Comparative efficacy and acceptability of 21 antidepressant drugs for the acute treatment of adults with major…
Sertraline scored well on both effectiveness and tolerability in the largest antidepressant comparison ever done - is that part of why you chose it for me?
Top of the evidence hierarchy, independently funded. how we score evidence
Caveat on this rating: Publicly funded (NIHR and Japan Society for the Promotion of Science); some co-authors disclosed lecture or consultancy fees from drug manufacturers.
Across 522 randomised trials with 116,477 adults, every antidepressant beat placebo for major depression, and sertraline was among the drugs with a better combination of effectiveness and tolerability in direct head-to-head comparisons.
Worth asking
Sertraline scored well on both effectiveness and tolerability in the largest antidepressant comparison ever done - is that part of why you chose it for me?
What it is FDA approved for
Read off the label. Trial duration and approval year are shown only where they were recorded — never inferred.
- Major depressive disorder
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (adults and pediatric patients 6-17 years)
- Panic disorder
- Posttraumatic stress disorder
- Social anxiety disorder
- Premenstrual dysphoric disorder
Source
Comparative efficacy and acceptability of 21 antidepressant drugs for the acute treatment of adults with major depressive disorder: a systematic review and network meta-analysis — Cipriani A, et al. (2018)
Top-tier peer-reviewed journal
Read the source: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32802-7
DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32802-7
How this was scored
- Study design
- Meta-analysis of randomised trials
- Funding
- Independently funded
- Published in
- Top-tier peer-reviewed journal
- Sample size
- 116,477
- Preregistered
- Yes
- Conflicts disclosed
- Yes
- Independent of proponent
- Yes
- Retracted
- No
Read the full scoring rubric, including what it can't tell you.
Published August 19, 2026.
Questions
How strong is the evidence behind this?
Resolv rates this source "gold standard". Top of the evidence hierarchy, independently funded. It scores 100 out of 100 on our published rubric. One caveat travels with that badge: Publicly funded (NIHR and Japan Society for the Promotion of Science); some co-authors disclosed lecture or consultancy fees from drug manufacturers. The score is calculated from recorded facts about the source — study design, funding, publication venue, sample size, preregistration — not typed in by an editor.
What is the source for this?
Comparative efficacy and acceptability of 21 antidepressant drugs for the acute treatment of adults with major depressive disorder: a systematic review and network meta-analysis — Cipriani A, et al. (2018). Published in: Top-tier peer-reviewed journal. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32802-7. The full source is linked on this page so you can read it yourself.
Who paid for this research, and does that matter?
Study design: Meta-analysis of randomised trials. Funding: Independently funded. The researchers were independent of whoever benefits from the result. Industry sponsorship is one of the most reliably measured biases in medicine, which is why funding carries real weight in the score rather than sitting in a footnote.
Is sertraline (Zoloft), zoloft FDA approved?
Yes — FDA approved for Major depressive disorder, Obsessive-compulsive disorder (adults and pediatric patients 6-17 years), Panic disorder, Posttraumatic stress disorder, Social anxiety disorder, Premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Approval is for a specific indication, not for everything the drug is prescribed for.
Is this medical advice?
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.