[Jason125]

Hello, I am new to the forum, and am very greatful to find this place! I could really use some input regarding my situation.To start, I never had any GI issues in the past. Unfortunately in Jan 2009, I fell into a depression and anxiety due to stress with the family. My doctor suggested I try Zoloft, and it helped a great deal. However, after taking it for roughly 14 months, My doctor and I decided it was time to wean off, as I was feeling much better, and I didn't feel I needed it any longer. Mind you durning my time on Zoloft I never any GI / IBS issues...Anyway, about 2 weeks after completely being off of Zoloft, I noticed I was starting to get constipated! I thought no biggie, it happens to everybody. But week after week, it presisted. After about a month, I thought I'd visit the doctor. She said it sounds like a touch of IBS and to just boost up my fiber / water intake. I followed her advice, yet nothing has changed. I decided to see a gastroentrologist for a second opinion, and he agreed. Based on my symptoms (only being constipation) that I have IBS.It wasn't until I started googling IBS on my own, did I discovered a connection between serotonin and IBS. Does anyone have an opinion on whether my IBS was triggered from getting off of the Zoloft?? I find very coincidental that this all started just a couple weeks after I stopped taking my SSRI. I am almost tempted to go back on it, just to see what will happen. If it is from the cessation off Zoloft, do you think my serotonin levels are still adjusting, hence triggering IBS? I've been off Zoloft since April, and thats when this all started...

I am so frustrated with this. I'd appreciated anyones feedback on my dilemma. Thanks so much Regards, Jay

 

[Pariah]

Hello, I am new to the forum, and am very greatful to find this place! I could really use some input regarding my situation.To start, I never had any GI issues in the past. Unfortunately in Jan 2009, I fell into a depression and anxiety due to stress with the family. My doctor suggested I try Zoloft, and it helped a great deal. However, after taking it for roughly 14 months, My doctor and I decided it was time to wean off, as I was feeling much better, and I didn't feel I needed it any longer. Mind you durning my time on Zoloft I never any GI / IBS issues...Anyway, about 2 weeks after completely being off of Zoloft, I noticed I was starting to get constipated! I thought no biggie, it happens to everybody. But week after week, it presisted. After about a month, I thought I'd visit the doctor. She said it sounds like a touch of IBS and to just boost up my fiber / water intake. I followed her advice, yet nothing has changed. I decided to see a gastroentrologist for a second opinion, and he agreed. Based on my symptoms (only being constipation) that I have IBS.It wasn't until I started googling IBS on my own, did I discovered a connection between serotonin and IBS. Does anyone have an opinion on whether my IBS was triggered from getting off of the Zoloft?? I find very coincidental that this all started just a couple weeks after I stopped taking my SSRI. I am almost tempted to go back on it, just to see what will happen. If it is from the cessation off Zoloft, do you think my serotonin levels are still adjusting, hence triggering IBS? I've been off Zoloft since April, and thats when this all started...

I am so frustrated with this. I'd appreciated anyones feedback on my dilemma. Thanks so much Regards, Jay Hi Jay. This is my first post on this forum. I have had what i believe to be IBS for approx twenty years. This caused me to have depression alcohol and drug issues. I have tried various different anti-depressants including ZOLOFT and I can confirm that for me ZOLOFT definately helped and almost entirely eliminated my IBS. I no longer take ZOLOFT and the IBS has started again. Whether ZOLOFT is a cure or not I don't know but it does seem to work for some people. The reason I stopped taking ZOLOFT is due to purported side-effects and the fact that I was drinking with it and it made me feel a bit absent minded. Also because I hate giving money to big pharma companies. Anyway that is my experience. I am going to try natural therapies, diet and herbs and no ALCOHOL this time as these things have worked for me as well. I favour a natural approach over the use of pharmaceuticals. That's not to say i wouldn't consider using ZOLOFT again. Sometimes anything is better than sitting at home wallowing in your own [email protected]

 

[ILYA]

something very similar happened to me with the drug Risperdal, an anti-psychotic which has profound effects on the serotonin system. There's a fairly long thread on here describing my experience in detail. I'm not sure how to link to it though. If you're interested, look up "IBS cured and caused by Risperdal".

 

[Kathleen M.]

We don't have the data that shows that these drugs cause IBS to happen in someone that would never get IBS if they never took that drug.When something is very common (like IBS is) and is triggered by very common things (like IBS is--especially GI infections like the "stomach flu" or food poisoning) it can be pretty hard to find out if 1 in a couple thousand people might get it from a specific drug. Also hard to know how many people just had the start of IBS from something else masked by happening to take a drug that treats their IBS quite well.That being said. IBS seems to be a dysregulation of nerves in the abdomen that control/sense the gut. These nerves respond to the same drugs that effect mood because the drug has no idea what it got approved for and works everywhere in the body it can.Zoloft seems to work well for some with constipation predominate IBS.