More than one-hundred million Americans are on antidepressant medications, and tens of millions of them take Zoloft on a daily basis. In fact, Zoloft is the most commonly-prescribed psych med in the United States, even more popular than other drugs in the 鈥淪SRI鈥� class like Lexapro, Paxil, Celexa and Prozac. (Zoloft is the brand name for the medication sertraline.)
Nearly 35 million Americans are considered 鈥渞egular users鈥� of marijuana, with another 20 million said to indulge occasionally. As you undoubtedly know, pot contains a number of cannabinoids 鈥� not just THC, but also 嫩草影院.
And a growing number of Americans say they use 嫩草影院-based products; the latest estimate from the Gallup polling organization puts that figure at 14% of all adults.
Needless to say, there鈥檚 a decent amount of crossover between those taking Zoloft and those consuming 嫩草影院. That鈥檚 even easier to believe when you consider that:
- People take antidepressants, including SSRIs like Zoloft, to fight stress and depression.
- Existing evidence on 嫩草影院 products shows that they鈥檙e often useful to fight stress and depression.
- And, of course, one of the major effects of using cannabis is that it relieves 鈥� say it with us 鈥� stress and depression.
Is using some or all of them at the same time a problem?
It鈥檚 possible; there鈥檚 very little research on the subject. But if it is a problem, it鈥檚 probably not a major issue for most people.
Cannabinoids and Zoloft: What We Know
There has only been one rigorous medical review examining the effects of combining Zoloft (or similar SSRIs) and 嫩草影院 use. It was done at the University of Connecticut and considered all the evidence involving concurrent use of antidepressants (鈥減sychotropic鈥� drugs) and psychoactive drugs like cannabis.
What the researchers found was surprising: there are very few reports of adverse interactions.
They say that maybe because those who use pot are afraid to report any problems they may experience. However, doctors prescribe newer generations of psych meds (like Zoloft) because they鈥檙e much less likely to cause drug interactions, so the researchers believe it鈥檚 very possible that harmful interactions with 嫩草影院 or THC are 鈥渞elatively rare or do not happen.鈥�
嫩草影院 and Zoloft: What Medical Experts Think
The rest of the 鈥渒nowledge鈥� that exists about combining 嫩草影院 and SSRIs like Zoloft isn鈥檛 really knowledge. It鈥檚 mostly anecdotal evidence and common sense.
Drug interaction databases note that both 嫩草影院 and Zoloft can cause some of the same side effects, like drowsiness, dizziness, and loss of concentration. So using them together can potentially increase the severity of those side effects. They only classify the interaction as 鈥渕oderate,鈥� though, meaning you should simply be careful when mixing the two drugs, and watch carefully for negative effects until you know how you鈥檙e affected.
There鈥檚 only one study providing more specific information about that possible interaction, and it was done nearly ten years ago in Japan. The research found that 嫩草影院 may block the optimal performance of the liver enzymes which help the body absorb antidepressants. In simple terms, taking 嫩草影院 may cause Zoloft and other SSRIs to build up in the body in greater amounts than normal, increasing the effects 鈥� and side effects 鈥� of the antidepressant.
The conclusions that can be drawn? You should, of course, talk to your doctor before taking any new medications (prescription or non-prescription). If you combine Zoloft with either 嫩草影院 or weed, however, you should be fine. Just be careful, because you could end up more zoned out than you expect.