Zoloft and weight gain?

icyazaleas
icyazaleas Posts: 13 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I recently switched from Welbutrin to Zoloft, and although I've been feeling better, I put on some lb's and can't seem to get them off. I'm taking a very low dose, but in the past when I've been at a calorie deficit (regardless of what I ate) I'd lose weight. I have been trying to hit a 1lb a week deficit. I have a pretty active lifestyle and log between 7000-12000 steps using my fitbit daily. I'm wondering if anyone has any similar problems with SSRI's. I eat pretty healthy, and have a cheat meal every now and then (or a 'lil chocolate). Feel free to view my diary. For reference -- I'm 5'4'', 128 lbs. I'm most comfortable around 120. I know my calories were a bit low some days this week, but I'm just playing around to see what works.
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Replies

  • tootsie8700
    tootsie8700 Posts: 4 Member
    I'd keep a close eye on how/if zoloft affects your weight. I took it for years and while I do not blame it solely on my slow but steady weight gain, I do feel it didn't help and played a role.
  • dointime
    dointime Posts: 103 Member
    I gained close to 40 lbs in two months while on zoloft. I stopped taking it purely because of the weight gain. My weight gain also stopped when I stopped taking it.
  • ebayaddict0127
    ebayaddict0127 Posts: 523 Member
    When I started Zoloft I weighed 140... Now I weigh 222 (and that's after losing).

    Be careful with Zoloft. I'm now on Effexor and seem to be losing weight.
  • icyazaleas
    icyazaleas Posts: 13 Member
    I gained close to 40 lbs in two months while on zoloft. I stopped taking it purely because of the weight gain. My weight gain also stopped when I stopped taking it.

    That's scary. What the heck do these drugs do?!
  • CoffeeNBooze
    CoffeeNBooze Posts: 966 Member
    I did the exact same thing, wellbutrin to zoloft. But I'm afraid it depends on person to person. I lost weight not trying on wellbutrin, not much just 4lbs. I quit it, and it came back on. I went on zoloft and noticed no difference. I know your appetite can increase on certain medications too. You can always tell your doctor about the side effects and see what he/she thinks. Maybe they will switch you to something else.
  • mariecain11
    mariecain11 Posts: 1
    I also switched from Wellbutrin to Zoloft about two years ago. While on Wellbutrin, my appetite decreased and I lost about 20 lbs. After switching to zoloft, my appetite increased a bit and I became extremely lethargic. I gained about 30 lbs in the course of 6 months.
  • mg17601
    mg17601 Posts: 18
    :huh: All my life I was a skinny stick, never had to diet and was at a healthy weight. I was started on Zoloft for depression in 2008 and was on it until I told my doctor I was going off of it and not going to try anything else. In 3 years I gained 55 pounds. Nothing I did stopped the gaining until I quit the Zoloft. It took 2 more years before eating healthy and exercising healthy finally started to move the scale down. I notice now that Zoloft has a class action suit for causing birth defects.

    For my depression support groups and exercise worked better than the Zoloft anyway. Wellbutrin didn't help at all, the Zoloft did but wasn't worth the side effects.

    Hope you can find an alternative to help with the depression, I know it's a tough situation. :flowerforyou:
  • veganpancake
    veganpancake Posts: 12
    I gained more than 80 pounds after 7 years on Zoloft (130ish to 210ish). After I got off of it, I didn't even have to try losing weight. After a couple of years the majority of it just melted away. Zoloft was super effective for my anxiety and depression though. So it's worth a shot. Just be sosososo careful!
  • icyazaleas
    icyazaleas Posts: 13 Member
    Thanks for all the replies!
  • mrpickles99
    mrpickles99 Posts: 1
    I also take Zoloft and have the same trouble as you. I exercise with weights, and do cardio, and I am still gaining weight.
  • ebayaddict0127
    ebayaddict0127 Posts: 523 Member
    My doctors told me Zoloft was weight neutral. After reading all the posts here, clearly it is not. Why the lies? I never would've taken the drug had I known I'd get so fat. And let's not even talk about what it's like trying to wean off Zoloft... (Holy withdrawals from hell..)
  • RachLK7
    RachLK7 Posts: 27 Member
    Well I had the complete opposite within first few weeks of taking it I had lost approx 10lbs, cos I constantly felt sick I had no appetite so lost weight! Suppose everybody is different tho!
  • writergeek313
    writergeek313 Posts: 390 Member
    Zoloft and I didn't get along very well at all. It made me really dizzy, I was thirsty all the time, and I gained 40 pounds in 11 months. Stupidly, I thought all antidepressants were like that, and I resisted going back on another one for over a year when I really needed one. The thing is, they affect everyone differently. What makes someone gain weight might make someone else lose, and some people may have no side effects at all. I'm on Trazodone now, and the side effects from that have been a lot more minor.
  • pteryndactyl
    pteryndactyl Posts: 303 Member
    Well I had the complete opposite within first few weeks of taking it I had lost approx 10lbs, cos I constantly felt sick I had no appetite so lost weight! Suppose everybody is different tho!

    I had a similar reaction. I was nauseous all the time and actually became slightly underweight whilst taking it.
  • jremp119
    jremp119 Posts: 2
    I told Zoloft for a little over a year. During that time, I slowly gain 30 pounds. I was training for a marathon that year as well as several half marathons. So to say I wasn't active enough is not the case. I've always been very cautious of what I eat. My doctor told me it's just age and diet. I'm now 40 years old and been off Zoloft for 7 months. I've been doing crossfit for 4 months and am trying to get back to running. The weight is slowly coming off. And I mean slowly. I have toned up with crossfit so I am at least seeing some results. But overall, Zoloft is not worth it. And no one will admit to weight gain as a side effect. Frustrating!
  • freckly3321
    freckly3321 Posts: 11 Member
    I've been on Zoloft for probably over 10 years now. Thinking I was just depressed, my doctor at the time, put me on it. Come to find out I was very Hypothyroid. She kept me on the Zoloft while we got my thyroid levels in a normal range. My life has changed drastically in the last 10 years so wonder if I even need it. I take a low dose. My current doctor says it's up to me whether I want to be on it or not. Now that I think back to when I started Zoloft combined with being Hypothyroid, that's when all my weight issues started. Hmmmm....maybe it's time to wean off. Anyone have any thoughts??
  • youngmommy2
    youngmommy2 Posts: 71 Member
    Wow! I'm surprised by all these responses. I've been on and off Zoloft for about 11 years and never affected my weight whatsoever. Actually being on it helps me lose weight purely because I have more motivation to actually get out of bed and not eat crap all day long. Hope you all find something that works for you.
  • OrangeStars88
    OrangeStars88 Posts: 13
    I was told that Zoloft had nothing to do with my weight gain, but I believe that it is not. We know when something is going on in our bodies, not a doctor who sees you once or twice a year...

    When I began Zoloft, I was 119 pounds. I had just recently lost a friend to cancer, so I was under my 'normal' weight of 125. After taking Paxil for a year, I gained to 130 pounds. I tapered off, and then I had to get on Zoloft, gaining the weight again. I am now trying to taper off the Zoloft, and I feel your pain with the extra weight.
  • JulsiePie
    JulsiePie Posts: 166 Member
    Someone very close to me switched to Zoloft and gained just over 60 pounds in about 7 months. They switched after that!!
  • Grumpellina
    Grumpellina Posts: 49
    I gained close to 40 lbs in two months while on zoloft. I stopped taking it purely because of the weight gain. My weight gain also stopped when I stopped taking it.

    That's scary. What the heck do these drugs do?!
    They turn you off as a human being, borderline zombie. Food becomes comfort with them, also.
    I used to be on this awful medication myself for "depression" when I wasn't depressed, but dealing with abuse. Go doctors, you know what's best when a child tells you there's abuse.
  • jremp119
    jremp119 Posts: 2
    I took Zoloft for a little over a year. During that time, I slowly gain 30 pounds. I was training for a marathon that year as well as several half marathons. So to say I wasn't active enough is not the case. I've always been very cautious of what I eat. My doctor told me it's just age and diet. I'm now 40 years old and been off Zoloft for 7 months. I've been doing crossfit for 4 months and am trying to get back to running. The weight is slowly coming off. And I mean slowly. I have toned up with crossfit so I am at least seeing some results. But overall, Zoloft is not worth it. And no one will admit to weight gain as a side effect. Frustrating!
  • EBarnesBeach
    EBarnesBeach Posts: 1
    YOU KNOW IT'S A SAD DAY WHEN YOGA PANTS DON'T FIT!hmmm... to be skinny and sad or FAT&HAPPIER. I gained 15+ pounds in less than 2 months on Zoloft. Just around my waist and lower back. My back looks like I had breast implants put in in above my butt cheeks.. NO JOKE!!!! Although mentally I was happier, but when my YOGA PANTS NO LONGER FIT and I was disgusted to see my naked self in the mirror before a shower... well I knew it was time to find something else. I don't eat fast food, eat mostly vegetarian and I make healthy smoothies daily, do yoga, bike and my dogs keep me running. However with this inner tube around me it has been difficult to do yoga.
    It has been 3 weeks since I last took Zoloft and there is a difference in the naked selfies I took when I realized HOW BIG I'D BECOME and now. I've lost about a couple inches around my waist and lower back. Yoga pants aren't cutting into me as bad. Although I have never had fat in these places and it is going to be a difficult journey getting it off.

    UNLESS YOU WANT TO BUY A BRAND NEW WARDROBE and always cover up on the beach, JUST SAY NO TO ZOLOFT. Read the post on different sites, majority of users gained 15#s and up... some even say 40#s. Shew .... I think I would die if I gained 40!
  • conniehettel
    conniehettel Posts: 2
    I started Zoloft in 2011 and gained 70 pounds. I told my doctor about my frustration about my weight gain and wanted off my medication. She thought it was best I stay on my 150 mg Zoloft and add 100 mg wellbutrin to help with weight loss. I gained 20 more pound and now weaned off my meds.
  • rowlandsw
    rowlandsw Posts: 1,166 Member
    I take 100mg of zoloft a day but haven't had weight gain issues, it was the seroquel and the half asleep munchies i'd get that put the weight on. we cut back on that and put me back on wellbutrin as well and i'm better now. If not heavily medicated between the 8 bottles of pills.
  • annekka
    annekka Posts: 517 Member
    I gained while on Zoloft, though that could also be due to the fact that I wasn't happy, overeating, and also BC pill issues. So I can't blame Zoloft exclusively for it.

    That being said, I'm still on Zoloft and have lost almost 13 kg, not including a bit of a break/maintenance for the past 5 months. Give your body a bit more time to adjust to being on the med. Keep at the calorie counting and be meticulous. If you still continue to gain weight talk to your doctor.
  • skyeny
    skyeny Posts: 51 Member
    I gained 18 lb on 150 Zoloft in 1 year. I think Zoloft simply made me feel relaxed and not guilty about overeating =) I got off Zoloft 2 months ago, and lost 11 lb so far because I got back my consciousness, started eating clean and working out. Now I care, I'm not numb anymore. Btw I noticed that a good workout is a 100% substitute for Zoloft. It removes all the anxiety and depression =) I'm happier now, despite my doctor being against me quitting.
  • rowlandsw
    rowlandsw Posts: 1,166 Member
    I always have to be careful because i have issues with SRI meds, i was on prozac and man did that go badly. On top of it all my hair started falling out in clumps from a combo of stress and an apparently very rare side effect of it. I have figured out that if i take half my zoloft before bed the day goes alot smoother from the start.
  • Momof31981
    Momof31981 Posts: 1
    My doctor just prescribed Zoloft, and now I am just terrified to take it! I have already gained 15 pounds due to cortisone injections causing an appetite increase, no way can I deal with any more weight gain! I am considered a normal weight but, it all goes to my belly, butt, and thighs the places it is hardest to get rid of!
  • adopp062715
    adopp062715 Posts: 93 Member
    I was on Zoloft for just under a year and gained 30 lbs. It took me a while to get it back off + sum. When I was really strict about what I was eating and working out a ton it finally came off. It will come off it will just take a while to. Be patient. The zoloft did help for my depression/anxiety though it was just the weight gain that sucked. This was in college. My doctor at home told me that zoloft has been known to cause weight gain so at least one health professional recognizes this.
  • kirstysmith1991
    kirstysmith1991 Posts: 1
    I am on sertraline for anxiety and panic attacks and have been for around 8 months, I am feeling better, still have minor panic attacks but nowhere near as bad. However! I've put on so much weight in those 8 months: I went from size 10-12 to a size 14-16. I hate it so much and I'm wondering if I should come off it. I go to the gym and try to eat healthy but it's not working. I never had a problem losing weight in the past but I just can't shift this. My doctor told me that it would make me gain weight as it slows down your metabolism, but that exercise would help. It really isn't! :-( I don't know what to do, just can't bare to look at myself now.

    Kirsty

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