[Cocosurviving]

Hello there,

I’ve been on Zoloft since last October. I started out at 25mg, 50mg and then 75mg. Now I’m on 100mg. I am on a mood stabilizer (Lithium). Over the last few months I’ve been having a problem with my bowels. I went to my primary’s office and saw her PA. She said I had IBS....gave me a med and told me to start taking a fiber pill. Well I did that for four months and no change. Today I went back and this time I saw my primary not a PA. She told me Zoloft causes diarrhea. My primary told me to have my pdoc take me off Zoloft. I have a pdoc appt next week. I’m just nervous....I was nervous about taking a antidepressant because I tried it before and it caused mania (I was not put on a mood stabilizer at the time though). So now I’ll have to try another antidepressant. I tried Lamictal it worked for a while then stopped. Has anyone had bad experiences with Zoloft like diarrhea a lot?

[Victoria'smom]

My son took it and hurt himself very bad on it. That was the last day he was on it.

[BillSamuels2]

i took it once and it felt like i was on ecstasy. i was so high. i had to go off of it right away.

[BeyondtheRainbow]

Zoloft gave me terrible diarrhea, enough that I had to go off it because I was getting in trouble for missing/being late for one of my classes in grad school. I think it was ok on lower doses and when taken with Remeron (which caused constipation and probably balanced it out), but 100 mg alone was bad. It also made me manic but I didn't understand that yet and it wasn't the worst of the SSRIs for that for me.

[~Christina]

Lithium had me in the bathroom all the time.

I took zoloft 20 years ago ( pre BP diagnosis) and I was hypo enough to buy a house and 2 new cars in 18 months , picked out by my 7 year old daughter LOL

[99fairies]

I've seen and read that zoloft in teenagers can be very dangerous. But as an adult I would think it should be fine. Just make sure you tell someone if have intrusive, violent thoughts.

[NatsukiKuga]

Like any SSRI, sertraline (Zoloft's generic name) can give you the crummytummies for a while before it settles in. Me, I wouldn't put up with more than four weeks of that before demanding a different SSRI. Heaven knows, there are plenty choices of SSRI.

Sertraline is also unlike most SSRIs in that it has a little dopamine kick to it, so it can make a person agitated, or even hypo. I myself usually need huge doses of anything before it works for me, and I had to abandon sertraline before even getting up to a mid- size dose.

Hope this helps

[bewise93]

I take Zoloft and Lithium as well, and I think it's probably the Lithium with the Zoloft, complex polypharmacy. Because when I've taken those two meds seperately, they don't cause it, but when I've taken them together, I get diarrhea. Go figure.

[Sunflower123]

I tried Zoloft for a few months and had no side effects but no positive reaction either. I hope your pdoc appointment goes well and you get something that works well for you.

I take Zoloft (I think the off-brand is Bupropion? I could be wrong) but it's working fine for me. Just remember that everyone's brain chemistry is different, so it'll be different for everyone.

[HALLIEBETH87]

Lithium
Really messed with my tummy. I had to quit jt

[NatsukiKuga]

Originally Posted by Murderface

I take Zoloft (I think the off-brand is Bupropion? I could be wrong) but it's working fine for me. Just remember that everyone's brain chemistry is different, so it'll be different for everyone.

Not to be Little Miss Nancy Know-It-All, but the generic of Zoloft is Sertraline. It's one of a class of drugs called SSRIs, which basically elevate the serotonin in your brain. Some other SSRIs are Paxil, Prozac, and Zoloft. There's a bunch. I've cycled through several as each has pooped out on me in turn.

Pooped out on me - heh - each has given me diarrhea for the first three weeks or so, slowly getting lighter as time passes. YMWV.

Bupropion (generic Wellbutrin and Zyban) is in another class entirely. It dumps dopamine into your system, and whammo! It can push you close to (or into) hypomania. You need to be very cautious about dosages and the times of day you take it.

I take it in the 24-hr release format, which gives the smoothest release profile.

One VERY serious warning with bupropion: NO ALCOHOL! They can give you seizures.

Here endeth the tl;dr

[Cocosurviving]

So I looked up other side effects for Zoloft. I found weight gain and it can cause anxiety. I have had both things since being on Zoloft.

[Cocosurviving]

My stomach has been upset all day. I have a pdoc appt coming up. Instead of continuing 100mg I’m going to do 50mg.

[Pookyl]

Diarrhoea for me is an indicator that my Lithium levels are creeping too high. So I increase my fluid intake and the diarrhoea disappears.

[NatsukiKuga]

Originally Posted by Cocosurviving

My stomach has been upset all day. I have a pdoc appt coming up. Instead of continuing 100mg I’m going to do 50mg.

That'd be exactly what I'd talk over with my pdoc. If that dosage calms your belly and still boosts your mood enough, sounds like you've got a winner.

It basically all comes down to what sucks less, right? If Zoloft does a fantastic job on your mood, is it worth putting up with some stomach upset? You have to decide for yourself.

Just make sure you tell pdoc how you've responded to different dosages, and remember to talk about alternative SSRIs if you've just finally had it with Zoloft.

Good Luck.

[NatsukiKuga]

Originally Posted by Pookyl

Diarrhoea for me is an indicator that my Lithium levels are creeping too high. So I increase my fluid intake and the diarrhoea disappears.

Yah, that makes a lot of sense, too. I'm no chemist, but isn't lithium delivered as a water- soluble salt and gets processed through your kidneys? I bet that somehow fouls up your body's idea about how much water to retain.

I've read that back in the Good Ol' Days, they used to give people massive (by today's standards) doses of lithium because they knew it worked, and the resulting diarrhea was just something you had to put up with.

Whatever sucks worse, you know?

[Cocosurviving]

Originally Posted by NatsukiKuga

Yah, that makes a lot of sense, too. I'm no chemist, but isn't lithium delivered as a water- soluble salt and gets processed through your kidneys? I bet that somehow fouls up your body's idea about how much water to retain.

I've read that back in the Good Ol' Days, they used to give people massive (by today's standards) doses of lithium because they knew it worked, and the resulting diarrhea was just something you had to put up with.

Whatever sucks worse, you know?

I’ll have to checkout that book. I was able to get an appt a day earlier with my pdoc.

[NatsukiKuga]

Originally Posted by Cocosurviving

I’ll have to checkout that book. I was able to get an appt a day earlier with my pdoc.

I bet you can find the info at crazymeds.us

Great site for info on meds to inform yourself as you partner with pdoc working on your cocktail.

[Wild Coyote]

Originally Posted by Murderface

I take Zoloft (I think the off-brand is Bupropion? I could be wrong) but it's working fine for me. Just remember that everyone's brain chemistry is different, so it'll be different for everyone.

Zoloft is sertraline.
Wellbutrin is bupropion.

I'm glad your med works well for you.

WC