Sertraline is one of the most common antidepressants. It belongs to the group of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors -that is, it increases its levels- and is usually prescribed in various clinical conditions related to mental health.
Especially, it is recommended in cases of depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic attacks, post-traumatic stress disorder and social anxiety disorder and is usually taken once a day orally.
Es one of the most common antidepressants but, as with any medicine, a series of contraindications that can affect us must be taken into account.
These range from its incompatibility with other medications to possible side effects that can cause various ailments.
Between them, nausea, diarrhea or constipationsleep problems, dry mouth, heartburn, weight changes, loss of appetite, headache or excessive tiredness, among others.
To all of them, we must add a new side effect that has alarmed the medical community since its publication in recent studies collected by the journal ‘Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences’: the resistance of antidepressants to antibiotics.
The E.coli bacterium, tested
The report collected in the aforementioned publication tested the responses of the E.coli bacteria to its contact with commonly used antidepressants such as sertraline.
Bacteria feel attacked and stressed and accelerate their usual rate of mutations to deal with threats, which is why they end up developing resistance to antibiotics.
Sertraline, escitalopram, bupropion, duloxetine, and agomelatine, common antidepressants, were used in the study with similar results in all of them before the examined bacteria, especially in the case of duloxetine and sertraline.
In the case of the latter, it only took one day of intake to verify the adverse effects and its resistance to antibiotic action.