PSA (antidepressants)
Oct. 3rd, 2007 01:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rushthatspeaksSo I've had this nasty sinus thing, and my housemate Thrud offered me some of her sinus medication. She has horrible chronic sinus and so keeps around a lot of fairly esoteric meds, in strengths she describes as 'omnipotent', 'godlike', and 'plaid'. I selected omnipotent, and went to look up the ingredients to see whether there would be any interactions with my antidepressants. And of course when you do this sort of thing you look up everything you've been taking, and I've been taking over-the-counter painkillers like whoa.
The sinus meds were fine. But I discovered-- and I hadn't had an inkling-- that naproxen sodium (most common brand name Aleve) is absolutely counterindicated for use in conjunction with sertraline (most common brand name Zoloft). Apparently in a not insignificant number of people the combination causes or aggravates bleeding ulcers in any number of places in the digestive system, and makes the ulcers hard to get under control.
Given that this is one of only three interactions of Zoloft with *anything* of which I am aware and the other two are with grapefruit juice and with Nutrasweet, and given that naproxen sodium is one of the most common over-the-counter painkillers, you'd think they'd have said something in the frickin' manual that came with the sertraline. But no.
This makes me very sad, as I use Aleve for everything-- it is, ironically enough, the only common painkiller that doesn't make me throw up. Also it works very well and doesn't have any side effects.
Except apparently huge uncontrollable bleeding ulcers, dammit.
Anyhow, persons out there who use Sertraline? Aleve = NO.
This has been a public service announcement.
I am so not switching pain meds until I'm over the sinus thing. Another few days can't do that much damage when I've already been using Aleve in conjunction with sertraline for about four years now. Right?
The sinus meds were fine. But I discovered-- and I hadn't had an inkling-- that naproxen sodium (most common brand name Aleve) is absolutely counterindicated for use in conjunction with sertraline (most common brand name Zoloft). Apparently in a not insignificant number of people the combination causes or aggravates bleeding ulcers in any number of places in the digestive system, and makes the ulcers hard to get under control.
Given that this is one of only three interactions of Zoloft with *anything* of which I am aware and the other two are with grapefruit juice and with Nutrasweet, and given that naproxen sodium is one of the most common over-the-counter painkillers, you'd think they'd have said something in the frickin' manual that came with the sertraline. But no.
This makes me very sad, as I use Aleve for everything-- it is, ironically enough, the only common painkiller that doesn't make me throw up. Also it works very well and doesn't have any side effects.
Except apparently huge uncontrollable bleeding ulcers, dammit.
Anyhow, persons out there who use Sertraline? Aleve = NO.
This has been a public service announcement.
I am so not switching pain meds until I'm over the sinus thing. Another few days can't do that much damage when I've already been using Aleve in conjunction with sertraline for about four years now. Right?
