Sertraline may start working on key depression symptoms such as suicidal thoughts and feelings of sadness within two weeks, much earlier than previously thought, new research shows.
Published in Nature Mental Health,1 the study reanalysed data from 571 patients included in the Panda trial, a randomised controlled trial comparing the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) sertraline with a placebo.
The research team reported that the SSRI had “beneficial effects on core depression and anxiety symptoms as early as after two weeks of treatment” but that these may be masked by side effects of the drug and other symptoms of depression early on.
The researchers said that the findings could help doctors to have more nuanced discussions with patients about expectations when starting the drug. But critics said that while the study showed “small effects on some selected individual symptoms,” it was not clear “whether these effects have any clinical relevance.”
An estimated 8.9 million people in England had an antidepressant prescribed in 2024-25, up from around 6.9 million in 2015-16,2 with sertraline one of the most commonly prescribed.
Results from the Panda trial were originally reported …
