Zoloft enters list of 10 most commonly prescribed drugs in Australia

Increase in women being diagnosed with depression partly behind rise in use

An increase in women being diagnosed with depression is partly behind a significant rise in prescriptions of the antidepressant sertraline - sold under the brand name Zoloft - which is in the list of Australia's most commonly prescribed drugs for the first time.

On Tuesday Australian Prescriber published its annual list of the 10 most commonly taken drugs - based on standard daily doses for every 1,000 people in the population each day - along with a list of the 10 most costly drugs to government, and the 10 most common drugs by prescription counts.