Sertraline (known under the trade names Zoloft and Lustral) is an
antidepressant of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor class. It
was introduced to the market by Pfizer in 1991. Sertraline is
primarily used to treat clinical depression in adult outpatients as
well as obsessive-compulsive, panic and social anxiety disorders in
both adults and children. In 2007 it was the most prescribed
antidepressant on the U.S. retail market. The efficacy of sertraline
for depression is similar to that of older tricyclic antidepressants,
but its side effects are much less pronounced. Differences with newer
antidepressants are subtler and also mostly confined to side effects.
Evidence suggests that sertraline may work better than fluoxetine
(Prozac) for some subtypes of depression. Sertraline is highly
effective for the treatment of panic disorder but is inferior to
cognitive behavioral therapy when applied to obsessive-compulsive
disorder. Sertraline shares the common side effects and
contraindications of other SSRIs, with high rates of nausea, diarrhea,
insomnia, and sexual side effects; however, it does not cause weight
gain, and its effects on cognition are mild.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sertraline
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1523:
Gustav Vasa became King of Sweden, marking the end of the Kalmar
Union.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_I_of_Sweden)
1683:
Oxford University's Ashmolean Museum, the world's first university
museum, opened.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashmolean_Museum)
1933:
The first ever drive-in theater opened in Pennsauken, New Jersey,
United States.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/drive-in_theater)
1944:
World War II: The Invasion of Normandy, the largest amphibious
military operation in history, began with Allied troops landing on the
beaches of Normandy in France.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_Normandy)
1982:
A war in Lebanon began when Israeli forces invaded southern Lebanon
to root out members of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1982_Lebanon_War)
2005:
The U.S. Supreme Court delivered its landmark legal decision in
Gonzales v. Raich, allowing the U.S. Congress to ban medical marijuana
even in states that approve its use.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gonzales_v._Raich)
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Wiktionary's Word of the day:
Ucalegon: (dated) A neighbor whose house is on fire or has burned
down.
(
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Ucalegon)
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Wikiquote of the day:
I can be forced to live without happiness, but I will never consent to
live without honor.
-- Pierre Corneille
(
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Pierre_Corneille)