Sisalon 50 Special Precautions

Serotonin Syndrome (SS) or Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome (NMS): The development of potentially life-threatening syndromes like serotonin syndrome (SS) or Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome (NMS) has been reported with SSRIs, including treatment with sertraline. The risk of SS or NMS with SSRIs is increased with concomitant use of other serotonergic drugs (including triptans), with drugs which impair metabolism of serotonin (including MAOIs), antipsychotics and other dopamine antagonists, and with opiate drugs. Patients should be monitored for the emergence of signs and symptoms of SS or NMS syndrome.
Switching from Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), antidepressants or anti-obsessional drugs: There is limited controlled experience regarding the optimal timing of switching from SSRIs, antidepressants or anti-obsessional drugs to sertraline. Care and prudent medical judgment should be exercised when switching, particularly from long-acting agents such as fluoxetine.
Other serotonergic drugs e.g. tryptophan, fenfluramine and 5-HT agonists: Co-administration of sertraline with other drugs which enhance the effects of serotonergic neurotransmission such as tryptophan or fenfluramine or 5-HT agonists, or the herbal medicine, St John's Wort (hypericum perforatum), should be undertaken with caution and avoided whenever possible due to the potential for a pharmacodynamic interaction.
Activation of hypomania or mania: Manic/hypomanic symptoms have been reported to emerge in a small proportion of patients treated with marketed antidepressant and antiobsessional drugs, including sertraline. Therefore sertraline should be used with caution in patients with a history of mania/hypomania. Close surveillance by the physician is required. Sertraline should be discontinued in any patient entering a manic phase.
Schizophrenia: Psychotic symptoms might become aggravated in schizophrenic patients.
Seizures: Seizures may occur with sertraline therapy: sertraline should be avoided in patients with unstable epilepsy and patients with controlled epilepsy should be carefully monitored. Sertraline should be discontinued in any patient who develops seizures.
Suicide/suicidal thoughts/suicide attempts or clinical worsening: Depression is associated with an increased risk of suicidal thoughts, self harm and suicide (suicide-related events). This risk persists until significant remission occurs. As improvement may not occur during the first few weeks or more of treatment, patients should be closely monitored until such improvement occurs. It is general clinical experience that the risk of suicide may increase in the early stages of recovery.
Other psychiatric conditions, for which sertraline is prescribed, can also be associated with an increased risk of suicide-related events. In addition, these conditions may be co-morbid with major depressive disorder. The same precautions observed when treating patients with major depressive disorder should therefore be observed when treating patients with other psychiatric disorders.
Patients with a history of suicide-related events, or those exhibiting a significant degree of suicidal ideation prior to commencement of treatment are known to be at greater risk of suicidal thoughts or suicide attempts, and should receive careful monitoring during treatment.
Close supervision of patients and in particular those at high risk should accompany drug therapy especially in early treatment and following dose changes. Patients (and caregivers of patients) should be alerted about the need to monitor for any clinical worsening, suicidal behavior or thoughts and unusual changes in behavior and to seek medical advice immediately if these symptoms present.
Abnormal bleeding/Hemorrhage: There have been reports of bleeding abnormalities such as ecchymoses and purpura and other hemorrhagic events such as gastrointestinal or gynecological bleeding, with SSRIs. Caution is advised in patients taking SSRIs, particularly in concomitant use with drugs known to affect platelet function (e.g. anticoagulants, atypical antipsychotics and phenothiazines, most tricyclic antidepressants, acetylsalicylic acid and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)) as well as in patients with a history of bleeding disorders.
Hyponatraemia: Hyponatraemia may occur as a result of treatment with SSRIs or SNRIs including sertraline. In many cases, hyponatraemia appears to be the result of a syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH). Cases of serum sodium levels lower than 110 mmol/l have been reported.
Elderly patients may be at greater risk of developing hyponatraemia with SSRIs and SNRIs. Also patients taking diuretics or who are otherwise volume-depleted may be at greater risk. Discontinuation of sertraline should be considered in patients with symptomatic hyponatraemia and appropriate medical intervention should be instituted. Signs and symptoms of hyponatraemia include headache, difficulty concentrating, memory impairment, confusion, weakness and unsteadiness which may lead to falls. Signs and symptoms associated with more severe and/or acute cases have included hallucination, syncope, seizure, coma, respiratory arrest, and death.
Withdrawal symptoms seen on discontinuation of Sertraline treatment: Withdrawal symptoms when treatment is discontinued are common, particularly if discontinuation is abrupt.
The risk of withdrawal symptoms may be dependent on several factors including the duration and dose of therapy and the rate of dose reduction. Dizziness, sensory disturbances (including paraesthesia), sleep disturbances (including insomnia and intense dreams), agitation or anxiety, nausea and/or vomiting, tremor and headache are the most commonly reported reactions. Generally these symptoms are mild to moderate; however, in some patients they may be severe in intensity.
They usually occur within the first few days of discontinuing treatment, but there have been very rare reports of such symptoms in patients who have inadvertently missed a dose.
Generally these symptoms are self-limiting and usually resolve within 2 weeks, though in some individuals they may be prolonged (2-3 months or more). It is therefore advised that sertraline should be gradually tapered when discontinuing treatment over a period of several weeks or months, according to the patient's needs.
Akathisia/psychomotor restlessness: The use of sertraline has been associated with the development of akathisia, characterized by a subjectively unpleasant or distressing restlessness and need to move often accompanied by an inability to sit or stand still. This is most likely to occur within the first few weeks of treatment. In patients who develop these symptoms, increasing the dose may be detrimental.
Diabetes: In patients with diabetes, treatment with an SSRI may alter glycemic control, possibly due to improvement of depressive symptoms. Glycemic control should be carefully monitored in patients receiving sertraline and the dosage of insulin and/or concomitant oral hypoglycemic medicinal products may be need to be adjusted.
Electroconvulsive therapy: There are no clinical studies establishing the risks or benefits of the combined use of ECT and sertraline.
Effects to drive and use machines: Clinical pharmacology studies have shown that sertraline has no effect on psychomotor performance. However, as psychotropic drugs may impair the mental or physical abilities required for the performance of potentially hazardous tasks such as driving a car or operating machinery, the patient should be cautioned accordingly.
Hepatic impairment: Sertraline is extensively metabolized by the liver. The use of sertraline in patients with hepatic disease must be approached with caution. If sertraline is administered to patients with hepatic impairment, a lower or less frequent dose should be considered. Sertraline should not be used in patients with severe hepatic impairment.
Renal impairment: Sertraline is extensively metabolized, and excretion of unchanged drug in urine is a minor route of elimination. Sertraline dosing does not have to be adjusted based on the degree of renal impairment.
Use in Children: The safety and effectiveness of Sertraline in children have not been fully established.
Use in Elderly: SSRIs or SNRIs including sertraline have however been associated with cases of clinically significant hyponatremia in elderly patients, who may be at greater risk for this adverse event.