Hi everyone,

I'm 7 months out of RNY (Aug 23, 2021) and my weight loss has been great (down 82lbs). I have been struggling my entire life with anxiety and as I get healthier I have been more motivated to deal with my mental health issues as well. I had a conversation with my primary care dr. this morning and she is prescribing 25mg of Zoloft and talk therapy. My question is - have you been on or started Zoloft after RNY? My main concern is weight gain. I am soooo nervous about taking this medication and losing the results I have worked so hard for the last year. I'm also concerned about it slowing my weight loss. I am 100% going forward with the talk therapy and honestly feel I could use the help of a medication, but am so nervous about trying it and then gaining.

Thanks all!

I think it's a personal decision as to which one you care about most, but it's your decision, not that of your doctor. Perhaps you'd want to start with a lower dose and monitor things. Perhaps if you continue to lose weight, but more slowly, that will be acceptable to you. Perhaps you'd like to start with the talk therapy only and see how that goes. Maybe relay these concerns to your doctor - ask if there are other medications that may work better with weight loss or perhaps the Zoloft can be paired with an appetite suppressant. Definitely I think there should be a back and forth with your doctor to reach something satisfactory on both sides.

I was started on zoloft prior to surgery, I didn't notice any weight gain then. I've continued on it since surgery and to my knowledge it has not had any effect on that aspect of things.

I have had some pretty serious mental health issues related to both severe depression and anxiety, and have been in therapy at various points of time. Unlike many, I have never use medication in that time. That was not entirely my decision - surprisingly even as bad as I was, no one ever suggested it and I didn't raise it because I was scared of adding even more weight I didn't need. I kind of wonder if it was the medical establishment not taking my mental health issues as seriously given my weight (since they tend to blame everything on being obese). Given that, I cannot speak to experience with Zoloft.

I am completely supportive of medication, so if that's the best course of action for you and your situation, you absolutely should do it. But, I think you should discuss your concerns with the therapist. Would it be possible to try talk therapy without the Zoloft, to see if that helps enough that the medication can be avoided? Or, are there other options either for dosing or the choice of antidepressant?

I can understand your concerns, and this should certainly be a discussion with the therapist to reach a course of action you are both comfortable with.

Good luck!

I agree with previous posts regarding trying the therapy first without any medications. This comes from knowing several people who jumped straight to meds and had bad experiences with them. I just worry that it may happen to others.

some SSRI's cause weight gain, others don't. Paxil (paroxetine) is notorious for weight gain. I think Wellbutrin is one of the better ones in that dept - it doesn't cause many people to gain weight. Not sure about Zoloft - but ask your doctor or pharmacist. If it's one that causes a lot of people to gain weight, maybe your doctor can prescribe a different one.

if you need the med, you need the med - but again, there are some that aren't as bad - or bad at all - when it comes to weight gain.

On 3/25/2022 at 11:14 AM, mamabear_2_2 said:

Hi everyone,

I'm 7 months out of RNY (Aug 23, 2021) and my weight loss has been great (down 82lbs). I have been struggling my entire life with anxiety and as I get healthier I have been more motivated to deal with my mental health issues as well. I had a conversation with my primary care dr. this morning and she is prescribing 25mg of Zoloft and talk therapy. My question is - have you been on or started Zoloft after RNY? My main concern is weight gain. I am soooo nervous about taking this medication and losing the results I have worked so hard for the last year. I'm also concerned about it slowing my weight loss. I am 100% going forward with the talk therapy and honestly feel I could use the help of a medication, but am so nervous about trying it and then gaining.

Thanks all!

I've been taking Zoloft for over a year and didn't notice any weight gain. I took Prozac before Zoloft and it caused hair loss. I love my Zoloft and how much better I feel mentally. I believe everyone's body reacts differently to anti-depressants. You'll have to figure out what works for you. They have been a life saver for me. ?