Compared to other SSRIs, sertraline tends to be associated with a higher rate of psychiatric side effects and diarrhea.
It tends to be more activating (that is, associated with a higher rate of anxiety, agitation, insomnia, etc.)
than other SSRIs, aside from fluoxetine.

Over more than six months of sertraline therapy for depression, people showed a nonsignificant weight increase of 0.1%.
Similarly, a 30-month-long treatment with sertraline for OCD resulted in a mean weight gain of 1.5% (1 kg).
Although the difference did not reach statistical significance, the weight gain was lower for fluoxetine (1%) but higher for citalopram, fluvoxamine and paroxetine (2.5%).
Of the sertraline group, 4.5% gained a large amount of weight (defined as more than 7% gain).
This result compares favorably with placebo, where, according to the literature, 3–6% of patients gained more than 7% of their initial weight.
The large weight gain was observed only among female members of the sertraline group; the significance of this finding is unclear because of the small size of the group.
The incidence of diarrhea is higher with sertraline—especially when prescribed at higher doses—in comparison to other SSRIs.

Over a two-week treatment of healthy volunteers, sertraline slightly improved verbal fluency but did not affect word learning, short-term memory, vigilance, flicker fusion time, choice reaction time, memory span, or psychomotor coordination.
In spite of lower subjective rating, that is, feeling that they performed worse, no clinically relevant differences were observed in the objective cognitive performance in a group of people treated for depression with sertraline for 1.5 years as compared to healthy controls.
In children and adolescents taking sertraline for six weeks for anxiety disorders, 18 out of 20 measures of memory, attention and alertness stayed unchanged.
Divided attention was improved and verbal memory under interference conditions decreased marginally.
Because of the large number of measures taken, it is possible that these changes were still due to chance.
The unique effect of sertraline on dopaminergic neurotransmission may be related to these effects on cognition and vigilance.
Sertraline's effect on the dopaminergic system may explain the risk of oromandibular dystonia.
Compared to other SSRIs, sertraline tends to be associated with a higher rate of psychiatric side effects and diarrhea. It tends to be more activating (that is, associated with a higher rate of anxiety, agitation, insomnia, etc.) than other SSRIs, aside from fluoxetine.
Over more than six months of sertraline therapy for depression, people showed a nonsignificant weight increase of 0.1%. Similarly, a 30-month-long treatment with sertraline for OCD resulted in a mean weight gain of 1.5% (1 kg). Although the difference did not reach statistical significance, the weight gain was lower for fluoxetine (1%) but higher for citalopram, fluvoxamine and paroxetine (2.5%). Of the sertraline group, 4.5% gained a large amount of weight (defined as more than 7% gain). This result compares favorably with placebo, where, according to the literature, 3–6% of patients gained more than 7% of their initial weight. The large weight gain was observed only among female members of the sertraline group; the significance of this finding is unclear because of the small size of the group. The incidence of diarrhea is higher with sertraline—especially when prescribed at higher doses—in comparison to other SSRIs.
Over a two-week treatment of healthy volunteers, sertraline slightly improved verbal fluency but did not affect word learning, short-term memory, vigilance, flicker fusion time, choice reaction time, memory span, or psychomotor coordination. In spite of lower subjective rating, that is, feeling that they performed worse, no clinically relevant differences were observed in the objective cognitive performance in a group of people treated for depression with sertraline for 1.5 years as compared to healthy controls. In children and adolescents taking sertraline for six weeks for anxiety disorders, 18 out of 20 measures of memory, attention and alertness stayed unchanged. Divided attention was improved and verbal memory under interference conditions decreased marginally. Because of the large number of measures taken, it is possible that these changes were still due to chance. The unique effect of sertraline on dopaminergic neurotransmission may be related to these effects on cognition and vigilance. Sertraline's effect on the dopaminergic system may explain the risk of oromandibular dystonia.
Sertraline