Afraid of weight GAIN if I go off Zoloft... please read.

Hi, everyone!  I found this forum and have a very specific concern about going off Zoloft.

So, here's my story.  I went on Zoloft my second year of college, which was 2002/2003.  Very shortly after beginning the medication, I became bulimic.  (I don't really think it had anything to do with the medication, I think I was just redirecting my depression.)  I wasn't the type of bulimic who ate normally and binged/purged in addition to that, I was the kind who threw up most of what I ate, whether it was a snack, a small meal, or a binge.  (On a sidenote, I have heard this diagnosed as a purging anorexic, but regardless, I was throwing up most of what I ate.)  Naturally, I lost weight.  When I started on Zoloft, I weighed 135, which was my weight after gaining my "freshman 15".  (I am 5'5'' for reference.)  In less than two months, I was down to 120 and over that summer, I lost to about 115.  My eating disorder continued on for two more years, for a total of 3 years.  During that time, my weight fluctuated between 110 and 117.  I finally sought help and along with the therapy and severe chest pains I began having when purging, I was finally able to gradually recover.  I completely stopped the behaviors of my eating disorder in 2006.  Since then, I have maintained and even lost a bit more weight.  I had gotten down to 106 lbs without even trying to but am now maintaining at 110.  During this time, I have eaten what I wanted and for the most part, I haven't watched what I eat.  My appetite is pretty small now, so I think that certainly helps.

So, back to the Zoloft.  I have now been on it for... 6 years.  I can't believe it's been that long.  But over the last 2-3 years, I have stayed quite thin and haven't had to watch what I eat at all.  I want to stop taking Zoloft, but I am afraid my body or appetite will change and that I'll gain weight.  No one wants to gain weight, but my biggest concern is that I will gain weight and fall back into being eating disordered as a result.  Does anyone have any advice?  Am I being paranoid for no reason?  I just feel like my appetite and weight have been perfect for the last two years and am afraid that going off Zoloft might change that.  Any advice would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks a ton!!!  =)

Post Edited (Annette R) : 8/14/2008 10:18:17 AM (GMT-6)

I recently started Zoloft 3 weeks ago and can't tolerate more than 10 mg. at a time or else it makes me incredibly wired and agitated. I had lost weight steadily after the birth of my son who is now 10 months and don't find weight an issue. Maybe after a while I will start to gain again and that would stink because I gave away all my larger clothes!

110 sounds to slender. I wouldn't worry about gaining weight since you seem to have a fudge factor there. Do you know what your BMI index is? Your ideal weight for your height?
Good luck
Carolyn

Hi everyone, thanks for the responses!  I guess 110 does sound a bit thin for 5'5'', but if you see me, it looks right.  Leigh Ann, I guess you are right, I still have some of those old thought processes... luckily they are just in my head and not being put into action.  There are a couple of reasons I want to go off Zoloft.  First is just that I don't want to be on this medication forever.  I was very depressed when I started it, but I had a lot of things going on in my life that are no longer going on... I don't think I am one of those people who is just naturally depressed and needs the medicine for life.  My boyfriend has also been telling me I should get off it.  Now I know he is not a doctor, but he does have some good points.  We are close to getting engaged and one of the things he has said is that he doesn't want me to be on it whenever we decide to have a child a few years down the road.  I definitely understand that... of course I don't know anything about if being on that medicine and being pregnant is a problem.  I have discussed it with two different doctors I visit.  The first one (who prescribed Zoloft to me to begin with) thinks I should stay on it.  The other one thinks I should go off it if everything is good in my life.  I guess the main thing is just that I don't want to be on it forever.  It's been six years, which has been a lot longer than I thought I would've stayed on it.  But I definitely understand the theory of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

Any more advice would be great.  =)

I hope that if you do go off of it, that you still feel good. Sometimes we think that we don't need a medication because we do feel good, when the medication is the reason that we are feeling well. I went off of effexor for that reason, boy was that a mistake. I will have to take it for the rest of my life.

I was reading about zoloft and it says that it should be discontinued gradually. And to let the doctor know if you are pregnant.

Best wishes to you, I hope that this works out for you.

Luv and hugs Karen

Annette said...
First is just that I don't want to be on this medication forever.  I was very depressed when I started it, but I had a lot of things going on in my life that are no longer going on... I don't think I am one of those people who is just naturally depressed and needs the medicine for life.  My boyfriend has also been telling me I should get off it.  Now I know he is not a doctor, but he does have some good points.  We are close to getting engaged and one of the things he has said is that he doesn't want me to be on it whenever we decide to have a child a few years down the road.  I definitely understand that... of course I don't know anything about if being on that medicine and being pregnant is a problem.

Hey Annette,

Taking medication forever shouldn't be a consideration.  Depression is a chemical imbalance in the brain which the medication balances out.  People that stop their medication when "everything seems fine", usually find out that it was the medication keeping things stable, and often quickly deteriorate after stopping the medication.  Think of it this way, there are many illnesses that require medication daily for life...diabetes, high blood pressure, bad cholesterol, chronic pain...this list goes on.  People with these problems adjust and just consider their meds a way of life.

Next, listening to a boyfriend who hasn't done anything to cement your longterm relationship shouldn't get any input into the matter of your health and well-being.  "Close to getting engaged" is about as dependable as "I'm going to start my diet on Monday"  or "My New Year's Resolution is to 'quit smoking' or 'get more exercise'".  Those "promises" aren't worth a plug nickel, and until your boyfriend puts his money where his mouth is, you need to depend on your own best judgement.

As for being concerned about taking medication during pregnancy sometime in the future, that may or may not play out the way you want.  I spent almost eight years with my ex-fiance, which I was sure was going to end in marriage and children.  Then I got dumped one day, out of the blue, with no warning at all.  We had never even gotten into a single fight, but the relationship was instantly over.   Eventually, I did get married to someone else, but he turned out to be autistic, and not a good parental candidate (divorced him).  Now I'm 43 and single with no children.  Not to sound like doom and gloom, but never make major decisions based on what you think will happen in the future, cuz things just may not work out that way.

You sound like a very reasonable, together person.  As the old saying goes, "don't fix it if it ain't broke".

Best wishes,

Leigh Ann