strategies can provide permanent relief that does not bring with it all the liabilities connected with pharmaceutical drugs. You can find out more about the strategies and tools we use on our services overview pages.
Resources that May Help You
We are pleased to see a new wave of medical practitioners who are not only extremely well-informed in traditional medicine, but deeply vested in the alternatives that are science-backed, and proven effective in the health care of others that is entrusted to them. If coming to an inpatient facility is not possible for you at this critical time, you can may find the help you need through ACAM.org or IMMH.org. or reading the excellent research of leaders in their fields of expertise such as Dr. Peter Breggin, Dr. Mark Horowitz, Dr. Hyla Cass, Dr. Heath Ashton, and many, many others.
ATMC Inpatient Programs
ATMC offers an inpatient treatment approach that is second-to-none in the level of care, and the excellence in our staff who are dedicated to your comfort, well-being and recovery. Please reach out to us for more information on how to come to the center and get the tools and strategies you need to get your life back in order. You can be free of symptoms, free of Zoloft side effects, and free from failed treatments of the past. This is our specialty. An inpatient treatment facility like ATMC may be the best and safest way to achieve your wellness goals. We know what works, and we’ve seen what doesn’t, and we want to ensure you get the level of care that you or your loved one truly needs. Please reach out to us for more information. We are here to help.
Success Story
In the 3 years prior to coming to ATMC, I had been in and out of treatment and put on various different medications for anxiety and depression. Upon arriving at ATMC, I was on Zoloft, Risperidone, Cogentin, and Geodon; medications which had left me feeling sedated and hopeless, unable to manage my life. My anxiety was terrible, and I spent my days wavering in and out of depression. I had cried so many tears, my life had fallen apart so many times, and the judgmental eye of doctors had convinced me that there was something wrong with me. Meanwhile, I was spiritually broken. I was lost and I was tired.
ATMC truly gave me a new lease on life and was a place where real healing could be done. During my two months at ATMC I tapered off almost all of my meds with no side effects. The supplements provided to me helped tremendously with my symptoms, which I could not have foreseen. I had energy again! Actually more than ever! And I discovered a will to live life which is now so strong.
The staff were overwhelmingly friendly, conscientious, and openhearted. Frankly, their kindness and manner were inspirational. From day one they took me in with open arms and provided a safe environment for me to process past trauma, learn how to relieve symptoms, grow spiritually, and gave me real insight and hope into my future. For the first time in so long, life seemed so beautiful and I was no longer in pain, waiting for an answer. ~ C.G., graduate
6. Jannini TB, Lorenzo GD, Bianciardi E, Niolu C, Toscano M, Ciocca G, Jannini EA, Siracusano A. Off-label Uses of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs). Curr Neuropharmacol. 2022;20(4):693-712. doi: 10.2174/1570159X19666210517150418. PMID: 33998993; PMCID: PMC9878961. [cited 2025 July 10]<
7. Simon LV, Torrico TJ, Keenaghan M. Serotonin Syndrome. [Updated 2024 Mar 2]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482377/ [cited 2025 July 10]
17. Edinoff AN, Akuly HA, Hanna TA, Ochoa CO, Patti SJ, Ghaffar YA, Kaye AD, Viswanath O, Urits I, Boyer AG, Cornett EM, Kaye AM. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors and Adverse Effects: A Narrative Review. Neurol Int. 2021 Aug 5;13(3):387-401. doi: 10.3390/neurolint13030038. PMID: 34449705; PMCID: PMC8395812. [cited 2025 July 10]
This content has been reviewed and approved by a licensed physician.
Dr. Samuel Lee
Dr. Samuel Lee is a board-certified psychiatrist, specializing in a spiritually-based mental health discipline and integrative approaches. He graduated with an MD at Loma Linda University School of Medicine and did a residency in psychiatry at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. He has also been an inpatient adult psychiatrist at Kaweah Delta Mental Health Hospital and the primary attending geriatric psychiatrist at the Auerbach Inpatient Psychiatric Jewish Home Hospital. In addition, he served as the general adult outpatient psychiatrist at Kaiser Permanente. He is board-certified in psychiatry and neurology and has a B.A. Magna Cum Laude in Religion from Pacific Union College. His specialty is in natural healing techniques that promote the body’s innate ability to heal itself.
Diane is an avid supporter and researcher of natural mental health strategies. Diane received her medical writing and science communication certification through Stanford University and has published over 3 million words on the topics of holistic health, addiction, recovery, and alternative medicine. She has proudly worked with the Alternative to Meds Center since its inception and is grateful for the opportunity to help the founding members develop this world-class center that has helped so many thousands regain natural mental health.
Medical Disclaimer: Nothing on this Website is intended to be taken as medical advice. The information provided on the website is intended to encourage, not replace, direct patient-health professional relationships. Always consult with your doctor before altering your medications. Adding nutritional supplements may alter the effect of medication. Any medication changes should be done only after proper evaluation and under medical supervision.
Our Success Stories
Medication Withdrawal Success Stories
Can you imagine being free from medications, addictive drugs, and alcohol? This is our goal and we are proving it is possible every day!
MAOIs like methylene blue, linezolid, etc. can result in serotonin syndrome 4,7
There is no doubt that symptoms are real. And simply not treating the situation is not a viable option. But the option that is not offered in 99% of all cases may be the one that works for you. And that is the option of drug-free alternative treatments for symptoms like depression, anxiety, insomnia, pain, and all the other symptoms that Zoloft is prescribed to treat.
I had cried so many tears, my life had fallen apart so many times, and the judgmental eye of doctors had convinced me that there was something wrong with me. Meanwhile, I was spiritually broken. I was lost and I was tired.
