I have been reading and reading the Zoloft forum and I am wondering about weight gain. I don't see it talked about much in here and I would really like to hear about what others have dealt with weight wise from it. Is it more neutral than say, Lexapro? I quit taking it the first time because of the weight gain. Then the anxiety wouldn't let up and I had to take it again, but it was just horrible. It did NOT work the same at all the second time taking it a mere few months later. So now I am off of it since like, March or April again and the panic attacks are getting to the point to where I had to fill the Zoloft script. But I have it in the fridge waiting on me. I just hated being on the SSRIs and all the start up side effects, the waiting, the messing with my emotions, and then weight gain. Oh and of course, the sexual side effects. =( And of course, don't forget the same thing happening again when you try to get off of them. Oi. I swore I wouldn't go back on another one, but the panic attacks and constant anxiety doesn't seem to be giving me much hope. Every day I wake up anxious. Better after a few hours of "doping myself up" on Xanax and Benedryl. Then I am ok for a few hours and it starts to wane.

I have had panic attacks and ocd since I was 7 years old, panic disorder, social, mild depression. Have tried several ADs (prozac, paxil, Luvox, lexapro) but not Zoloft. I have read quite a few good things about it on here, except one guy that has his system ALL messed up now because of SSRIs. I know they aren't so good for us, and I always feel so toxic inside when I take them. I have also read that long term use of them actually make your serotonin worse than it was before you took them, depleting it. But what else can I do? I have done the supplement route, and herbs, and it just doesn't quite do it to quell the anxiety. I do affirmations, Journal, take the supplements, and still have to take Xanax. Thank God for that at least. I have worked on this many years.

So I have this Zoloft......I just don't want to jump back on the roller coaster of it again. I know I am GABA deficient and serotonin deficient as well, or I wouldn't be so anxious. *sigh* I am 40 now. Way too long to deal with this crap ya know?

Ok, so Zoloft....are we thinking that it seems to be one of the most tolerable SSRIs? And the weight thing...how about that? I am not wanting to gain weight from it. Don't need to lose. But don't need to gain either. Just fine where I am at. In fact, the anxiety makes me burn off everything and I haven't eaten much lately because of the anxiety. Upset tummy.

Thanks to all you people out there. It sure is reassuring that I am not alone in this. My Mom passed away in 2007 and she was my rock, as I was hers. I don't see how I will ever be solid without her again. Good thing my husband is so wonderful. He is the other rock. We were the 3 amigos. But of course, now I worry about losing him.

Thanks!

This post has been edited by Cotnbaugh: Jul 9 2009, 03:51 AM

HI Cotnbaugh, welcome to DF!

You certainly aren't alone in this, this place is great for helping you to realise that. Sorry to hear about your Mum but I think time does help to heal these wounds. It's great you have such a supportive husband, that can be such a help. Try not to let your negative thoughts dwell on losing him to.
Sorry, I can't help with the zoloft but am sure someone else will jump in.

PRT xx

I like Zoloft, it has been the most tolerable ssri I have been able to take. I have gained weight on it, but that does not mean you will.

I take Zoloft and I actually still haven't gained back the weight I lost from my anxiety. One of my early signs is lack of appetite so I lost around 15-20lbs in a month due to the anxiety and the start up on Zoloft.

Now that the Zoloft is stable it seems to be working pretty well. I have much less anxiety and haven't had any real depression other than the initial start up week on Z. I still need my Xanax sometimes, but I only use it once or twice every couple of weeks now.

From what I hear, Z is supposed to be one of the better medications for anxiety so for that, it should work well (if it works for you). It was a really rough start on it for me. I had headaches, cramps, more anxiety, and really bad depression. That all lasted about a week to two weeks. Now that I've been on it for 4 months I really forget I'm taking it sometimes. None of the SE's have really stuck around. In fact, it seems to help my lactose allergies as well. Physically I've felt great since being on it. Mentally I'm still working at it, but I'm getting there.

I've been taking Zoloft for 6 months, and I didn't have any side effects, though it's hard for me to tell exactly what Zoloft *is* doing. I have had recent weight gain (in the past 3 weeks) coinciding with the onset of yet another depressive episode. I attribute this weight gain to depression itself, not to Zoloft, since prior to that my weight was steady.

Thank you very much for the support in this decision. From what I have read on here, and it's been a LOT of the posts, it seems Zoloft is a good SSRI, with some of the least amount of trouble after the beginning. Some don't have side effects, and some do. I went through them with Lexapro too, including increased anxiety, which really sucks, since that's what I am taking it for. "Oh, let's take something else to increase my anxiety and then quell it with some more xanax!". ha. Really, though, I know it does help over a bit of time.

The thing I am wrestling with the most is the starting of it...and the eventual stopping of it. One, I feel weak for having to do this all over again. And I know I will eventually want to get off of it, and that is SO HARD too. Plus, it just seems that once you get on this SSRI ride, you really can't get off of it. I have read that it can take up to two years to get over the withdrawls, so after a few months of being off of one, we can't stand the rebound anxiety or depression and have to start again. And that SSRIs don't really make more serotonin, but kinda trap the serotonin you do have in your brain, but that over time of using SSRIs, they actually deplete what you have, and that's one reason you feel worse when you get off of them. What if we need to stay off of them longer to get things ironed out?

It's a vicious cycle. But see, the thing is, is that when I tried to take Lexapro again after stopping, it did NOT work the second time around and made the panic attacks worse. I went through the dr. adjusting my dosage--they wanted to up the dose to make it better, but it made it much worse, but don't they always?---and all the panic attacks that went with that, plus anger, headaches and nightmares nightly and having to stay in bed, taking lots of Xanax and Benedryl to just get leveled to get out of bed.

Well, I am starting my days out that way again, though, not quite as long in bed, but due to life transitions like my Mom passing and my daughter leaving the house more and her being an adult now and it's just so much change. It's hard for me to not be in control and having regularity. I think a lot of anxiety sufferers on here can relate to that. Panic disorder. I am trying so hard to try to let go of how I want things to be, and let them be the way the universe has planned, since I have no control over that anyway. Spiritually, I know that. I guess the lack of control takes me back to childhood feelings of feeling out of control. I mean, I did start these things at 7.

Anyway, thank you for your support and please, if anyone else has Zoloft experiences or information, let me know. I am toying with the idea of starting this weekend with about 12 mgs at first. I am weighing pros and cons of being on it, versus taking Xanax, Benedryl and Klonopin on and off all day and before bed. But I may call the dr. and ask if I should give it more time (will a couple of months make a difference? Can I handle this a couple of more months?)

I DO love that drifty feeling I get from my benzos after anxiety and feeling them kick in and taking it away...well, LESSENING it.

Sorry for the rambling.

This post has been edited by Cotnbaugh: Jul 10 2009, 05:57 PM

Ramble away! DOn't apologise! xx

*smile* Thanks.

Was just checking in to see if there were any other Zoloft experiences, how it worked for people, side effects, and withdrawl...and of course, the weight gain.

Just checking in to see if there were replies on Zoloft experiences. I haven't taken the med yet, as I am still trying to put it off. But dealing with the daily anxiety sucks, as many of you know how it is.

It feels like I am putting off the inevitable. I will read tons of good reviews of it and then I will read some bad and scary ones and it reminds me of why I got off of the SSRI to begin with and why I am putting it off starting again. But then I think about how the anxiety will most likely be eased for awhile if I took it. On the other hand, am I being too rash, and not giving my body enough time of leveling out on it's own, or healing itself, before inundating it with more chemicals?

*sigh* Is that why it's so hard for us to stay off of them, because our bodies are still not balanced months later or even serotonin deficient because of the SSRIs and so we think we should start again rather than giving it more time to recoup? I'm beginning to believe that. But in the meantime, it's miserable being miserable. What can a person do?

Hey cotnbaugh,

It's your choice but I kind of think that if you're miserable without it, why not give it a shot? Everyone is different anyway so other people's experiences won't necessarily be your own.
I'm coming off my meds at the moment so I understand you wanting to try without but maybe you just need something at the moment? xx