PharmGKB summary: sertraline pathway, pharmacokinetics

Sertraline, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), is commonly prescribed to treat several psychiatric disorders including major depressive disorder, panic, generalized and social anxiety disorders as well as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) [1]. It has similar efficacy to other SSRIs and is considered to cause fewer side effects than some antidepressants, such as tricyclic antidepressants [2, 3]. However, sertraline-induced adverse events such as reversible hepatic injury and Stevens Johnson Syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis (SJS/TEN) have been reported [4, 5]. Sertraline is a secondary amine with two chiral centers [6–9]. The potent cis-(1S,4S) enantiomer is used as an antidepressant in either a tablet or an oral solution [1, 7, 10], although the (1R,4R) enantiomer also inhibits serotonin reuptake [10].