Sertraline versus other antidepressive agents for depression
Sertraline causes diarrhoea more often than similar antidepressants - if that happens to me, how long does it usually last and when should we switch?
Top of the evidence hierarchy, independently funded. how we score evidence
Caveat on this rating: Many of the included trials were sponsored by sertraline's manufacturer; the review authors ran sensitivity analyses excluding manufacturer-funded studies.
Pooling 59 randomised trials (about 10,000 people), sertraline had a small effectiveness edge over fluoxetine and was better tolerated than several older antidepressants, though it caused diarrhoea more often than comparator drugs.
Worth asking
Sertraline causes diarrhoea more often than similar antidepressants - if that happens to me, how long does it usually last and when should we switch?
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
Sertraline versus other antidepressive agents for depression — Cipriani A, et al. (2010)
Top-tier peer-reviewed journal
Read the source: https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD006117.pub4
DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD006117.pub4
How this was scored
- Study design
- Meta-analysis of randomised trials
- Funding
- No external funding
- Published in
- Top-tier peer-reviewed journal
- Sample size
- 10,000
- 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: Many of the included trials were sponsored by sertraline's manufacturer; the review authors ran sensitivity analyses excluding manufacturer-funded studies. 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?
Sertraline versus other antidepressive agents for depression — Cipriani A, et al. (2010). Published in: Top-tier peer-reviewed journal. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD006117.pub4. 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: No external funding. 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.