[fredch]

"Cannot stop" is kind of strong. More like "have nasty side effects while tapering off and puss out".

Having been on the Zoloft,I can say is got a black box warning for a reason and should only be taken if you're seriously in danger of self harm.

Shrinks like it because it keeps people coming back. People like it because they're not willing to confront their real problems and want something to numb themselves out.

Just say "No!".

[stordoff]

As someone currently on a somewhat high dose of sertraline (100mg b.d.), "numb themselves out" feels like an odd descriptor to use. That seems more like a benzodiazapine-class drug, and certainly doesn't match my experiences (it makes me more prone to insomnia, which I would not associate with a numbing agent) and wouldn't be otherwise be enjoyable/desirable but for the fact that it treats real problems (for me, OCD and anxiety disorder).

> Just say "No!"

They are probably over-prescribed, but a blanket "No!" ignores the cases where they do work, and provide a significant increase in quality of life.

[markroseman]

Some people do get what they'd describe as emotional numbing. Think of it as a decreased range of emotion. Sertraline has a relatively higher incidence of this than other SxRI's

[leetcrew]

> "Cannot stop" is kind of strong. More like "have nasty side effects while tapering off and puss out".

sure, but you can make the same point about any drugs that people develop physical dependencies on. aside from alcohol and benzodiazepines, you will survive. antidepressant withdrawal varies a lot from person to person though. the brain zaps can definitely be severe enough that it becomes unsafe to drive a car, for instance.

> Just say "No!".

this I can certainly agree with, for all but the most severe cases. it's almost never worth the common side effects, let alone the rare ones.

[ionised]

If you are in danger of self-harm, it is already too late for Zoloft.