Depression and Weight Issues - Zoloft - Weight Loss

I have lost about 12 pounds since I've been taking Zoloft.

I started taking Zoloft 3 weeks ago for anxiety. This is my first time on medication. The medication does everything it promises to do with one side effect - I can't eat. Anything. I have to force myself to eat and it's getting harder and harder. I am taking poly-vi-sol vitamins for babies because it's the only vitamin that I can take on an empty stomach. I keep thinking the side effect will pass but I am coming up on my 4 week anniversary with no signs of getting an appetite. I have an appointment to see my doctor tomorrow.

Has anyone else experienced this side effect with Zoloft? If so, how long did it last? I don't want to switch medication because it works so well. I feel "normal" for the first time in years.

How strange! I've never taken zoloft or experienced that as a side effect of my meds but it sounds not good.

Let us know what your doctor has to say about it.

I started the same medication (along with 150mg Wellbutrin 2x a day) on Friday and have already lost 4 pounds. I know it's probably water weight but in any case, I can't eat. I feel sick if I am around most foods. I managed to get some fries in me on Saturday (I figured I'd see if I could eat my one temptation) and although I ate them, I didn't enjoy them. Luckily I work for my doctor and he's keeping a sharp eye on me. For right now I'm going to stay hydrated and try to get some fiber in me and hope that everything just kind of evens out.

I have taken both Pristiq and Zoloft (they are in the same drug family) and experienced this. It does go away in a few weeks. Good luck!

I gained on Zoloft (though probably not because of the Zoloft)... But it affects everyone differently.

Hopefully your doctor will be able to help you without prescribing you anything else. Feel better!

Strange! I gained on Zoloft... My doc switched me to Ceprelex. I think Zoloft has more of a reputation for weight gain. :shrug:
Great you lost on it though! Maybe you lost because of personal efforts? :)

I took Zoloft for years and only gained or stayed the same, but I've been off of it for a year and now back on. I too have no appetite. With Hurricane Irene I was down to one meal a day because we had no electricity. It's hard to be low carbing with no electricity. Since then I haven't been able to get even two meals in. Yesterday and the day before were so low in food/calories it sort of scares me. I like the thought of not binging or worrying about over eating but this could get seriously out of hand. So I'm hoping it will soon pass.

Good luck

had the same reaction when i started zoloft... it went away in a few weeks though, and then my appetite (and desire for SWEETS) was stronger than ever

good luck with the zoloft.. ive experience minimal side effects, but im getting ready to switch ( i see my doc today) its just not "working" for me...... i dont think its the right med

im hoping to try a different class, like the NSRI's... (Effexor and Pristiqu i think are NSRIs) anyone go from SSRI's to NSRI's? Experience? I have generalized, mod->severe depression with GAD and Borderline Personality Disorder.... at the moment my BIGGEST issue is anxiety though... im on 3 (THREE) clo****pam a day, and i really really want to wean off, but im TERRIFIED of having panic attacks... ug....

EDIT: y did it star out my med name? lol its a benzo for anxiety

Ugh, another side effect to Zoloft is bruxism...my jaw is killing me. I've been clenching it all week! Now it hurts to chew. Does anyone else have that problem and does it get better?

I took Zoloft in combination with Wellbutrin for a while a few years ago but dangit, it never caused me any weight loss or appetite loss. I DO know that Lexapro made me gain about 40 lbs in 1 summer. I stopped taking it cold turkey and dropped 7lbs immediately in under a week. Definitely see your doctor though if the side effects are this severe .... I DO NOT recommend switching to Lexapro from my experiences with it - the severe weight increase only dramatically intensified my depression.

I took this zoloft, many, many years ago but remember having the same side effect. It only lasted a few weeks and then I went back to normal. The few pounds I lost during the first weeks I quickly gained back once my appetite was back.
Good luck!

I've been on Zoloft for about 8 years now (yes, they've tried to get me off it on several occasions, but unfortunately my MDD is recurrent and presents with suicidal ideation, so for now I'm stuck on it). I have gained 10-15 lbs every single year since I started taking it. Now I don't know if that's the medication that's doing it - I was well on my way to an eating disorder when I started the Zoloft - but I'm pretty sure it's had an effect. I never experienced any loss of appetite on it. Wish I had! :(

I Put On 45lbs On Zoloft , Some People Lose And Some People Gain.
I Think I Will Talk To My Doctor About Changing To A Different Med.
Good Luck.

I gained 60 pounds on Zoloft. If I had any aversions to food, it escaped me quickly. :(

ETA: was on med for under one year.

Hmmmm. Just further proof that different meds affect different people in different ways. I never had that particular *side effect* on zoloft. However, just ONE pill of the Effexor & man, the side effects hit me like a freight train! non-hunger being one of them.

good luck with your meds & your weight loss... and if you find that the zoloft doesn't work for you, keep trying! - there's bound to be one out there that does :hug:

I was on Zoloft for 10 years and the only reason I gained weight on it was because I way over ate, so I see that as my issue not the meds...I was changed to Lexapro, but then started having some worsening anxiety and now have been changed to Paxil ...geez I feel like I have been on it all, haha...what a mess...

I gained about 100 pounds on SSRI's over the course of three years (I was on them for a total of six years but the first year didn't gain much and the last couple of years I maintained. I was on Paxil (largest weight gain at 80 lbs) Prozac (responsible for about 20) went off for a few years, lost about 50, back on to Celexa (gained about 60) and then to Zoloft (gained another 20 or so).

I have now been off of them for about three years and only in the last year have I been able to start losing weight. I quit eating starch and cut way back on sugar and what I discovered was that my moods stabilized. It was like being on the SSRIs without the side effects. I now wonder if my mood issues were caused by a sensitivity to starch and sugar.

Important to note, the reason I gained so much on SSRIs was because I craved carbs the entire time I was on them.

I recently ran across a great article and thought I would pass it along. However because I am a new poster I cannot have links in my email. The name of the article is "How I Overcame Bipolar II(and saved my own life), written by Michael Ellsberg and it is on forbes.com I wish the article had been written a decade ago. It would have saved me a tremendous amount of pain.

I had that side effect when I started taking it as well. It went away about 6 weeks later and then I gained 50 lbs on it so I'm no longer taking it.