[Guest]

I had previously been on Prozac which actually helped with my elimination, but caused loose stools and digestive rumbling at higher dosages. My doc needed me at 60-80 mgs to help with my obsessions and compulsions, but I couldn't deal with the increased digestive problems. So, he put me on Zoloft, gradually increasing the dosage. At 100 mgs, I am so constipated and gassy. He wants me to increase it to 200 mgs eventually. I don't tolerate being constipated well at all. Does anyone else have this problem? I thought Zoloft would have caused more diarrhea than constipation, which I prefer. Is anyone on any other SSRI antidepressants that are not constipating? Thanks for any input.

 

[Kathleen M.]

Different SSRI's can have different effects on the GI tract, and that is pretty much an individual thing. Some of them list both constipation and diarrhea as side effects. So even if it gives me diarrhea it may constipate you.You might talk to the doc about trying a different drug. There are a number of them and some of the newest ones seem to have fewer side effects than the older generation.You may also want to look at your diet and see if adding fiber and water might be needed to prevent constipation as well.K.------------------I have no financial, academic, or any other stake in any commercial product mentioned by me.And from the as if IBS isn't enough of a worry file...from New Scientist's Feedback column: photographed on the door of a ladies' loo in the Sequoia National Park in California by reader Liz Masterman: "Please keep door closed to discourage bears from entering."

 

[NoSpice]

I am on Zoloft and doing well. The only side effects have been a dry mouth and it keeps me awake at night. So I take 50mg every morning. It has also curbed my appetite somewhat which is a plus for someone watching their figure!My doctor told me that he didnt think it would help my ibs but along with the Caltrate, the combination seems to keep me in check. Good luck.

 

[AD]

No medication has really given me C (that I knew was a definite side effect) or D. In IBS, we all have one, the other or both anyway. I have been on Zoloft since July. I went VERY gradually from 25 to 125 mg. It gives me occasional headaches but not enough to make me quit. I also have occasional sleep problems (due to an "active mind" that I get from it), but I take Xanax for those nights. I've tried Prozac and Celexa (2 SSRIs) and neither affected my IBS. Zoloft has increased my hunger levels somewhat (growling, emptiness) and helps normalize my digestion in the upper GI.

 

[JenS]

Yes, I was afraid of the D, but like you, got more constipation but it is controllable. I really like the Zoloft. It has been a wonderful drug for me.

 

[Munchkin]

K. is right! Everyone has a different reaction to SSRIs. I have been on 100mg of Zoloft for about 6 years for depression and anxiety. On the down side,it has done nothing to help my IBS-D, I have gained about 50 pounds and I am tired all the time. I had tried Paxil a few years back.But all that did was give me such intense diarrhea for the four days I was on it that I lived on the toilet and had blood in my stools for the first and only time. Fast forward to the Lotronex era. Wonderful medication for me and my 20 year old daughter! She needed 1 or 2 tablets a day while I only needed half of a pill.When we lost Lotronex, my daughter's doctor put her on Paxil. She takes a very low dose of it because it was making her too sleepy Her IBS-D is not quite, but almost Lotronex type symptom free fromm the Paxil.My point in all of this is literally everyone does have a different reaction to the SSRIs. My mother takes Prozac for chronic post polio pain. I can't take that. And yet some doctors tout the idea that if one member of the family can take a drug then another should also be able to take it successfully. Not so!------------------MunchkinIBS-D