Stimuloton - instructions, dosage, side effects, analogs

Antidepressant: Stimuloton

Active ingredient: Sertraline (sertraline)Analogs: Aleval, Asentra, Deprespult, Zoloft, Seralin, Serenata, Sirleft, Torin.

"Stimuloton" is an antidepressant that inhibits the reuptake of serotonin, with a minor effect on norepinephrine and dopamine. Does not cause neither stimulating, nor anticholinergic, nor sedative effect, and therefore has a minimal set of undesirable consequences. The undoubted advantages of this drug include a lack of influence on the growth of body weight, as well as the inability to develop medicinal physical or mental dependence. The positive effect of receiving "Stimuloton" is felt quite quickly: depressed people feel better by the end of the second week of the drug. To achieve maximum effect, you should take an antidepressant for at least one and a half months.

According to various studies, the drug received an overall efficacy estimate of 51.7 to 75%. At half of patients, thus, considerable improvements were observed, at 14,3% - moderate, at 21% - weak. Only in 14.7% of cases "Stimuloton" did not cause a positive therapeutic response. It was also found that the drug helps not only in dealing with acute depression, but also with dysthymia (the degree of efficacy is 53.8%). The best result of "Stimuloton" was shown in the therapy of melancholic, asthenic and anxious depression (67.8%). For hypochondriacal depression, the efficacy was slightly less pronounced - 43.6%. The drug shows fairly high results with depressions of any severity, from shallow to heavy.

"Stimuloton" is well tolerated by elderly patients without causing orthostatic collapse, changes in heart rate, and hypotension.

Indications for use:

- Treatment and prevention of depression of any etiology;
- Treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorders (abbreviation OCD);
- Treatment of panic disorders, including those accompanied by agoraphobia;
- Treatment of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).

Contraindications: Hypersensitivity to the components of the drug; unstable epilepsy; simultaneous administration of tryptophan, MAO inhibitors or fenfluramine. In addition, this antidepressant should not be used for the treatment of child patients (except OCD), as well as during pregnancy or lactation.

Dosage and administration:

In case of depression and OCD:

For adults, the initial dosage is 50 mg (taken once a day, regardless of the time of day). In the future (not earlier than a week), there is a smooth increase in the dose to a maximum of 200 mg / day. To achieve a well-marked improvement, it may take from 8 to 12 weeks. The maximum dose at which a positive effect was achieved is retained as a supporting dose.

Children with OCD (6-12 years) should begin treatment with 25 mg of "Stimuloton" per day. After a week, the dosage can be increased to 50 mg / day. Children aged 12-17 years are advisable to start from the dosing regimen for adults. However, after reaching a dose of 50 mg / day, it is necessary to increase the daily amount of the drug with greater caution because of the less body weight in the patient-children. Therefore, at the first signs of an overdose, you should cancel taking the drug.

For panic disorders and PTSD:

The initial dose is 25 mg / day. After a week, it is increased to 50 mg / day. If necessary, it is possible to increase the daily dosage to a maximum of 200 mg / day (in this case, it should take another week). As a rule, the therapeutic effect is noticeable within the first 7 days, however, in order to achieve a therapeutic effect in its entirety, it is necessary to continuously take "Stimuloton" for about 2-4 weeks.

For elderly patients no special dosing regimen is required. The same can be said about patients with impaired renal function. For people suffering from disorders of liver function, it is necessary to select a dose more accurately, increasing breaks between "Stimuloton" or reducing the amount of the drug.

Side Effects: As an antidepressant, the drug can cause effects that are indistinguishable from the symptoms of the disease itself (eg, agitation, anxiety). Among the most common side effects: dry mouth, changes in appetite, increased sweating, headache, dizziness, insomnia or, conversely, drowsiness.

Storage conditions: "Stimuloton" should be stored in a place inaccessible to children at a temperature regime of 15-25 ° C.

Terms of selling from pharmacies: "Stimuloton" is released on prescription.