[mrb020377]

i have recently been put on zoloft for anxiety.
is there any one else who is on this? if so did you ahve any problems with not wanting to eat?

[beelieving]

Hi mrb023077,

I took all different mg of Zoloft for about 4 years. It never severely suppressed my appetite but it did cause constipation. I found that if I didn’t drink a lot of water with this med I would get constipated and irritable which caused a loss in appetite. The med did not work for me personally. If this is the only side effect you’re experiencing though and you find that the med helps you, I hope the symptom passes and leaves positive outcomes for you.

Wishing you health and happiness. ~ Bee

[Christine329]

I was on zoloft for a very long time with no sucess, it never helped me. highest dose possible and it didnt work but i never had eating issues. best of luck to you

[rosiekaloust]

<font color="blue"> </font> Hi I have been on zoloft and risperdal since january 2007 and i have a big appetite ,i have never stopped eating and i had a weight gain

[mrb020377]

i have noticed a big difference in the short time i have been on it in my anxiety! I am not so edgy and i have a better out look. I do get a little nauseated. so i am not sure if this is why i am not eating as much or if it is because i am not as axious as i was before! I think before i was just eating because i didnt know what was wrong i couldnt pin point it! does that make sense?

thanks for the imput guys!

[beelieving]

Hi mrb023077,

So glad to hear that you’re starting to see a positive effect. I think I get what you’re saying about the anxiety and eating. If the zoloft is helping to eliminate that “mindless” eating used to ease anxiety or boredom, I think that’s great! About the nausea... I had nausea during the first week of taking it and it seemed to disappear definitely by the second week. But like you said, it could just be that it’s helping your anxiety and eating habits. As long as you’re still eating normal meals you may have found your match. I hope things keep improving for you.

Hugs. ~ Bee

[pescador]

Zoloft gave me a bad case of acid reflux. I had to stop it. I am now AD free for the first time in 14 years and kinda doing ok but I will see a doc in Sept to discuss the future.

[mrb020377]

well the zoloft seems to be working ok for the axiety but it is making me not care about other things. i amsleeping like way too much and not eating enough. i have called my doctor to let him know and am just waiting on him to call me back

[beelieving]

Hi mrb023077,

Glad you contacted your doc. Zoloft helped me with anxiety too but my experience with it was that it came with more negatives than positives. I too slept way too much and still woke with low energy, and could hardly remember my dreams. I could never cry or express myself that well. And what ever it did to my body caused me to loose my appetite far too often. I ended up having to stop the med because after 5 years of being on it I went from depressed to severely/suicidal depressed. I’ve been off meds for 5 months now. I still struggle with stuff but am so much better than I was when I took Zoloft. Just keep in close contact with your doc. I wish you the best with all of this. Finding the right med is hard.

Hugs. ~ Bee

[ickydog2006]

I've been on Zoloft since February and feel much better on it. The first two weeks were really hard for me. I was getting nauseous and dizzy regularly but it went away after two- three weeks. I experienced a few other side effects for a few months but they have since gone away (never loss of appetite after the nausea went away).

I hope this drug works for you as well, but if not, keep in mind there are many other options out there, but they all take time.

Good luck

[Mavenfp]

After reading the posts here, I'm getting kind of scared I am about to take Zoloft for the first time (never took an antidepressant before; only Xanax), and to hear so many people mention nausea as a side effect is not what I want to hear. My friend who started Zoloft about a month ago also said that she experienced nausea the first week.

I DON'T THINK I CAN HANDLE A WEEK OF FEELING NAUSEOUS. I was prescribed Zoloft 50mg for panic disorder. Whenever I get panic attacks, I feel nauseous. For me, it's about the worst feeling in the world. Oh, and by the way, I DON'T EAT WHEN I'M STRESSED/ANXIOUS. To read that some of you have lost your appetite on Zoloft also scares me. I know that drugs affect people differently, and that I could be one of the lucky ones who doesn't really suffer many side effects from this, but I am not looking forward to the potentially unpleasant feeling of taking this drug.

[Mavenfp]

how is the zoloft working for you now? have the side effects disappeared? Hope it's working out for you...

[CamW]

Mavenfp - One can minimize the nausea caused by Zoloft™ (setraline) by taking it with a meal. Actually, Zoloft™ should be taken with food, even after the nausea has subsided. When you eat the blood vessels connected to and surrounding the stomach and small intestine experience increased blood flow in order to distribute absorbed foods (and medication) throughout the body. This increased blood flow results in an increased rate of absorption from the small intestine.

The lining of your intestine contains enzymes that metabolize the Zoloft™ molecule. By increasing blood flow through the gut area the enzymes that metabolize Zoloft™ are less likely to attach to the medication. Thus more of the intact Zoloft™ enters the bloodstream, resulting in a higher plasma concentration of the medication than would have been if the Zoloft™ were taken on an empty stomach.

In other words, by taking Zoloft™ (sertraline) with food you get "more 'bang' for your buck". In theory, one may be able to get away with taking slightly lower doses, while benefiting from higher blood levels of the medication.

BTW, not everyone experiences nausea as a start-up side effect of Zoloft™. Besides, a week of every lessening nausea is an extremely small price to pay to rid oneself of depression and/or anxiety.

I hope that this is of some help. - Cam

[Mavenfp]

It's somewhat reassuring to know that taking it with food lessens the anxiety. i know that side effects are individual. however, i heard an alarming amount of people mention nausea. i will have to ask my friend if she took it with meals or not her first week to see if that's why she felt that way. i HATE NAUSEA. really, i'm hypersensitive to it -- i start to freak out if i experience it so it may be more alarming for me than for some others. anyhow, thanks a lot for the information.

</font><blockquote><div id="quote"><font class="small">Quote:</font>
CamW said:
Mavenfp - One can minimize the nausea caused by Zoloft™ (setraline) by taking it with a meal. Actually, Zoloft™ should be taken with food, even after the nausea has subsided. When you eat the blood vessels connected to and surrounding the stomach and small intestine experience increased blood flow in order to distribute absorbed foods (and medication) throughout the body. This increased blood flow results in an increased rate of absorption from the small intestine.

The lining of your intestine contains enzymes that metabolize the Zoloft™ molecule. By increasing blood flow through the gut area the enzymes that metabolize Zoloft™ are less likely to attach to the medication. Thus more of the intact Zoloft™ enters the bloodstream, resulting in a higher plasma concentration of the medication than would have been if the Zoloft™ were taken on an empty stomach.

In other words, by taking Zoloft™ (sertraline) with food you get "more 'bang' for your buck". In theory, one may be able to get away with taking slightly lower doses, while benefiting from higher blood levels of the medication.

BTW, not everyone experiences nausea as a start-up side effect of Zoloft™. Besides, a week of every lessening nausea is an extremely small price to pay to rid oneself of depression and/or anxiety.

I hope that this is of some help. - Cam

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">

[mrb020377]

well my doctor changed my meds. he took me off Zoloft and put me on Wellbutrin. Needless to say, dealing with the anxiety has been harder to do but at least i feel better. The zoloft was making me to were all i did was sleep and didnt care about anything. kinda like it was making me depressed.

My doctor did say the nausea i was having was from the zoloft. Which after I stopped taking it, I having had any.