YankeesFan

Hi all -- I've been having reflux, vomiting issues as well over the past few weeks. I was at 2.5 and doing fine. Then I flew on a plane and that seemed to trigger something. Plus there was stress, change in weather, time of the month, pretty much anything, and then wham! I couldn't keep anything solid down, which gradually progressed to not keeping anything down -- day or night. I woke up gagging several times last week (thanksgiving was a joy) and was unable to chew gum. I resorted to eating ice chips just to hydrate. Today, I went to the dr. who did a complete unfilled with a follow up (and esophogram) scheduled for next week. I've never been so excited to eat a sandwich in my life! Although I love the fact that I'm down over 6 lbs in a week, the discomfort and embarrassment (my sister thinks I'm bulimic) isn't worth it. In the interim, any suggestions on staying on track without the help of the band? I won't be surprised if I go up a bit owing to the extreme way I lost the lbs recently, but I'd very much like to keep it to a minimum (if not actually continue to lose). Dawn

I find varying the exercise really helps -- if you don't do strength training -- start doing so (twice a week is key). Or add another cardio workout to your routine, or extend your current cardio workout by 5-10 minutes. It always amazes me how little things can make a big difference.

Hey fellow sinus sufferers! I totally find that post nasal drip really limits what I can eat in the AM. I take Allegra-D morning and night, plus Rhinacort AQ when the allergies are really bad. Generally that does the trick. But on those wicked bad allergy/sinus days, I have to start w/ginger, licorice or peppermint tea to kinda flush out the system from the pnd from the previous night (I know, really appetizing). Who knew that all these things would be so causally related?

Hi -- I so feel your pain (literally). For two weeks, I could only keep down ice cream (I think the intense cold helped settle the inflammation somewhat). Lost weight but was absolutely miserable all the time. I suggest the following: 1) If your psychiatrist says it's ok, skip a day of the Zoloft to give your system a rest. 2) See about getting a slight unfill (not total) -- again to let your system sort itself out -- also see if you can take Prilosec twice per day (morning and evening) for a little while. 3) Talk with your psych about reducing the amount of Zoloft you take per day or spreading the dosage out over the course of the day. 4) Take the Zoloft after you've eaten 1/3-1/2 c of yogurt. Other than that, stay on liquids for a few days. You should feel better fairly quickly. I was convinced my band had slipped or eroded or I had extreme gallbladder problems. But everything else is fine. It's definitely the Zoloft.

Hi all -- So glad I'm not the only one. After a week of antibiotics for E. coli infection (not sure it's helping, but whatever), I can take my Zoloft with yogurt BUT I can't take any other medicine at the same time. And if I don't eat enough yogurt before I take the Zoloft, I can feel the acid start almost immediately. I think there's something to this. I see my surgeon, Dr. Kurian, tomorrow and I follow up with my gastroenterologist tomorrow as well. All these problems for all these people can't be coincidence. I have a poll regarding this issue in the general lapband discussion area. Please respond so I can show my docs that this is not an isolated incident. Thanks!

Hi all If you take antidepressants, have you had problems w/reflux and/or vomiting (not PBing) that seem to be correlated w/ when you take your antidepressants? I'd love to provide my doctors with an sense of how often this occurs -- or if it just happens to a very lucky few. Thanks!

Update: I went to my gastroenterologist today to discuss the Zoloft/reflux issues. He found it odd, but interesting, and prescribed Xifaxan, an antibiotic that reduces the amount of bacteria growth in the stomach. His theory is this: with the band at a certain restriction, some bacteria from the lower gut (i.e., colon - yuck) has found its way to the pouch and has flourished. With the overabundance of bacteria, the zoloft for some reason triggers an intense reflux response. He's not sure why eating yogurt w/the Zoloft seems to offset it. Anyhow, I'm supposed to take the Xifaxan for 2 weeks and check back w/him in a week. If I can take the Zoloft w/o the yogurt after a week, we have our culprit. I'd bet this is more prevalent than anyone realizes -- many haven't put two and two together yet. Perhaps I ought to start a poll -- I'm convinced this is an issue (minor if treated) that many people have overlooked. Considering the reflux and the vomiting, I'm sure it could cause the band to slip.

Hi -- So I went to multiple doctors, got .5 taken out of my band, lowered my Zoloft intake (which seemed to be connected) and made sure I took the pills w/yogurt, and now am taking Xifaxan, an antibiotic, for a couple of weeks. My gastroenterologist thinks I may have excessive bacteria growth in my stomach owing to the band tightening and in combination with the Zoloft, it was causing extreme reflux and vomiting everytime I took the Zoloft. So far, so good. The doctors all seem flummoxed. Again, anyone else that takes an antidepressant (specifically Zoloft) have these problems? I think there's a connection here worthy of investigation, but I'd need to show my doctors that I'm not the only one experiencing it.

Yes, after the past week, it is too bad I'm a Yankees fan.

I had been having the same symptoms, but my Dr. and I think it's actually triggered by taking Zoloft. If you're on an antidepressant, one of the possible side effects is gastrointestinal issues (reflux, vomiting, etc). Zoloft and Cymbalta are the worst offenders, though I understand the other antidepressants can also cause this problem. If you're taking an antidepressent, see if your reflux/pain/vomiting follows shortly after you take your meds. If it does, bring it up with your doctor. I'm now eating yogurt with my zoloft and it has toned down the reflux significantly. However, I'm getting off the Zoloft as soon as my dr. gets back into town.

Plus anything that's been re-heated.

<p>any deep fried foods, white meat of chicken, beef (unless it's in some sort of sauce), cinnamon rolls, and most bread. Scrambled eggs can give me problems if I eat them too quickly. And fiberous veggies/fruits.</p>

I experience additional tightness when I fly. I also get it when there's a storm coming. So between my band and my sinuses, I'm a human barometer : )

Oh, one more thing. Apparently of all the antidepressents Zoloft and Cymbalta are the worst.

Hey all -- I went to a doc covering for my doctor, who's conveniently out of town. Here's what he suggested after speaking with my doc. Since I've been on Zoloft for 6 years and have been extremely stable, they are reluctant to take me off of it. They did lower the dose and recommend the following: 1) divide the dose up and take it throughout the day rather than all at once. 2) take it with food (preferably yogurt). I skipped yesterday altogether, but I did take 100 mg (I usually take 200) this am with about 1/2 cup of yogurt. Not nearly as bad as before, but still some slight discomfort. I'm not going to tempt fate and won't take any more today. I am going to call my GP/gastroenterologist and get his POV. It's odd that after 6 years on Zoloft and 1 year out from surgery, this problem shows up now. Just want to make sure there's not an underlying factor that the Zoloft is exacerbating. I'll keep you posted. It probably wouldn't be a bad thing to call either your prescribing doc or your surgeon. It's good to keep them in the loop.