Losing weight after Sertraline?

anthonystinson54

I had to make a post on here after reading.

Since my start on 100mg Sertraline and 200mg Lamictal, I have lost 89 pounds. I am a bipolar genius, and wouldn't know it without these medicines.

A huge downside is my feelings of lethargy. I have no care for anything, perhaps even depressed still. I dont know.

Though I heard adderall can save me! maybe I'll actually do something with my ridiculous IQ besides play video games.

AnneU93

I gained 60 lbs, but now, a bit more than a year later I am wearing the same size clothes as before, though I weigh 20 pounds more than I did then, but this time around I have more mucles

brandon_hofmann

Ok before zoloft i was weighing 186lbs at 5'8. Which is not bad for me. The first month I didn't gain any weight but the meds weren't working at the 50mg dose. They bumped me up to 100mg which started working for me. Soon after I started noticing weight gain, didn't really care was like it was just a few pounds, then 6 months later I was over 200lbs. then 3 months later I was 207lb. So i decided it was time to quit. I was orginally taking this for PTSD when my wife went into pre term labor at 28 weeks with my son. Freaked me out!! Didn't know what to do the wife was in the hospital and I had the 3YO daughter and I couldn't go to work. Well, almost a year later I am at 213lbs. I am very active. I reduced it to 50mgs and have seen no waist loss but I did have some mood swings. Now I have taken myself all the way off for about 6 days. Hopefully this is going to spur my weight loss. I know how AD affect your body weight and can effect your exercise program. I am a certified Personal trainer and if I don't look the part it's doesn't look good. Hence now it's game time I am going to try to remember to post my results here as time goes by but I hope that much more people will have success. I will now know the struggle some of my clients have gone through to get that weight off.

ebayaddict0127

I was on Zoloft for a very long time. During that time I went from weighing 140 lbs to 210-ish. Then I went on Celexa and ballooned up to 240! When I was on Zoloft or Celexa and tried REALLY hard to lose weight, nothing would happen. Since I've been on Effexor, I've lost 17 lbs. fairly easily. I know doctors say that those medicines don't cause weight gain, blah blah blah.. but I don't buy it. How did I gain 100 lbs when I started taking ADs? But I'd never gotten bigger than 160 my whole life before that?

That being said... try a different med if you need it to see if you can lose weight better. Coming off Zoloft completely (and not taking something else) is a complete nightmare. So be careful if you do that.

Nimroth

I've been on sertraline for nearly 3 years and in that time I've lost weight and gained it, but nothing I would attribute to the drug. Have been eating clean for about 6 weeks now and don't seem to be having any problems. Weight loss is slow, but I'm eating at a very small deficit and lifting weights, so weight loss isn't my primary focus anyway.

carolinebarbiepacker

hi guys ive been on sertraline for a year now and ive just been to the docs this week as im officially fed up.... ive always been size 8 to 10 and when I put a bit of effort into my exercise I lose weight instantly . ive been very lucky . UNTIL NOW. last year after getting horrible anxiety feeelings and constantly snapping at everyone I was put on sertraline 50mg . since then my bodies changed so much. im nearly 2 dress sizes up and a stone at least heavier. ive dieted and exercised but nothing worked. one day I thought right im going on a juice diet ive lost so much weight on it before il do it again. after a week of doing this and exercise vigerously I weighed myself... 1 BLOODY POUND LOST.. that was the last straw..
So now im being weened off the meds , my biggest fear is that this weight will stick now , but im hoping it will just drop off . my anxiety is being watched and caffeine has been banned from my diet as this could be one the reasons for anxiety.
has anyone lost weight quickly after taking sertraline. is there hope ? :-)

daniellek30

Hm. Never from Zoloft. The only medication that caused me to gain weight (and makes it hard to lose it!) is the Gabapentin I am on.

bbchatter

I was on Zoloft for about nine years and certainly it caused weight gain. I wanted to stop to se who I was without it. However, I believe that the chemical adjustments that caused a change in mood somehow made me feel it was okay to eat how I was eating. It felt normal...portions, choices. Then a month ago I weaned from Zoloft and now am at 25mg from 50. Within a few days of lowering the dosage I noticed a serious change in my food decision making, hunger and cravings were gone. I was able to not even care about the foods I loved. Was not even thinking about food like I had before. It was so dramatic that I thought why not go with it and started low carb a week later and two weeks after that I started exercising. Trying to take advantage of this feeling while it lasted. So far it's still lasting over a month now. I can easily turn down foods, where before I would jump right in and binge. I can go grocery shopping and not even be bothered by sweets and other favorite snack foods. I firmly believe the chemical imbalance may have been too extreme...I felt too good to care about my weight or health. And for now, I'm on the right path. Starting the Couch to 5K training tomorrow and feel very good about it. Sticking with 25mg for another month and then going to 12 for a week and then I'm done. If I notice any changes in the really awesome way I feel I'll go back to 25. As far as how long it will take to leave the 100 pounds I need to lose...about 70 of gained while on Zoloft, I don't know.. But if I don't go with the "normal" appetite I feel right now the weight loss will take a heck of a lot longer. So off my butt and no sugar or starches in my kitchen. It's been a long time since you posted this question and I hope you found it easy to lose!

MeganErica82

I gained 23 lbs in a year while I was on Zoloft. My doc just recently switched me to Wellbutrin. In just a few weeks, my weight has leveled off and is no longer climbing! Thank God! Now I have to work this weight off.

jenesa26

Hi! I just came back from my doctor appointment and I officially weigh over 200 lbs for the first time in my life! Thanks a lot, Sertraline! I have severe social anxiety that started about 18 months ago. I was prescribed Zoloft (150 mgs) and I seriously think I had a nervous breakdown. Long story short, that started 4 of the most hellacious months of my life, trying to find what exactly worked for me and my issues. After the first Sertraline debacle. I was petrified to even take aspirin! Anywho, here I am one year later and I have gained 50+ pounds! WTH?! I look pregnant! I'm leaving for a 3 week vacation tomorrow, so my doc and I have decided that upon my return, we're going to switch to Wellbutrin. I'm scared spitless. I'm going to VERY SLOWLY wean myself off of Sertraline. As for the weight, I PRAY that it comes off. I look and feel miserable. I want to grub on every food I see, and I have a closet full of clothes that no longer fit me.

I'm scared, but what good am I doing to myself if I'm obese along with the anxiety disorder? Ugh, these pills are double-edged swords.

fatmomma49

Hello, I am 49, starting menopause, and fat. Oh yeah, and I just got off the Zoloft about 6 weeks ago. I haven't really lost any weight yet, but at least the upward weight gain has finally stopped. I am 5'7", and 185 lbs. I used to be 138 lbs. my whole adult life, until about 4-5 years ago. That's when I gave into the lure of anti-depressants after some horrific tragedies in our neighbourhood. When I upped my Zoloft from 50 to 100, I ended up with severe diarrhea, and lost some weight. But then it came back on. In spades. I increased the dose again, but it only packed more pounds on. Like someone else said earlier, I would rather deal with anxiety than obesity now.

I suffered a broken foot last winter, so that sabotaged my gym workouts because I like to run and cycle. I take a lot of Vitamin D everyday, and because I have a desk job, it is important for me to work out lots, but without the exercise, no weight is shifting.

My foot is mostly healed now, and although work is still very busy, I will start back at the gym tomorrow.

I WILL NOT give up. And you shouldn't either!!:happy:

mhoeff1

I gained 65 pounds while taking it I just went off mine in April so I have lost 10 pounds and I am at a standstill I will keep trying though I have to budge eventually. Glad you are med free as well I had lots of brain fog while taking it Good luck to you

ladymiseryali

When I was taking zoloft, I was really heavy, but not because of the anti-depressant. I was heavy because I ate too much and ate too many carbs. I've never heard of anti-depressants causing weight gain. So I don't know if that's the culprit. I've also not been on any sort of medication for mental illness since I took myself off of them for good in 2009.

earlnabby

I was on the zoloft/wellbutrin cocktail for several years and gained a lot of weight but I think the majority of it was the depression and anxiety that caused me to get medicated in the first place. I went off both of them because I lost my job, my insurance, and finally unemployment ran out. The wellbutrin ran out first and I tapered off the zoloft for about a month until it ran out too. Basically my depression worsened, my brain felt constantly fogged, I couldn't make a decision to save my life, I couldn't talk to someone without bursting into tears, I alternated between insomnia and sleeping 14-16 hours a day, and my libido went sky high (thank you BOB).

After about 9 months of this, I went back to my PsyD and she placed me on Viibryd because it was new and I could get it for free from the Pharma company. I have been on it for about a year now and feel better than I have in decades. It works better for me than the cocktail did and I am losing weight at a decent pace and minimal cravings.

alibear3

I've had the total opposite reaction to the majority of posters here. Before Zoloft, I had constant cravings for sugary foods and for fatty/salty foods (in other words, chocolate and cheese). I've been on a low dosage of zoloft for about three weeks now and I've lost 7 pounds, though I should note that I am eating better and am working with a trainer. Prior to Zoloft I had lost about 18 pounds over the course of ~8 months. No matter how hard I worked out, I couldn't beat my cravings for food.

The most remarkable part of Zoloft for me, besides the fact that I am finally calm and happy, was that my cravings are COMPLETELY gone. I talked to my doctor about it and learned that having low seratonin levels can cause cravings for sweet foods. I think, for me, my weight gain over the past decade has been because I've been self-medicating with food. I had incredibly strong cravings and had a hard time saying no. I ate when I was happy, I ate when I was sad, and I ate when I was stressed. Now that I'm "balanced out," I'm not seeking food for comfort and I can say no to a piece of chocolate without feeling devastated or deprived. For that matter, I no longer crave any junk food, and the thought of eating foods that I loved just 4 weeks ago actually makes me sick. I'm taking advantage of this new found lack of cravings by making healthy food choices and working out with a trainer.

I know a lot of people on this board have had weight gain on Zoloft. I am obviously not a doctor, but I'm sure it was not ONLY zoloft that makes people gain weight. You have to contribute to the process, too. Maybe you were feeling better so you indulged more. Or maybe you experienced some increased hunger (which can happen for some people on Zoloft, but not all people) and you responded by eating more -- obviously a natural reaction to hunger, but it's not exclusively the drug causing weight.

I just thought I'd share my experiences because, for better or worse, I did a lot of internet research before agreeing to start Zoloft. If your doctor has suggested Zoloft, and you're similarly researching online to see how people reacted to it, I hope that my experience makes you more willing to try it out. I have never been this happy or calm (no more anxiety attacks!) in my entire life and I attribute it exclusively to Zoloft.

I wish you all the best of luck on your weight loss journeys!

nursegrenade88

I was 101 lbs last October and I had my prescription to Sertraline doubled 3 times since then. I've gained 16 lbs since then and I can't understand how I am putting on this weight because I've been small my whole life. Then I did some research and it's looking like 99% of people on the **** gain about that much weight or more. I'm weening myself off asap.

CoffeeBugg

Been on Zoloft since the mid to late 90's. My weight has gone up and down the same as it did before I was on anything. Eating too much and low activity levels are the only thing I can attribute my weight gain to. Just chiming in with my own experience.

FatFreeFrolicking

I was 101 lbs last October and I had my prescription to Sertraline doubled 3 times since then. I've gained 16 lbs since then and I can't understand how I am putting on this weight because I've been small my whole life. Then I did some research and it's looking like 99% of people on the **** gain about that much weight or more. I'm weening myself off asap.

I gained 111 lbs within 3 years from anti-depressants. Get off while you can!

kelly_e_montana

I have taken Zoloft for several months, twice. I hated it, but I hate all meds of that nature and will no longer take them for any reason (or pretty much most meds in general). However, I lost about 5 pounds on it and I did feel it helped a little with controlling my binging. However, I felt 16 feel tall, bullet-proof, and feeling-less.

Kimberrh6

I was on Zoloft and over 2-3 years, gained 50 lbs. I don't think it was the actual medication but the way it made me feel. I felt like a care-free zombie and didn't take care of myself. "Everything was going to be just fine" is how I always felt. When I finally snapped out of it, I switched to Celexa and feel more like myself. I'm taking better care of myself and losing weight.