Controlling weight loss on Sertraline

Former Member

Hi guys! It's been a long time since I've been on here..

I started taking Sertraline about a month ago and I've lost about half a stone so far. It's cool at the moment losing weight without trying but I'm a small person and don't have much space to lose more.

My tummy is super gurgly all the time..it won't shut up and feels like I've got some kind of witch's cauldron going on in there. I've occasionally got diarrhoea and sometimes want to throw up. I normally make myself sick if it feels like I might throw up anyway, just to get it over with. That's not putting me in the mood to eat, but I've also lost my appetite..I went out for dinner last night and couldn't even finish a starter sized bowl of soup and today I've only eaten a bananana and some baked beans. I want to eat, because I feel like the tired, shaky hands and stuff that comes with not eating enough, but my stomach just feels so full. I've been taking pepto-bismol to try and calm my tummy down but that's not a long term solution because apparently it's toxic if you take it continuously for more than a week or two. What can I do to make eating more appealing/not sickening? I baked a cake and just don't want to eat it

I think they're going to put me on Quetiapine next week so I'm probably going to gain a load of weight then and freak out about that instead

Former Member

Might be worth trying ginger biscuits. They're very friendly to upset stomachs, and pretty tasty. Would be a way of getting some energy into you which would put you in a better place to find something more nutritious.

Cocacola is another option - again, pretty awful in many ways, but because it's so acidic - it'll often go down well into a gurgling stomach. Definitely not a long term fix, but good to get rid of the shakes.

Former Member

Thank you. I just went to buy some ginger biscuits so hopefully that'll help. Been eating lots of bananas because they're mushy and sugary and filling.

How long will these side effects last? I've been on it five weeks now - they weren't bad at all at the beginning but now are awful. It's not even really helping me with my anxiety, and the constant thinking about what my body is up to is really stressing me out.

Former Member

I'm so thin and ill and my heartbeat is going so fast, this is horrible. I have an appointment with the doctor in a week's time...do you think I could start tapering off now to get the ball rolling? Are things going to get better given that it's already been nearly six weeks and it's only getting worse?