Sertraline
Shares rank 6 of 7 antidepressants by recommenders
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.
5 people recommended Sertraline in Hacker News comments and 7 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026.
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.
Summary written by Claude from the comments below.
12 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- mixed feelings
- 0
- warn against or regret it
- 7
The record
Recommended in 3 of 12 months
In 3 different threads.
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 0.7 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 3 of 12 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
- Recommended in 3 threadsNeeds 5 or more, not met.
- 3 of its 5 recommenders came from one threadNeeds half or less, not met.
- A health productHealth and money products are never badged, not met.
The same rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. Mixed feelings count toward neither side. How the badge works
What people say about it
Reasons grouped from a sample of 12 of the 14 opinions about it, picked in proportion to how many people recommend it, have mixed feelings and criticize it. Each mark is one comment in the sample. Open a reason to read what they said.
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Sexual side effects
“it absolutely demolished my libido, to a point where I became repulsed by it”
Comment from 28 Aug 2026 in “Doctors are finally learning to manage antidepressant withdrawal” “the massive (and sometimes permanent!!) sexual side effects”
Comment from 28 Aug 2026 in “Doctors are finally learning to manage antidepressant withdrawal” Physical side effects such as weight gain
“massive weight gain, +40kg (70 -> 110) in ~10 months”
Comment from 22 Nov 2025 in “Prozac 'no better than placebo' for treating children with depression, experts” “gave me headaches and made me feel sick”
Comment from 29 Jan 2026 in “Vitamin D and Omega-3 have a larger effect on depression than antidepressants” Emotional and behavioural changes
“This pushed the mania full send and I lost a lot of time that I can't account for”
Comment from 21 Nov 2025 in “Prozac 'no better than placebo' for treating children with depression, experts” “lack of control over my anger or violent outbursts”
Comment from 28 Aug 2026 in “Doctors are finally learning to manage antidepressant withdrawal”
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Improves mood and mental health
“it actually brought my libido back, by virtue of just bringing me back to a better emotional baseline”
Comment from 29 Jan 2026 in “Vitamin D and Omega-3 have a larger effect on depression than antidepressants” “sertraline is what helped me finally bridge the gap”
Comment from 22 Nov 2025 in “Prozac 'no better than placebo' for treating children with depression, experts” “sertraline improved every single aspect of my life”
Comment from 29 Aug 2026 in “Doctors are finally learning to manage antidepressant withdrawal” - Comment from 22 Nov 2025 in “Prozac 'no better than placebo' for treating children with depression, experts”
Other antidepressants people recommend
The four most recommended other antidepressants, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
See all 7 antidepressants, rankedWhat people said
12 of the 14 opinions about it, picked in proportion to the three counts, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“his Sertraline saved his life following a suicide attempt”
“sertraline improved every single aspect of my life”
“lack of control over my anger or violent outbursts”
“it absolutely demolished my libido, to a point where I became repulsed by it”
“the massive (and sometimes permanent!!) sexual side effects”
“Luckily, sertraline was an almost instant cure.”
“it actually brought my libido back, by virtue of just bringing me back to a better emotional baseline”
“gave me headaches and made me feel sick”
“massive weight gain, +40kg (70 -> 110) in ~10 months”
“sertraline is what helped me finally bridge the gap”
“it did wonders for my mental health”
“This pushed the mania full send and I lost a lot of time that I can't account for”
Counts come from 1,791,911 Hacker News comments labeled by Claude, November 2025 to October 2026, with data through October 31, 2026. Counts updated 3 Nov 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.