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Can Sertaline Cause Mood Swings And Abusive Behavior?

Posted on Sat, 17 Mar 2018

Question: My Mom has advanced Alzheimers and her Physician's Assistant prescribed Sertaline HCL 100 mg PM. However since she has been on this drug she is getting out of control. Her mood swings are instantaneous and pronounced. I am not sure she should be on this Medication. She is now, along with my Dad spending the winter with me and it is very difficult to determine how to best deal with her mood swings. She goes from very loving and sweet to combative, verbally abusive and confused. Any thoughts:

Answered by Dr. Neeraj Kumar (36 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Decrease or stop sertraline

Detailed Answer:
Hello,
I have gone through your question and understand your concern.
Behavioral changes are part of advanced Alzheimer's disease. These patients are sensitive to sertraline.
Also the medication aggravates the behavioral abnormalities.
You can either decrease the dose or stop it.
Hope you found the answer helpful.
Do get back to me for further information.
Regards
Dr N Kumar
Neurologist

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Kampana