I have been on zoloft nearly 15 years. My weight gain was not from meds. Maybe it slows down a little bit, but usually when people feel "better" about life they tend to eat less. -- I am an emotional eater; it had nothing to do with meds.

The only med that caused weight gain on me was prednisone...it is :devil:

i hated paxil....all I did was sleep

I think everyone can say they had weight gain on any of the anti depressants it seems. I have been on paxil for months now and havent had any weight gain, have lost 14 pds in a month and a half ...but I know each person is different.

MovieGirl - glad to hear that you are feeling better ...like I said a few posts ago I was on zoloft for many years and it helped me feel a lot better ...glad to hear you have lost weight as well.

Carri

I went on Zoloft right at the time I was 168 lbs (down from 175) and taking swimming lessons at the local gym. I was feeling really motivated and was losing weight and happy. I started the Zoloft because I have anxiety issues, and once I got to the therapeutic dose of 100mg a day, I started getting intense mutant cravings to eat. It was like I'd eat the paint off the walls if I could. I do not feel that this hunger was just me "feeling good." It was intense hunger out of nowhere and I wasn't even hungry. I just needed to eat, eat, eat. I gained 35 lbs and I feel disgusting and miserable. I have also spent the past 6-8 months trying to get off the Zoloft. I went from 100 to 50 mgs and had a host of problems like dizziness, nausea, flu type feelings etc.

Some significant side effects of the Zoloft for me besides weight gain were: night sweats (I'd wake up soaked), really intense dreams (I usually didn't remember dreaming but on Zoloft I would have intense dreams every night), and for the first few months I could not orgasm (this eventually went away.)

I have now reduced my doze from 50 to 25 mgs a day but still get dizziness and nausea on and off from the change. I like to call Zoloft "fat glue." It seems to have destroyed my metabolism where now even if I starve myself I can only lose a lb or something a week. I was in better shape before I started the stuff.

your mileage may vary. Good luck to you:)

I just started taking Citalopram (a different antidepressant) and while its only been a few days I'm now having anxiety about gaining weight. I'm not sure what to believe. If the medicine causes you to eat a ton or if it causes you to pack on the pounds out of nowhere. I am going to monitor my intake and my weight and see how it goes over the next month and also keep up the exercise if I can.

Celexa, Zoloft, and Lezapro (etc) all fall under a class of anti-depressants called SSRI's. They will NOT make you gain weight alone, you would have to be over eating. The old class of anti-depressants like Prozac can cause minimal weight gain. The stories your reading about people gaining 30-80 pounds didn't happen from a pill, it happened from food. Period.

The only long term side-effects that you may experience are sexual dysfunction and vivid dreams. At first you may feel super tired, loss or increase of appetite, or just a bit off (brian fog) but that will pass. Give the meds a full 6 weeks before you jugde whether it's working or not.

Good Luck!

I never gained weight while on Zoloft. In fact, because I was able to focus long-term on my goals once my emotions were stabilized, it was a lot easier to lose the weight. Food for thought...

AMEN Novangel !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gained on Zoloft
 

Hey, I'm new here and actually just dealt with this issue of Zoloft and weight gain with my psychiatrist. With no significant food or physical activity changes, I have gained about 40lbs steadily over the 1.5 years I've been on Zoloft. I have spent the last month or two keeping a food journal and combing over my daily routine, trying to figure out how I keep gaining weight and I couldn't find anything (nothing that would lead to a steady 1/2lb-1lb weight gain per week)! On top of the reliable weight gain, I have found it extremely difficult (near impossible) to lose weight...it is possible, I did lose about 15lbs for my wedding in September, but I had to eat about 1200 calories/day and exercise to burn about 500 calories/day...basically consuming 700 calories/day (unhealthy!).

I just switched from Zoloft to Wellbutrin XL yesterday because I just couldn't take the weight gain anymore. It was like the depression that Zoloft was minimizing, the weight gain from Zoloft was replacing.

So now I am on Wellbutrin XL, and Gabapentin (as needed). Both are known as "weight neutral" drugs, so I'm just hoping I can get back to a normal weight and size. :spin:

From what I've read, most people don't gain as much weight as I did (some don't notice any weight gain at all)...But it is possible. :?:

I would avoid more pills you dont need (i.e the thyroid one). I know doctors try hard to sell pills to give you things you can get naturally (like more energy) but i wouldnt do it. Introducing more pills that arent really necessary can set off a cascade of instability IMO

Hello,

Ive been reading your guys posts and I was just wondering how long it took you once you got off zoloft to lose weight? Like what was the timeline of the whole experience? I am currently FREAKING out because I have gained 60 pounds on a combo of abilify and zoloft despite a very healthy diet and 5-6 days a week of HIIT and strength training. I feel so completely hopeless that I will never get my body back because Ive been off zoloft for 3 months and have only lost 9 pounds. I would greatly appreciate a reply to this email I'm so desperate right now for some answers.

Thank you so so soooooo much ❤

I've been on Zoloft for 3 years and gained 50 pounds. I blame some of that on the drug but that doesnt mean YOU will gain weight.