Sertraline and weight gain..

lozzieemay
lozzieemay Posts: 89
in Health and Weight Loss
If anyone out there is taking or has taken sertraline or any other antidepressants or anxiety medication, could you please report whether you gained/lost weight while on the medication or stayed the same..

I'm currently taking 50mg of sertraline a day and have been for the past 12 months. After speaking to a few individuals I'm now contemplating weaning off the medication as I've been informed that many people have gained weight on it & also struggled really badly to lose it even with a good diet & exercise.

Replies

  • lisalocum
    lisalocum Posts: 15
    Both increased, and decreased appetite are listed as side effects of sertraline. The reason for that is that when a drug is going through its clinical trials to gain a license, all reported side effects have to be taken into account even if they are not proven to be related to the study drug. All anti-depressant medicines have the potential to alter your appetite, and very rarely, body weight can increase because of disturbances in hormones. However, it is by no means certain that your appetite or body weight will be altered by being on this medication, but you must consider how you will feel if you don't take the medication. Will you feel low and eat more? Will you feel less motivated to exercise?

    My advice would be to use exercise and a good diet to make you feel as good as you can, and after you have felt good for at least 3 months you can then discuss lowering the dose or tapering off it with your doctor.

    But, the number one rule is that you shouldn't alter your medication without thoroughly discussing this with your doctor, as trying to do this yourself can be counterproductive.
  • abbychaya
    abbychaya Posts: 1 Member
    I've been on Sertraline since March and have noticed a change in my metabolism. I've gone from being extremely active to almost stationary and have put on 10lbs as a result. Tiredness and a general sense of 'cant' be bothered' and this is from someone who is a yoga teacher!

    I'm going to start to come off it, slowly with my doctors help and of course diet and exercise.. My doctor did say when she perscribed it that it was 'weight neutral' but how do they know? I've read so many reports of weight gain I'm not sure that this is right.

    I haven't weighed as much as this for 20 years and it's awful, I intend to never take a-ds again, but the problem is they do work on evening out your moods.. I will also investigate natural ways of boosting moods, 5HTP is meant to work well

    Abby
  • ang3h
    ang3h Posts: 185 Member
    I gained 20 lbs on Zoloft/sertraline. Was probably from the fact that it didn't work for me and I was still depressed and eating to cope. Alot of people gain weight on SSRIs though.
  • Dyann_Alvarez
    Dyann_Alvarez Posts: 61 Member
    I was on Zoloft for several years and I gained about 30lbs. I too became almost stationary. I couldn't diet or exercise to save my life if I had had to. I weaned myself off of it SLOWLY. It took about 6 months to come off of it and I felt those effects every day. I was off of it for about 6 months before I was able to start losing the weight. This is MY story! I have no advice for you! You should only follow the advice of a professional that is familiar with you and your situation. Good luck in finding out what's best for you!

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