I am 32 female and I am suffering depression for a long time on and off. last 2 months due to medical problems my low mood became permanent depression. Today I saw psychiatrist and she suggested taking sertraline 50mg. she said its my choice as she can't force me.
My main worry is Weight, as I have/had eating disorder I control my eating to stay slim. I am not under weight at all. (in fact in last 2 months I put a bit of weight but scared to weight myself)
I am not such a person that depression caused weight loss, or lack of appetite.
I want to know does sertraline cause weight gain or weight loss. She said any time I can stop it and I am due to see her next month. I know it takes 2-6 weeks to see the benefit.
Please give me your experience especially those who are slim before starting the medication. Did you lost weight or gain?
Hi there,been on sertraline for just over a week now ,prescribed by dr for depression and panic attack.Since starting i have had no appitite at all and in fact have lost a few pounds,this is different for everyone but on the positive side my mood has started to improve and these tabs can take a while to work so u need to stick with them.Hope this is of some help.
Hi, have been on Sertraline 10 weeks, my weight has stayed exactly the same - I weigh 8st 7lb - size 10. Lost a bit to start as appetite went with tablets, but am eating normally now and I don't think I'm going to gain. The only thing I have gained is a smile on my face again!
By the way, am in my fifties, and more likely to put weight on than younger woman, so don't worry![/b]
I'm also in my 50's..and not quite so slim as you, although not huge. However I do put weight on easily.
I've got some sertraline but just daren't take them as i had a very bad experience with Seroxat, where i put on nearly 4 stone over the years.
Do you find Sertraline good? I tried them for a few days a while ago, but they made me so tired and I used to wake up clenching my jaw. I suffer from bad depression and OCD.
Were you prescribed them for depression?
Hope you don't mind all the questions...I'm just interested.
Hi, don't be scared of them, they have helped me lots.
I had bad anxiety & depression, it is nearly 3 months and I really am beginning to feel good and enjoy life again.
I have to say that everyone reacts differently to meds. I had agitation and increased anxiety for a couple of weeks, then some people get upset stomach, I just wasn't hungry, but made sure I did eat as that does help.
I have a very good consultant, who didn't lie to me and said I would have a rough time for a couple of weeks, but I am sensitive to medication, he is also a strong believer in CBT, which I have been doing for 6 weeks, and it really does help. I am lucky, I have a great therapist. who has given me the confidence to face my fears and experience them, and accept them, and it works!
All I can say is that it is not an overnight thing - nor is the way depression anxiety come upon us, so you must have patience (really hard I know when you feel so horrible ) But you will gradually become the person you want to be if you have faith in the course you have decided to take -
My very best wishes, do take the tablets, your doc may give you a few valium to help you through the 1st couple of weeks, if you find you are more anxious. You have taken the step to go & get the meds, so take the next step and start taking them, and believe that you are now in control!
Thank you for getting back to me Annie. I am going to wait until I see a therapist this coming Tuesday..i have waited nearly three years for this to come about!! I'm hoping that the option for me will be CBT either with, or without medication. We'll see.
Again, my thanks.
How soon did the tablets \"kick in\"... so that you felt some respite from the depression?
I personally felt better after 2 weeks, but it is an ongoing process, you may not notice - but others will notice a difference, suddenly you find that it is really not so bad, and you aren't constantly checking how you feel, I have found that it has taken a good few weeks to feel good, but that is the nature of Sertraline I think.
I would like to say that I took the medication, and THEN started CBT, my consultant felt I would take in the concept better, and although it seems hard to start with, CBT alters your way of thinking, and you need to be able to concentrate and work with the therapist. I found my consultant was absolutely correct, and the more the Sertraline worked, the more I could apply the CBT to my everyday life. It is not magic, I would not like to deceive you, but you CAN do it and just keep thinking these things I am doing will make my life better....you owe it to yourself.
Please keep posting and let me know how you are doing! I am living proof that it does work, and you will find many positives on this site.
I was on anti depressants for such a long time (17 yrs) and have now been off them for just over 30 months, so you can probably see why I feel it's a shame to re-start... however, things have been very bad again of late, along with the lovely old menopause to boot!
Will see what tomorrow brings, and shall take it from there. I have to say though that it is my obsession re the weight gain that scares me. I just weep when i see the pictures of myself when on Seroxat.
Magda, I was on Cipralex for several years, and I was a size 16! It wasn't till I stopped I realised it wasn't me but the drug! Never be worried about going back on AD's, a well meaning doctor put me on Lorazepam (tranquilizer) and after 2 months I was addicted and so dopey all day....I am now (with help) tapering off. AD's help you feel 'normal' again, and you (like me) probably need to be on them. I don't think the Sertraline is having the same effect weight wise at all, I am by no means denying myself treats - but am just being careful but not dieting.
The jolly old menopause nearly drove me round the bend, it was when my depression & anxiety got bad, but thanks to AD's I came through with flying colours (& hot flushes)!!!!!
Did Sertraline help with the hot flushes? Mine are horrendous at the moment. I guess they've been made worse by stress, but I'm getting them every hour...and then the nights...oh..don't get me started!!! lol..
Well, to be honest, they did get worse for a while - and then it all settled down, and I only get them if I am a bit stressed at work say, phones ringing, boss yelling, front door ringing!!!
You will find people report hot flushes with Sert. but everyone is different.
Have you been to therapist today? How did you get on?
I hope Sally doesn't mind my posting here? I know it was her post.
Grrr...regarding my app this morning. Waited 3 years for this, and it was really only an initial assessment with some young (very young) psychologist. Not sure what will be offered to me...
Of course I don't mind it is very nice to see people exchange exprience and support each other.
Its been seven weeks since I started Sertraline, I have to say that I didn't have any side effects really, little bit itchy but thats all.
in last 2 weeks I feel my mood changed and I smile and things doesn't bother me as much as I used to. I tried CBT in past and its not good for me but I started psychotherapy last week and tomorrow is my second introduction session, after few intro the actual therapy will start.
as far as weight, as I am very worry about it it doesn't seems it changed at all. initially I lost my appetite but which I was happy but the appetite back 2 weeks ago, nothing abnormal though.
I am looking forward to get better and start gym again.
Many thanks for you all that sharing your exprience with me and hope to hear from you soon.
Well, there you go! Glad you are feeling better, quite often CBT is not for a person, it depends if you have issues from the past or present that is causing your anxiety & depression.
For me it was good because I had NO issues, happily married, great kids, good job ...no reason to be like that, but CBT gradually changes your negatives to positives, and along with medication it can return you to your old self. There are so many good therapies out there.
Magda, they always do an initial assessment, really to see what type of therapy you need, if you don't agree with what they say - speak up, that is what I did - I ended up going privately, which has cost us a holiday this year, but the money has been worth it & my husband says that he'd rather me be happy at home than miserable on holiday.
I have to tell you both that today was the first day I went into work and really looked forward to it!!! The little things in life that matter start to return, slowly - but hold on to each happy thing and soon your days fill with more good than bad thoughts.
FFS what's weight got to do with it (sounds like an old age pensioner coloured lady :wink: ) and sod what peeps think, get well, if ya are a fat prat, take care of that and stop eating crap :ok: but primarily concentrate on getting well again, there's plenty of time to worry about what peeps 'THINK' might be a prob, oh sorry i'm a bloke :shock: :wink:
Appreciate your sentiments, but being a woman is a bit different -coz we care what we look like, hence it can make us depressed!!! I personally through experience would prefer to feel happy & not anxious and be a bit porky, but there again I have a husband who loves me & would rather have me happy and overweight than skinny & miz. But not everyone is as lucky as me with their men.
it is very nice to see people exchange exprience and support each other.