What safety measures should you take when your child is using this medicine?
This medicine may cause your child to be less alert. Watch your child's activities closely until you see how sertraline affects them. You may also have your child avoid tasks that require alertness, such as riding a bicycle, rollerblading and contact sports. These side effects typically go away over time as your child’s body gets used to the medication.
Your child can get sunburned more easily. Avoid lots of sun, sunlamps and tanning beds. Use sunscreen, dress your child in protective clothing and encourage them to wear sunglasses.
Do not stop sertraline suddenly until you have talked to your child's health-care provider first. The prescriber may want to slowly decrease the dose of sertraline before stopping to prevent withdrawal symptoms (such as nausea, restlessness, trouble sleeping, sweating, dizziness, pins and needles feeling in hands or feet).
There are some medicines that should not be taken together with sertraline, or, in some cases, the dose of sertraline or the other medicine may need to be adjusted, or extra care should be taken to monitor for side effects. It is important that you tell your child’s health-care provider if your child takes any other medications (prescription, over the counter or herbal) including but not limited to:
- non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs commonly sold as over-the-counter pain and fever medicines (ibuprofen, naproxen or aspirin/ASA); these can increase the likelihood of bleeding if taken regularly and/or at high doses
- St. John’s Wort
- tricyclic antidepressants (such as amitriptyline, nortriptyline or imipramine)
- MAO-I type antidepressants (such as tranylcypromine, selegiline)
- tryptophan
- triptans to treat migraines (such as sumatriptan, naratriptan or rizatriptan)
- dextromethorphan, a common ingredient in cough and cold medicines
- blood thinners (such as warfarin)
- tramadol
