Before taking sertraline,
tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to sertraline, any other medications, or any of the ingredients in sertraline preparations. Before taking sertraline liquid concentrate, tell your doctor if you are allergic to latex. Ask your pharmacist for a list of the ingredients.
tell your doctor if you are taking monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors including isocarboxazid (Marplan), linezolid (Zyvox), methylene blue, phenelzine (Nardil), selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam, Zelapar), and tranylcypromine (Parnate), or have stopped taking them within the past 2 weeks, or if you are taking pimozide (Orap). Your doctor will probably tell you not to take sertraline. If you stop taking sertraline, you should wait at least 2 weeks before you start to take an MAO inhibitor.
do not take disulfiram (Antabuse) while taking sertraline oral concentrate.
tell your doctor and pharmacist what other prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you are taking or plan to take. Be sure to mention any of the following: amphetamines; anticoagulants ('blood thinners') such as warfarin (Coumadin, Jantoven) and heparin; aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn); atomoxetine (Straterra); buspirone, clopidogrel (Plavix), dextromethorphan (found in many cough medications; in Nuedexta); diazepam (Valium), fentanyl (Actiq, Duragesic, Fentora), fosphenytoin (Cerebyx), lithium ( Lithobid); medications for anxiety, mental illness, Parkinson's disease, and seizures; medications for irregular heartbeat such as flecainide (Tambocor) and propafenone (Rythmol); metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol XL); medications for migraine headaches such as almotriptan (Axert), eletriptan (Relpax), frovatriptan (Frova), naratriptan (Amerge), rizatriptan (Maxalt), sumatriptan (Imitrex), and zolmitriptan (Zomig); nebivolol (Bystolic, in Byvalson); perphenazine; phenytoin (Dilantin, Phenytek); sedatives; sibutramine (Meridia); sleeping pills; other selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors such as citalopram (Celexa), fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem, Selfemra), or fluvoxamine (Luvox); serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRI) medications desvenlafaxine (Khedezla, Pristiq), duloxetine (Cymbalta), levomilnacipran (Fetzima), and venlafaxine; thoridazine, tolterodine (Detrol), tramadol (Conzip, Ultram), tranquilizers, or tricyclic antidepressants ('mood elevators') such as desipramine (Norpramin) or protriptyline (Vivactil). Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medications or monitor you carefully for side effects.
tell your doctor what herbal products and nutritional supplements you are taking, especially St. John's wort and tryptophan.
tell your doctor if you have recently had a heart attack or if you have a low level of sodium in your blood and if you have or have ever had seizures or liver or heart disease.
tell your doctor if you are pregnant, especially if you are in the last few months of your pregnancy, or if you plan to become pregnant or are breastfeeding. If you become pregnant while taking sertraline, call your doctor. Sertraline may cause problems in newborns following delivery if it is taken during the last months of pregnancy.
you should know that sertraline may make you drowsy. Do not drive a car or operate machinery until you know how this medication affects you.
ask your doctor about the safe use of alcoholic beverages while you are taking sertraline.
you should know that sertraline may cause angle-closure glaucoma (a condition where the fluid is suddenly blocked and unable to flow out of the eye causing a quick, severe increase in eye pressure which may lead to a loss of vision). Talk to your doctor about having an eye examination before you start taking this medication. If you have nausea, eye pain, changes in vision, such as seeing colored rings around lights, and swelling or redness in or around the eye, call your doctor or get emergency medical treatment right away.