Zoloft weight gain and withdrawal symptoms

Hi Jenlmonge,

Welcome to the forum.

I am sorry for what you are going through. Is the doc putting you on a different antidepressant? Do they know you are going off Zoloft? It is difficult when we gain weight from antidepressants.

There are other ones to try that don't necessarily make you gain weight. Plus after your surgery with hormone changes things can happen and depending on your age. So it isn't always the medication.

When I took Zoloft I lost a lot of weight due to the diarrhea it caused me. But we are all different. I just got off Lexapro because I gained ten pounds on it and it effected me sexually. I tried Wellbutrin but it made me agitated. Seems like there is always something in the way.

I hope you can find a med that is weight neutral. Talk to the doc and see what they say.

Have a good day.

Hugs, Karen...

Good Morning,
Yes, my doctors know I’m attempting another wean off the Zoloft. I tried this past winter but my daughter had back surgery and it just wasn’t good timing. Originally my psychiatrists recommendation was to stay on it for 6-9 months after surgery as I have no history of anxiety or depression. I would prefer to not switch if I’m able to get off the Zoloft. I have a phenomenal therapist, a strong support system and many tools in place yet I can’t seem to convince myself that I’m capable of living without Zoloft. Or maybe it’s that I don’t know who I am without the Zoloft?

My withdrawal symptoms are mostly physical. Severe brain fog and spaciness. Vertigo and dizziness when I workout. There is a part of me that wonders if I’m actually experiencing anxiety while withdrawing or if it’s the thought of being off the meds that’s making me anxious. If that makes any sense! Regardless, I’ve cut down from 100 to 50mg over the course of five weeks. My original therapeutic dose after my breakdown (I like to call it my spiritual awakening) was 150mg so I’ve made progress!

Anyone have tips or advice that will help with the withdrawal process?

Hi Jenlmonge. I am interested in your situation because I too am about to start the process of weaning off of Zoloft. I began at 25mg and have slowly increased to 150 mg, where I have been for the past 9 weeks or so. I am taking it because of anxiety (probably some combination of GAD and OCD) and an event that occurred about 10 months ago that caused me a major anxiety attack.

I had troubling side effects when I first began the zoloft. It messed with my sleep. I needed meds to help me fall asleep at the beginning. Also, I would wake up very early in the morning and feel super-agitated. The agitation would not subside until I went out for a run. So, at 5 or 530 am, I was out the door to run. Not fun! But I stuck with it and the high agitation and sleeping difficulty mostly went away. I was lucky that I did not experience weight gain.

But I really don't want to be on SSRI or any other meds for the long term. So I am going to try to go off of it. My doc says I could take benzos as needed. I don't want to do much of that either, but I guess a small dose on rare occasions.

My taper plan for the Zoloft is 25 mg reduction every two weeks. I can always stop reducing or go up if I feel bad. My doc basically said "do whatever feels right."

So, we will see.

Let us know how your taper goes. Thanks!

Post Edited (medved) : 5/20/2020 10:35:11 AM (GMT-6)

Hello! A quick update on my weaning process. I’m now 6.5 weeks in and down to 37.5mg/day. So far my most difficult side effect is spaciness every now and then and a little increased anxiety here and there. Still extremely frustrated with my weight as I’ve cut calories even more and I’m still gaining. Just crazy!

It takes awhile for people to be able to lose the weight we gain on antidepressants. I have been off Lexapro for about two months, and just starting to lose weight that I gained. It takes a good bit especially if the medication has a longer half life. I don't know if Zoloft does or not.

Have patience and keep on eating healthy.

Hugs, Karen...