Anxiety Support Group

Anxiety is a physical condition marked by intense and persistent feelings of distress, fear, angst or dread. General anxiety caused by routine day-to-day stresses usually passes quickly and is experienced by almost everyone at one time or another. However, such feelings that linger over time and are very difficult to cope with, and which lack a clear cause, may indicate...

23,095 Members
43,245 Posts
2 Online
Anxiety Disorders
/ Anxiety Support Group

Zoloft and weight gain! aaaargh!

sunnyjax
sunnyjax
So I have been taking Zoloft for three months now, and it has worked really well for me. I am feeling so much better, planning things and have more motivation!

Life is good again, I no longer try and plan my death but plan my life.

But I weighted myself this morning, jeeez really!!! I have put on nearly 15lbs! I have been watching what I eat and exercising more too. I haven't been drinking or anything. Gawd thats depressing in itself. I wasn't too happy with the sexual numbness from the waist down but I was prepared to put up with thatbut I just see me getting bigger and bigger.

I am only on 50mg so I am thinking of tapering off it and trying to find other ways to cope. I took it for depression but I also have ongoing anxiety and PTSD. It has helped with this.
But I can't go on just getting bigger!!!

any advice?!
Community LeaderMid
Mid
What time of day are you taking it? Are you taking it with a full glass of liquid?

Everything you've mentioned, I've had. The weight gain has stopped, and I'm slowly taking the extra weight off. I have gone off it once and am back on it.

Try changing your normal daily activities a little, to boost your levels naturally.

Best wishes!
Sarasalt
Sarasalt
I know exactly how you feel. I was on Zoloft for about 8 months, and quickly gained over 30 lbs (which was a solid 20 lbs heavier than I'd ever been before). I was doing vigorous exercise, eating decently, getting lots of rest, but no dice. I couldn't shake it. Eventually, I stopped taking the Zoloft. I began to feel so poorly about myself that the benefits of the med dissipated. Of course, I did things the bad way - I panicked and just stopped cold turkey. That was months ago, and I'll still dealing with the withdrawal symptoms, so if you do decide to go another direction, be mindful of the proper way to taper off. The consequences aren't worth the impatience.

I've now started on Wellbutrin, which does not have as strong a correlation to weight gain... it's not working as well as the Zoloft did thus far, but it's all about how the pros and cons balance for you individually.
gramybear
gramybear
I have not taken Zoloft before but the two I have tried which don't cause weight gain is, Prozac, and I am now on Wellbutrin for the past week. No weight gain as of yet. I've been wondering who has taken Wellbutrin and how well it works. I hope you are able to work something out with your doctor and he/she can figure out a solution to the weight gain. Let us know how it's going. Hugs GB
cloverset14
cloverset14
I've taken Zoloft in the past and it caused weight gain and unpleasant GI problems. It really wasn't that helpful for depression/anxiety.

I've also taken Wellbutrin for a number of years. It helped my symptoms very well. What I didn't like was that it caused constant extreme thirst and hand trembling.

Now I'm Celexa and haven't had any significant problems once I got through the first three weeks or so. It has the opposite effect -- I had no appetite for 10 days or so. I've been on it since April and have lost 20 pounds. However, I attribute much of that to quitting drinking around the same time...

I hope that you find something that works!
sunnyjax
sunnyjax
thanks , thats useful to know.

as for tapering offI was going to go half a tablet for a week and then every other daythen stop?!

Is that ok?
Community LeaderMid
Mid
Tapering off works different for everyone.

Try it, and see if it is settling fine for you.

Best wishes!
sunnyjax
sunnyjax
dropped my daughter at Uni for the first time yesterday. I feel awful today, super anxious, dizzy and I can feel the gloom descending.
Im thinking of upping my Zoloft as my doctor suggested. I knew this time would be tough.but I want to get off it!

any advice?!
Community LeaderMid
Mid
The actual feeling for the gloom descending is a positive tool that your efforts are improving your normal levels.

I add glitter to the gloom...whatever works in the moment, giving it a silly name and just go for it!

Best wishes!
Posts You May Be Interested In
  • Community LeaderMid

    Misplacing daily use items

    Posted by: Mid
    Last Reply: Mid
    9
    My day...today...misplaced my debit card...didn't realize it until I got to the register after shopping to a full cart.  Used a different debit card and pulled apart everything looking for missing debit card before I left parking lot.  Got home, dropped keys. So now I have a missing debit card, missing keys. A full cartload to unload and put away. I got everything put away.Dumped purse for a...
  • serenityspeaks

    Anxiety

    Posted by: serenityspeaks
    Last Reply: serenityspeaks
    8
    I don't really know how to label this but I having a rough week and I can't say it's one thing.... I have a lot on my plate which is nothing new and I try to cope in many positive ways and do but I still have my moments.My kids more so my daughters talk to me about everything which I know it's cause of comfort and we are close.... however I really struggle with the venting about their dad which...