The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[Isallgood]

Hey everyone. I may or may not have a problem. I was on Zoloft for 1 year and managed to gain 50 pounds. I know I had bad eating habits as well so I'm not sure it was so much the medicine or eating or both. Zoloft is a double edged sword. You arent stressed and depressed but you don't care you are gaining weight either. Anyway my mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer's a when she was 58 years old. She just turned 63 and we are begining to see the effects of the disease now. I recently bought a house in the town she lives to help my sister as she gets worse. I am beyond stress! It's killing me to watch my mother go through this. Anyway I was prescribed Zoloft again by my physician because my health has been affected by the stress. Irregular heartbeat and breathing. I have been on Medifast for 3 weeks now and lost 15 pounds. I am scared the Zoloft will super slow down my weightloss or prevent me from losing at all. Is that true or will I keep losing? Please any advise or encouragement will be appreciated.

[Nancy]

Isallgood ~

Aww...so sorry to her about your Mom. I am well aware of the considerations you face as we, too have walked that path. We personally provided home care for my beloved Grammy who had Alzheimer's. It is a blessing that you are now getting to a healthier state yourself and will be able to assist your Mom as needed.

We have a number of people who take Zoloft and they continue to lose weight.

I take Prednisone daily and I lost weight and maintain my weight. It can be a mind over matter thing here - just because SOME people gain weight taking particular meds, does not mean that you WILL. At times my dose is increased and when the munchies attack; I remind myself that I have eaten my meals on time and it is not yet fuel time. I no longer allow FOOL time to take over. I eat by the clock more than by my whims.

I view my MEDifast as my MEDicine that keeps me healthy. Emotionally and mentally as well as physically healthy.

I deal with stress differently now, too - I use the treadmill, I lift weights, I mow the lawn, I pull weeds, I talk to others - I avoid the cupboards and the refrigerator - they do not help me, they hinder me and therefore, I don't go there any more. I find that I prefer to deal with stress physically rather than pharmaceutically.

One thing I have learned in recent years is that so many prescriptions have nasty side-effects and the side-effects are often worse than the malady itself. I would want to know if the side effects are worth it. I am not a doctor and I cannot diagnose or treat illness or disease.

In my own life, there have been times that I declined medications because I felt there were better alternatives or other things to pursue – as an example, when I was referred for gastric by-pass surgery I decided to talk to others who had the surgery and listened and watched their recovery and progress. It did not seem like something I wanted to live with for the rest of my days. I declined to go that route. Medifast was not an option provided by Kaiser (my Health Maintenance Org) and I discovered it on my own.

I have TMJ and did not want to take muscle relaxants and be a zombie for weeks at a time – I had acupuncture and avoided drugs and surgery with satisfactory results.

Just because Zoloft was offered, it may or may not be the way you choose to go, Isallgood.

Your Forum name sortta says it to me: Is ALL stuff offered GOOD stuff? If it is, use it and know that it is not necessarily a prescription for flabdom again. I could easily use my prescription for Prednisone as a license to go hog-wild and eat everything not nailed down (and it DOES affect one’s appetite as it empties the stomach so rapidly) but I am able to control what I put into my dainty little trap semi-effectively! It takes diligence and restraint.

There are others out there who DO take Zoloft…maybe they will come out of the dark recesses and tell us about their experiences…choose wisely, Darlin’ just because the doc writes it out on the prescription pad doesn’t mean Zoloft is your only option.

[chickbb]

I was on Effexor for Depression and gained over 40lbs. I tried every diet(except Medifast) and worked out 2 hrs/5-6 days a week and could not lose more than 2 lbs!!!!!! I could not loose it after I discontinued Effexor. Last year my Dad died suddenly and I needed HELP. My Dr. put me on Lexapro, because I told her about my fears of weight gain. I gained no weght and was on this when I started Medifast. I lost over 50lbs from mid Jan - end of April!!!! Tell you Dr. about your concerns. There are so many meds. on the market today. You will do great on Medifast !!! It is a savior !!! This forum is too!!!! Everyone is so helpful and caring. Good Luck !!!!...Sara

[dlr2424]

Isallgood..........you recieved such great replies....... ......I would go the alternative route if possible..........For me Medifast balances out my bodies chemical makeup and therefore I realized it was alot of stuff I was taking in that was adding to my depression/anxiety.........with exercise.. .....proper nutrition .... ...relaxation .... ..and proper sleep.... ....those can eliminate most of the symptoms........I have been on various meds and experienced the roller coaster effect of the scale..... ....and I now realize those meds only masked the situation only to bring about another depressing challenge.... .....WEIGHT..........now I do have to say there are many meds out there that do not have much effect on weight gain or loss.........so you do have options and YOU WILL STILL LOSE WEIGHT regardless..... ....it's up to you..........my many prayers for the challenges in your life..... .......

Donna....dlr2424

[Toxsiq]

I have a differing opinion. I fully respect everyone elses views though.

If a diabetic were prescribed insulin you would be hard pressed to find someone who'd say that alternative treatments might be better. It's a medical illness and people tend to understand that. But when it comes to deppression people (like my mother) tend to say "pull yourself up by the bootstraps" and offer alternative treatment options like meditation or healthy living ,whathaveyou. But deppression is a medical illness and if one medicine doesn't work there are others to try.

This is not to say that feeling sad is a reason to be medicated, but if someone is diagnosed with actual clinical deppression it is dangerous to try to self medicate. Relaxation techniques and therapy are tools to aid recovery but for someone who is truly suffering from an illness I believe there is no shame or weakness in finding a proper medication.

The topic hits close to home for me, obviously. I have been treated for deppression for a while now. My twin died, my father died, I gained a hundred pounds and I know I be nowhere if I hadn't gotten the proper help.

But no disrespect to those who don't agree with medication. It's good to show both points of view though.

Other than that, concerning weightloss, Welbutin is an antideppressant that is also prescribed for weightloss. FYI.


xoxo Tox

[dlr2424]

Tox.........I couldn't agree with you more.............but in my case I was referring to temporary blues and not clinical............someone with a low dose of blues may have a greater benefit to an alternative medicine.........I have to say I work in the medical field and it sickens me to think healthcare puts a limit on counseling or physc visits to 10 a year............when someone is going thru the ringer and is beyond blue it takes more than 10 visits to hopefully find somewhat of a normalcy.........depression.....alcholisim.....bingeing/purging..... are all real illnesses and people tend to think "it's something within your control"........I think when some people can't physically see a disability it is not thought of in the same way..........maybe it is foreign to them & they don't know how to deal with it..........so thanks for sharing your view

Donna.....dlr2424

[Jan]

Hi There,
Tox , you are right on!!! Clinical Depression is nothing with which to fool around . The consequences can be disastrous. You can't "think" your way out of it. It involves brain chemistry. Stress affects the chemicals in your brain -- it happens over time and it takes time to "fix". My daughter happens to be doing research right now on stress and brain chemistry. It is very interesting. I've often wondered why mental health issues are so misunderstood. No one would suggest someone remove a cast from their leg and just think their leg healed. Yet, sometimes we think exactly that about mental health .
Now to the medications -- there are many available all with slightly different effects. But Zoloft is widely used and quite effective. Not everyone gains weight. You know, depression itself can cause weight gain (or loss). I myself have taken other medications which can cause weight gain but managed to lose 45 pounds on Medifast. This is also in spite of severe sleep apnea which also causes weight gain. So, if you stick with the program - don't add to or take away from I think you'll do just fine.
Please don't fool around with your health -- heart palpations and breathing problems sound pretty awful -- trust your Dr. He or she knows what is going on far better that we do.
jan

[Isallgood]

I have battled depression and anxiety for many years now. My doctor told me the problem a lot of people face are people that don't really understand depression. He said trying to control depression is like trying to control your heart beat. You can't do it. It's a chemical embalance in the brain that can be stabalized with medication. It can effect so many things in the body. That's what is going on with me right now. I'm having palpatations and some hyperventilation. It's also called overbreathing. In other words every four or five breaths I feel like I have to take a deep breath. He said it's anxiety. They have done all the tests. I wore a heart moniter and I was having a run of tachycardia (sorry a rapid heart beat. I'm in the medical field too and I forget not everybody knows medical terminology.) Anyway, I think you answered my question. I was worried I might need to try a different med or if people could actually lose on Zoloft. It helps me so much and my emotions seem to be in check on this drug. I just want to lose weight and be happy too. Thank you to everyone that responded.

[mytime]

Isallgood - sounds like you have an excellent MD. I am so happy for you that you checked it out and thanks for the bit about over breathing - I totally do that and had no idea what it was - but the stress part rings a bell !!! Keep shakin and see you around the site. Mytime