Losing weight after Sertraline?

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.

Just because you haven't gained weight yourself, please don't assume that everyone else who has is simply eating more. Before I took SSRIs I was 8 stone and desperately wanted to put on weight. Per day, I ate three meals, copious amounts of (unhealthy) snacks, as well as three 'Build Up' shakes and did no exercise - but I couldn't put on an ounce. My doctor said it was due to genetics / fast metabolism. Within 3 years of taking sertraline (and eating less food and doing 60 minutes of exercise a day), I was 11 stone 3 and too big for my small frame. I meticulously kept a food /calories/exercise diary for two months, which suggested I should have lost half a stone. Instead I gained a stone. My psychiatrist's answer: that I must have written it down incorrectly (I hadn't). I have known marathon runners who take SSRIs, gained weight and can't lose it.

As you say, you aren't a doctor and I'm afraid you're both presumptuous and probably wrong: it IS likely to be exclusively the drug causing the weight gain. Rather like you, doctors initially assumed people were eating more food as they were less depressed/anxious - despite patients (like me) insisting they were eating much less and exercising more, yet unable to lose even an ounce. It now seems that longer term usage of SSRIs (of which Zoloft/sertraline is one) can cause metabolic syndrome: that is a cluster of type II diabetes, increased girth, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. The insulin resistance may be causing the weight gain. And insulin resistance causes weight primarily to go around the middle. (If you google SSRI weight gain, everyone is complaining that they look pregnant.)

Researchers are only just finding this out because SSRIs are relatively new drugs and at the beginning no one knew what might happen when they were taken longer term. Doctors are being rather more slow to educate themselves about this - although luckily not my GP who told me four of his patients have have developed metabolic syndrome due to taking SSRIs and insisted on my having blood tests.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1044743107001339

(There are lots of articles in this vein if you Google)


It's also worth noting that some evidence suggests SSRIs increase levels of cortisol. Cortisol causes weight gain for most people, but for a minority (you, perhaps?) it apparently causes weight loss.

In my experience, the only way to lose the weight is to come off the drug - and taper off very, very, very slowly to minimise the withdrawal effects. Luckily it seems metabolic syndrome is reversed once off the drugs.

I was on 200mg for 1 year and a half. I put on weight so decided to go off it. I gradually tapered over 2 months until for two weeks’ reduction at a time depending on my situation. Am now two weeks completely off it and the only side effect is having intense feelings again! Good and bad but also getting very tired in the late afternoon. It has been nothing like what I have read with brain zaps and nausea. The only time I experienced that was when I tried to go off it on the weekend and even though I took my dose on Monday by the afternoon I was very sick and light headed. That was a good example of why the one day off and on is probably not a good way to reduce.
I loved my experience on Sertraline. It changed me and made me a better, happier person but the weight gain for was non-negotiable as I have had eating disorders. I put up with it for 15 pounds but it kept creeping up. Just to be clear I HAVE NOT EXCERSISED ON IT OR BOTHERED DIETING AT ALL. The drugs made me so happy I wasn’t bothered! Its two weeks now and I have not lost anything but my energy levels have come back.
Please taper very very gradually if you have been on them for a long time, like over two years.

I used to take that medication you took & I was 180lbs.. That's a lot ..I was fat, didn't like my body looked. Now I'm 135lbs from doing this diet 5:2 intermittent fasting . I lost 40lbs just doing that diet . I feel great, but I still wanna lose more . I want be like about 125lbs that's my goal weight

I was on Celexa for 6 years and gained 50 pounds within about the first two years. Was off meds for 8 years, and then went on Lexapro when my anxiety got bad again. It reduced my appetite at first, but then I became ravenously hungry and had other side effects which made it a no-go for me. The doc then wanted me to try Zoloft. I filled the prescription but just couldn't bring myself to try another SSRI. Too many side effects, and I really didn't want to gain weight again since I worked so hard to get it off after the first time. So now I'm on 150mg of Wellbutrin. I tried a higher dose and got bad headaches and dizziness so I'm staying on the low dose. My anxiety is a lot better, although not as much as with SSRI's. However, I have no side effects, my appetite is normal, and I actually feel like I have more energy. Also - no brain fog, no losing thoughts halfway through thinking them etc. I feel completely like my normal self, except without heart palpitations, obsessive thinking patterns etc. And I'm slowly losing weight.

(Successful weight loss while on 50 mg of zoloft)-just wanted to give a positive review of zoloft and weight loss. I have been on it for a few months now and still losing. So if you have problems with anxiety/depression please do not let other people's experiences dictate what you should do with your body. We are all different.

I started on Serdep in Jan due to anxiety.
Since about April I felt I was gaining weight. I watched my diet and upped my exercise. In September I felt my weight just kept going up and up. I then told my GP That the weight gain is making me feel worse so I weaned off over 6 weeks. It’s been about 3 weeks since I finished weaning and the weight just won’t budge.

This is so frustrating and I really hope my body starts responding soon to the healthy eating and exercise.