anyone familiar with or take sentraline(zoloft)?

Hey!!! I take sentraline for my anxiety attacks. ...I've gained about 30 pounds on it. My sedentary junk food eating life style may be a factor too..anyway. for about five weeks now, I've changed my eating habits exponentially and have been doing cardio 30-45 minutes 5 days a week.I lost 9 pounds so far. And now it seems like I'm platoing almost. Is it possible to Plato so soon? Idks

Anyway, I wanna ask, can Zoloft lower your metabolism? If anyone has lost weight while taking Zoloft. Do you have any tips!!?

Replies

  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
    I take Zoloft. Assuming I consume fewer calories than I burn, I lose weight. Not every day, not every week, but long term over time (like months). You're doing fine. Log your food, do some exercise, maintain a reasonable calorie deficit and you will be fine.
  • FitToBeKim
    FitToBeKim Posts: 85 Member
    I'm on zoloft (50 mg) and two other meds.
    I am actively losing slowly.
    Try to stick to your calorie goal and it will work out good for you !

    Keep up the good work !!
  • onyxgirl17
    onyxgirl17 Posts: 1,722 Member
    I know someone who gained 30 pounds in 6 months on zoloft. It's a common side effect. I believe it increases appetite/cravings. Good luck with losing the weight.
  • wiffe
    wiffe Posts: 224 Member
    I was on it and gained weight. :( I'm trying to get more active now and we also changed my meds but I think I was better off on Zoloft but can't do the weight gain anymore. :(
  • ALH1981
    ALH1981 Posts: 538 Member
    I took it for 4 weeks and gained 6 pounds in those 4 weeks despite working out harder, not eating any more than i usually do. The moment i went off it my metoabolism shot up again and i dropped the weight in a week.

    Howver, mentally i felt GREAT on zoloft... its definately a toss up with what you prefer?
  • scapalbo
    scapalbo Posts: 19
    Sounds like you're at about 2 lbs a week, which is a good, healthy weight loss.

    I don't recall GAINING weight on Zoloft, and my daughter hasn't gained inappropriately (she is a growing child, so she SHOULD gain weight)

    It could be what the meds are TREATING are making you gain weight...and if that's the case, you're doing exactly what you need to do to break that.
  • britttttx3
    britttttx3 Posts: 458
    The weight gain is terrible, but my anxiety is gone. I almost feel afraid to stop taking it and getting anxiety again. So frustrating!!
    It definitely looks like quite a few people have gained on it as wellll though
  • SoViLicious
    SoViLicious Posts: 2,633 Member
    I actually lost weight on it.
  • dartaaa
    dartaaa Posts: 35
    I haven't gained a pound on it.... I especially asked my doctor to give me an antidepressant which won't make me gain weight and this really shouldn't . I'm taking the Sentraline Actavis :)
  • caseyg9888
    caseyg9888 Posts: 36
    I am Confucius about why Zoloft makes people Plato so soon.
  • SaraLily
    SaraLily Posts: 30
    I know I'm digging up an old thread but I also take Zoloft and unfortunatly, it made me gain 12 pounds in less than 3 months.
    I am sick and tired of it. I do feel better,(well, I used to until I gained all that weight!) I don't have panic attacks anymore, but DAMN, I can't look at myself in the mirror. What worries me is that the weight won't stop rising. Whatever I do, I gain weight. I force myself to eat a lot less otherwise I'd eat everything in sight.

    I started exercising and eating a lot more healthier. But nothing works. As soon as my doctor comes back from his vacation, I'm calling him. I don't think it's normal to gain that much weight so fast. Plus, I'm always dizzy.

    No, I'm not pregnant, I took a few tests so I can rule that out.

    It's not like I don't know how to lose weight. I used to go to the gym 4X a week and lost 30 pounds.
  • smartandtrim
    smartandtrim Posts: 123 Member
    I used to take it, got off of it because it made me suicidal. However, it did lower my metabolism, as Cymbalta is currently doing. Gained 20lbs in two months after a lifetime of being 115lbs. SarahLily, I too am dizzy all the time.

    I worried I might be pregnant, but it is not that. I eat healthy, I exercise, but I just can't drop this weight.
  • gigglybeth
    gigglybeth Posts: 365 Member
    I took Zoloft about 10-12 years ago and I gained about 30 pounds. But I felt so good, I didn't care! LOL At the time they were denying that it affected anything regarding weight, but message boards were full of people saying they were gaining weight on it.

    I took Wellbutrin for about 10 months 5-6 years ago and that was a much better fit for me. I had so much energy that for a time I was working out twice a day. I don't take anything now.
  • h9dlb
    h9dlb Posts: 243 Member
    sertraline makes you lose weight
  • JDBLY11
    JDBLY11 Posts: 577 Member
    Hey!!! I take sentraline for my anxiety attacks. ...I've gained about 30 pounds on it. My sedentary junk food eating life style may be a factor too..anyway. for about five weeks now, I've changed my eating habits exponentially and have been doing cardio 30-45 minutes 5 days a week.I lost 9 pounds so far. And now it seems like I'm platoing almost. Is it possible to Plato so soon? Idks

    Anyway, I wanna ask, can Zoloft lower your metabolism? If anyone has lost weight while taking Zoloft. Do you have any tips!!?

    I take Zoloft (100 mgs) and really like it. It helps me with binging and anxiety. I have not wanted to binge in over 2 months. It has not effected my weight loss at all and I think it reigns in my appetite a little.
  • SaraLily
    SaraLily Posts: 30
    Well, I guess I'm special because it DID make me gain 10 pounds. I'm 138 pounds for 5'4 and it's too much for me.
  • marathon_mama
    marathon_mama Posts: 150 Member
    I am Confucius about why Zoloft makes people Plato so soon.

    OMG i'm dying right now. You are my hero.
  • BigBrunette
    BigBrunette Posts: 1,543 Member
    I've been taking Zoloft/sertraline for many years. It's hard to say if it has made me gain weight, as I was already gaining from my own unhealthy eating and exercise habits. But now that I'm eating at a deficit, it's certainly not preventing me from losing weight. I average about a pound a week.
  • Dani19711
    Dani19711 Posts: 33
    If you do not change your foodintake nor change your workout routine, you should be fine really. Antidepressants have the tendency to lower your appetite. There are however medicine known for weightgain due to changes in metabolism (Seroquel for instance).

    I do know people who gained weight while on antidepressants but that was all due (without exeption) to a change in foodintake. I'm on Sertraline (100mg) for almost three years now and haven't gained weight. The first year I lost almost 15lbs because of the loss of appetite. Had to plan my meals ahead and learn to eat eventhough not hungry. Hence my reason for being here :)
  • Bry_Fitness70
    Bry_Fitness70 Posts: 2,480 Member
    I am Confucius about why Zoloft makes people Plato so soon.

    This made my day...!
  • suzcain
    suzcain Posts: 22 Member
    I took Zoloft for a number of years. I gained 40 lbs the first year and by the time I stopped taking it after 13 years on it, I had doubled my weight exactly - from 92 lbs to 184 lbs (I'm 5' tall). Even when I had a personal trainer and watched what I ate, I couldn't lose weight - only control not gaining more. Once I stopped taking it a couple years ago, I lost 30 lbs in the first month, and then had to work at it for about a year to lose another 40. It doesn't happen to everyone who goes on it, but increased appetite and lowered metabolism rates are common enough that my sister, who is a psychologist, calls it "Zaftig" and avoids having her patients take it if at all possible. You may want to ask your doc what other options are available.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    I lost a ton of weight on Zoloft. I left it all in the toilet!!

    I can't take that stuff. They gave it to me for post-pardum depression while I was recovering from a C-section. It nearly killed me! I was running to the bathroom every 10 to 15 minutes.

    I know this isn't helpful whatsoever... just wanted share... I'm a giver like that. :flowerforyou:
  • flanary888
    flanary888 Posts: 158 Member
    When do you take it? I was on 50mg and didn't really notice any weight gain. I recently came off of it and no real change..... except that my anxiety is back! So I actually made an apt. today to go get back on it. I always took mine at night though, so I don't know if that made a difference with me or not.
  • vegan4lyfe2012
    vegan4lyfe2012 Posts: 1,239 Member
    My daughter (13 years old) was taking 100mg and gained about 15 pounds. Luckily, she's very active in soccer, so it just helped her "booty bump" people away from the ball :)

    Anyway, I take Lexapro and only gained 5 pounds on it. I had such a great reaction to it, that I had my daughter switched. She's been taking it for a few months now and hasn't gained any additional weight and I can see a much better, less anxious girl :)
  • jkdk1117
    jkdk1117 Posts: 1
    Thank you for your post. There are people who think that meds can not affect weight. That it is simply calories in calories out. I too, gained a crazy amount of weight despite training for marathons, working with a personal trainer and weighing and logging my food. Not being able to lose the pounds has been hard to deal with. It is a relief to know I'm not alone. I have just started weaning off Zoloft. The next step is being patient for my body to readjust.
  • Stomach problems are completely normal when beginning any ssri like zoloft. This side effect, while annoying, goes away within a couple of weeks. The reason it happens is that most of the serotonin in your body is actually in your stomach.
  • dangdangBB
    dangdangBB Posts: 18 Member
    A year back or so I was on it for 8 months. I can't say I noticed any significant weight gain but I had to quit it when it made me horribly moody.
  • Momjogger
    Momjogger Posts: 750 Member
    I'm not a doctor and I don't take meds, but I have friends and family members who do. The only med that I know of that doesn't have a side effect of gaining weight and can actually help you lose it is Wellbutrin. It can also help with quitting smoking and I know someone who reported that they did not feel like drinking alcohol either, but this person had to stop it because of a couple side effects. Most antidepressants can make you gain weight, but I think if you are aware of it, you can counteract it. If it is working for you and you are willing to track your food and up your exercise, I say stay with it!