No. According to FDA drug labeling, sertraline is contraindicated (not recommended and generally unsafe) when taken with linezolid. The combination increases your risk of a serious condition called serotonin syndrome. This means your healthcare provider should not prescribe these medications together, and if you are already taking sertraline, your doctor needs to know before starting linezolid—or vice versa.
The source record for this interaction comes from FDA-reviewed sertraline labeling. Here is what it documents:
This is a source-of-record interaction, meaning the FDA has determined that the combination poses a genuine safety concern sufficient to warrant a contraindication label. The information was last updated in May 2026 and is based on FDA drug labeling data.
When a drug combination is contraindicated, it means the risks of taking both drugs together outweigh any potential benefit in most cases. Contraindicated does not always mean "never under any circumstances," but it does mean the default position is to avoid the combination unless a prescriber has a documented, compelling reason and robust safety monitoring plan. In everyday practice, contraindicated means your doctor should choose a different antibiotic if you are taking sertraline.
Serotonin is a chemical messenger in your brain and body that regulates mood, sleep, and other vital functions. Sertraline is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI)—it works by increasing the amount of serotonin available in your brain by blocking its reabsorption. This helps relieve depression and anxiety in most people.
When serotonin levels become too high, too quickly, or in an uncontrolled way, you can develop serotonin syndrome. This is a potentially life-threatening condition with symptoms that can include agitation, confusion, rapid heart rate, high blood pressure, muscle rigidity, fever, sweating, and tremor. In severe cases, it can lead to organ damage or death.
Linezolid is an antibiotic used to treat serious bacterial infections, particularly those caused by gram-positive organisms resistant to other drugs. Although linezolid's primary job is to kill bacteria, it also has a secondary pharmacological property: it inhibits the enzyme monoamine oxidase (MAO). This enzyme normally breaks down serotonin and other neurotransmitters in your body.
Because linezolid blocks MAO, it causes serotonin to accumulate—just as sertraline does. When you combine two drugs that both increase serotonin through different mechanisms, the risk of serotonin syndrome rises significantly.
The source record explicitly identifies the mechanism of this interaction: increased serotonergic activity resulting from the combination of sertraline's serotonin reuptake inhibition and linezolid's MAOI activity. Both drugs push serotonin levels upward, and together they create a compounded effect.
If any of the following apply to you, this interaction is especially relevant to your healthcare decisions:
Even if none of these conditions applies to you, this interaction is important to know about because many people take sertraline long-term for mental health, and linezolid is sometimes the only or best antibiotic option for certain serious infections. The combination is common enough that the FDA felt it necessary to flag it as contraindicated.
Imagine you have been taking sertraline 100 mg daily for two years to manage generalized anxiety disorder. You develop a skin infection caused by a methicillin-resistant staphylococcal organism (MRSA). Your primary-care doctor recognizes that linezolid would be an effective choice but sees in your chart that you take sertraline. Because sertraline and linezolid are contraindicated, your doctor would instead select an alternative antibiotic—such as doxycycline, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, or another drug not known to have MAOI activity. This choice prioritizes your safety even though it might mean a different side-effect profile or dosing schedule.
Suppose you are hospitalized with a serious infection and your medical team determines that linezolid is the most appropriate antibiotic for your bacterial pathogen and clinical condition. At the same time, you are taking sertraline. Your medical team would face a genuine clinical dilemma: is the infection serious enough that linezolid is necessary despite the contraindication with sertraline? In such a scenario, your doctors might temporarily discontinue sertraline, substitute a different antibiotic if possible, or in rare cases proceed with both drugs under close monitoring if they believe the infection risk outweighs the serotonin syndrome risk. This kind of decision would involve your physicians, pharmacists, and potentially specialists in infectious disease and psychiatry—not a choice you or a caregiver would make independently.
Before starting or stopping either sertraline or linezolid, or if you are currently taking both, bring these questions to your pharmacist or doctor:
Do not adjust, stop, or skip your medications on your own based on this information. All medication changes should be directed by your healthcare provider or pharmacist, who can evaluate your specific medical history, current conditions, and the urgency of your treatment needs.
If you take sertraline, linezolid, or both, your safety starts with a complete and current medication list. Use the drug interaction checker at checkdruginteractions.com to identify potential interactions between all your medications. Before you start any new prescription, over-the-counter medication, or supplement, confirm with a pharmacist or physician that it is safe in combination with your current regimen. When in doubt, ask—your healthcare team is there to help you make safe medication choices.
CDI checks every pair across up to 20 drugs — backed by FDA and NIH data.
Drug interaction data sourced from U.S. FDA drug labeling via openFDA and the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. For informational purposes only. Always consult your pharmacist or physician before making any medication decisions.
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