# Sertraline

Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/sertraline/

5 people recommended Sertraline in Hacker News comments and 7 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 3 of 12 months, in 3 threads. It does not meet the Hacker Approved badge rule.

3 of the 5 people who recommend it commented in one thread, “Vitamin D and Omega-3 have a larger effect on depression than antidepressants”. These are opinions from Hacker News comments, not medical advice. Talk to a doctor.

**Verdict:** More people criticize it than recommend it. People credit sertraline with lifting depression, restoring mood and, in one case, saving a life after a suicide attempt. Critics most often report sexual side effects and weight gain.

Summary written by Claude from the comments below.

## What people warn about

- Sexual side effects (2 comments in the sample): "it absolutely demolished my libido, to a point where I became repulsed by it" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49479666)) "the massive (and sometimes permanent!!) sexual side effects" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49476549))
- Physical side effects such as weight gain (2 comments in the sample): "massive weight gain, +40kg (70 -> 110) in ~10 months" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46017166)) "gave me headaches and made me feel sick" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46808477))
- Emotional and behavioural changes (2 comments in the sample): "This pushed the mania full send and I lost a lot of time that I can't account for" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46010459)) "lack of control over my anger or violent outbursts" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49480597))

## Why people recommend it

- Improves mood and mental health (4 comments in the sample): "it actually brought my libido back, by virtue of just bringing me back to a better emotional baseline" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46809407)) "sertraline is what helped me finally bridge the gap" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46011799)) "sertraline improved every single aspect of my life" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49485733))

## Other antidepressants people recommend

- [Prozac](https://hackerapproved.com/p/prozac/): 10 recommend, 2 mixed, 28 criticize
- [Ketamine](https://hackerapproved.com/p/ketamine/): 8 recommend, 4 mixed, 5 criticize
- [Bupropion](https://hackerapproved.com/p/bupropion/): 8 recommend, 4 mixed, 3 criticize
- [Lexapro](https://hackerapproved.com/p/lexapro/): 8 recommend, 0 mixed, 3 criticize

## The badge

A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged.

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Sertraline", https://hackerapproved.com/p/sertraline/ (5 recommend, 0 mixed, 7 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026).

Counts updated 3 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.