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Antidepressants: Sertraline (Zoloft) for Teens

Author:
Hayley Snelling
Hayley Snelling
B.S. Psychology
Editor:
Emma Loker
Emma Loker
B.S.
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Do you feel overwhelmed, anxious, or down in the dumps more and more? If you’re a teen going through this, it can be difficult to know what to do. Mental health challenges are real, and for a lot of teens, medications like sertraline (commonly known as Zoloft) can be a key step in feeling better. 

This page is a teen-friendly and parents guide to Zoloft for teens. Whether you are thinking about taking medication to help you feel better, have already started taking sertraline, or want to understand a bit more about how it works, you’ll find clear and honest information here. 

We’ll cover how it works, what to expect, how to manage side effects, and answer some of the most common questions people have about Zoloft. No complex medical jargon, just the support and facts you’ll need to help you make a confident decision, so you can start to feel better. 

Sertraline (Zoloft) for Teens

What Is Zoloft and What Does It Treat in Teens?

Sertraline is a medication called a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor – SSRI for short. It’s a type of antidepressant and is often known by its trade name Zoloft. SSRIs work by balancing out a particular brain chemical called serotonin. 

Serotonin plays a huge role in managing your feelings, sleep, and appetite. People who feel depressed or anxious are thought to have much lower levels of serotonin than they should have, which is why balancing out the serotonin levels in your brain can help your mood.1

So, you know that sertraline is an SSRI and can help your mood, but what does Zoloft treat in teens? You’ll often hear Zoloft and teen anxiety in the same sentence because it is one of the most commonly prescribed medications for anxiety in children and teens. Zoloft is also used to treat depression, panic disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In particular, research shows that sertraline is very effective at helping children and teens cope with OCD.2

Is Zoloft Safe for Adolescents?

When you are thinking about taking Zoloft to help your mental health, one question that might pop into your mind is whether it is safe for teenagers to take it. That’s the question we’re going to tackle next. 

FDA Approval

Medication is usually safe to take as long as you follow the instructions in the packet or given to you by your doctor. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Zoloft for treating OCD in children and teens.3 This approval means that Zoloft has been trialed, researched, and meets strict safety and effectiveness criteria. 

You may notice that the FDA has only approved Zoloft in teens for OCD treatment. Some medications are not labeled as approved by the FDA for specific uses, but this doesn’t mean they aren’t safe or effective. When companies develop a new medication, they have to prove to the FDA that it is safe and effective for treating a specific problem in a specific group of patients. For example, children with OCD. Once the drug has been approved, it can also be prescribed for a different use or age group as “off-label”, such as for anxiety. 

Drug companies don’t always seek FDA approval for multiple uses of the same drug because the process is very expensive. However, there may be studies showing that the drug is safe and effective for use. So, although Zoloft is only FDA-approved in teens for OCD treatment, it is also one of the most commonly prescribed medications for teens with anxiety. 

Zoloft and Suicidal Thoughts in Adolescents

Zoloft comes with something called a ‘black box warning’, which is a bold warning printed on the medication with a black box around it. This warns patients that antidepressants can slightly increase the risk of suicidal thoughts in people under the age of 25 years. By including this warning, you’re able to keep a note of your symptoms and seek immediate help if you start thinking of suicide.3 

Seeing this warning for the first time can be scary, but remember that your doctor will have decided whether taking Zoloft is the best choice for you, and will have considered the risks and benefits when making this choice with you. 

Sertraline Side Effects on Teenagers

As well as the intended good effects on your mood and mental health, sertraline also comes with potential side effects. These are usually temporary, lasting a few weeks, and begin once you start taking the medication. 

It’s useful to know what side effects you might experience so that you can plan how to deal with them, especially as one in ten teens usually get side effects from SSRI medications.4 

Some of the most common side effects people get from Zoloft are:5

  • Nausea or being sick
  • Stomach issues such as diarrhea or constipation
  • Sleeping problems
  • Dry mouth
  • Loss of appetite
  • Fatigue
  • Weight loss
  • Headaches
  • Dizziness
  • Nervousness

Some of the less common side effects include suicidal thinking (as mentioned earlier), agitation, and something known as ‘emotional blunting’. This is where people can feel emotionally flat, as though their feelings are dulled or less intense. This can sometimes be described as emotional numbness on Zoloft in teens. This doesn’t mean that you won’t feel anything anymore, just that your feelings and emotions might feel less intense than usual. 

Remember to keep your doctor in the loop about any side effects you get so that they can help you cope with them better or make adjustments to your medication or dosage. 

What Happens When You Start Zoloft?

Starting Zoloft as a teen can be a great way to help you manage your anxiety, OCD, or depression. You likely won’t notice the positive effects straight away, and you may experience some initial side effects for the first couple of weeks. These tend to ease off as your body adjusts to the sertraline. 

How Long for Zoloft to Work in Teens

Sertraline takes about a week to reach a steady state in your body and brain because it takes a while to build up in your system.6 Some teens might start feeling the benefits within a couple of weeks, while it might take four to six weeks for others to feel the benefits, as everyone reacts slightly differently to medications. You might notice you feel less anxious and more focused, your mood has improved, and you feel more hopeful again. 

Zoloft Dosage for Teenagers

For teenagers using Zoloft to treat OCD, the starting dose is usually 50mg once a day.3 For other conditions, your doctor will usually decide the starting dose. Zoloft usually comes in tablet form, and it’s important to take it at the same time each day to keep a constant level of it in your body. 

Your doctor will keep a close eye on your progress so that they can make any adjustments to the dosage needed depending on how you are feeling. This is why it can be helpful to track your symptoms in a notebook or a phone app so that you can tell your doctor how you’ve been feeling and together find the best way to help you.

How to Stop Taking Zoloft Safely

When you feel ready to stop taking Zoloft, it’s important not to simply quit taking it. Suddenly stopping can increase the risk of experiencing withdrawal effects, which are temporary but unpleasant physical and psychological changes. You can reduce the risk and intensity of teen withdrawal from Zoloft by talking to your doctor and planning to reduce the dose of sertraline you take over several weeks. This lets your body and brain gradually get used to functioning with less of the medication than it’s used to. Withdrawal effects from Zoloft can include:7

  • Nausea
  • Upset stomach
  • Dizziness
  • Aches and pains
  • Insomnia
  • Anxiety
  • Brain ‘zaps’ – feelings like mini shocks or tingles

Some people might not notice any withdrawal effects, and other people might find them so difficult to put up with that they feel like they can’t come off of the sertraline. This is where your doctor can help you create a safe plan to minimize any withdrawal effects as much as possible. 

Frequently Asked Questions About Teens Taking Zoloft

Still have questions? Hopefully, we can answer them in this section, filled with some of the most commonly asked questions about taking Zoloft that we haven’t already answered on this page. 

“What Happens if a Teen Misses a Dose of Zoloft?”

The Zoloft medication leaflet says that if you miss a dose of Zoloft, take the missed dose as soon as you remember. However, if it’s nearly time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and take your next dose as normal.6

“How Long Will I Need to Take It For?”

You’ll want to take your medication for at least the first six weeks to see if you get the improvements you were hoping for. If it makes you feel better, you can keep taking it for several months or even longer term. It’s really a decision to be made between you and your doctor based on how you feel while taking them, and to decide when the right time is for you to stop taking them.

“Can Teens Outgrow the Need for Zoloft?”

Sometimes they can. Teens might have a brief episode of anxiety or depression which resolves itself in adulthood once their bodies and brains have finished developing, or if they have learned new skills for coping through therapy.8

“What if It Doesn’t Work?”

If taking Zoloft doesn’t bring you the benefits you hoped for, there are always other antidepressants available to try. 

“Zoloft vs Prozac for Teens - Which Is Better?”

Another SSRI commonly prescribed to teens is Prozac. While Zoloft and Prozac are both SSRIs, there are some key differences when it comes to FDA approval and side effects. Prozac is FDA-approved for treating Major Depressive Disorder and OCD in teens, whereas Zoloft is only FDA-approved for teens with OCD. Zoloft is also more likely to cause side effects related to the stomach than Prozac, like nausea and stomach upset, while Prozac is more likely to cause headaches and nervousness than Zoloft.9
Antidepressants: Sertraline (Zoloft) for Teens

Seek Support on Medication for Teen Mental Health

The teenage years can be a real struggle, so if you or your teen are finding it difficult to manage your mental health, know that you’re not alone. Mission Prep is here to support you whether you want to look at medication, therapy, lifestyle changes, or a combination. Our team of professionals is here to help you find the best route forward on your road to recovery. 

Mission Prep provides mental health treatments, including support for depression, that are tailored to your individual challenges. With treatment options ranging from 24/7 care and support to outpatient therapy, we have options to help you in exactly the way that you need. 

Reach out to us today at (866) 451-1973 to find out how we can help you heal and take control of your mental health.

References

  1. Miller, C. (2024, November 18). Medication for kids with depression. Child Mind Institute. https://childmind.org/article/medication-for-kids-with-depression/

  2. Tini, E., Smigielski, L., Romanos, M., Wewetzer, C., Karwautz, A., Reitzle, K., Correll, C. U., Plener, P. L., Malzahn, U., Heuschmann, P., Unterecker, S., Scherf-Clavel, M., Rock, H., Antony, G., Briegel, W., Fleischhaker, C., Banaschewski, T., Hellenschmidt, T., Imgart, H., … Walitza, S. (2022). Therapeutic drug monitoring of sertraline in children and adolescents: A naturalistic study with insights into the clinical response and treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 115, 152301. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2022.152301

  3. Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. (2018, February 5). Suicidality in children and adolescents being treated with antidepressant medications. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/postmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers/suicidality-children-and-adolescents-being-treated-antidepressant-medications

  4. American Academy of Pediatrics. (n.d.). Antidepressants side effects: Pediatric mental health minute series. https://www.aap.org/en/patient-care/mental-health-minute/antidepressants-side-effects/

  5. MedlinePlus. (n.d.). Sertraline: MedlinePlus drug information. https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a697048.html

  6. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2022). ZOLOFT (sertraline hydrochloride) [Label]. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2014/019839s080s083,020990s039s041lbl.pdf

  7. Schimelpfening, N. (2023, November 3). What to expect when weaning off Zoloft. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/tapering-off-zoloft-1067486

  8. Patton, G. C., Coffey, C., Romaniuk, H., Mackinnon, A., Carlin, J. B., Degenhardt, L., Olsson, C. A., & Moran, P. (2014). The prognosis of common mental disorders in adolescents: A 14-year prospective cohort study. The Lancet, 383(9926), 1404–1411. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(13)62116-9

  9. Comer, J. (2019, July 8). What are the differences between Prozac and Zoloft? Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325684

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