Post partum depression quesion...Zoloft

My doctor is wanting to put me on Zoloft for post partum depression, has anyone taken this drug? Did it help? Does it make you gain wait uncontrolably? I will take it if it will help, as for the weight gain i'm worried, any suggestions on how to keep the weight gain to a min? Or is it just the medacine going to add the weight no matter what? Thanks

[specialteacher]

I was on Zoloft for three years for OCD, rather than depression.  It made me feel great.  I went off about a year ago when I knew I would start trying to get pregnant.  Once this baby is born, I plan on getting back on it.  I started at 25mg a day and gradually increased to 100mg.

[thendricks]

Did it cause wait gain for you?

[specialteacher]

I probably gained about 15 pounds over the three years.  Nothing too dramatic.  

[thendricks]

Do you think it was the meds that caused the weight gain? I guess is what i'm asking is does the meds itself cause the weight gain by just taking it, you automaticly gain wait b/c your on it OR can you preventy wait gain if you exercise.. I wa told the meds slow you matabloism therfore causeing the weightgain and you can't keep from gaining, is that true. sory for the questions, i'm so lost

[pixijal]

I'm sorrry, I don't know anything about Zoloft, but heard Lexapro is great.

[thendricks]

Is it for Posr partum depression? Does it cause weight gain?

[deanne11]

My friend was on zoloft but not for post partum depression.....she did gain weight and had trouble taking it off despite strict weight watchers/diet plans.

I'm kind of suprised they offered that for post partum.  I've heard others work better....maybe I don't know what I'm talking about.

[cantwait4baby]

I was put on something like that Prozac after I had a m/c and gained a ton of weight and was even more depressed.  They also tried to put me on something while I was hospitalied at 9 weeks pregnant because I was depressed and refused it.  I mean come on who would not be depressed being in a hospital for 9 days.  As soon as I got home I was fine.  

I dont think I would ever take anything ever again but post partum depression is very serious so if you are diagnosed with it I would do whatever the doctor recommends as least for a few months.  Even weight gain will not happen that fast.  Good Luck to you and I hope the post partum depression ends quickly for you.  Congrats on baby :)  

[over40club]

I'm on Lexapro for post partum depression and anxiety..I didn't have a problem with my other two post partum but this time it hit me hard. THe Lexapro did wonders and I'm back to my old self again. He, my doctor,  said since the 1st yr is so hard to stay on it until then. As for weight gain I actually lost weight I think due to not feeling the conplusion to eat due to anxiety. My son takes Zoloft and he has not gained weight. I have a friend who is on Zoloft and she is doing great no weight problems so I guess it is individual.

[specialteacher]

I think the medicine caused the weight gain.  As soon I as stopped the meds, I dropped it really fast.  

[thendricks]

thanks so much :)

[ajemmom]

I suffered from a terrible case of postpartum depression after my DD was born.  I was put on Zoloft and it didn't work for me at first.  My dose started out at 50mg and the dr. increased it slowly until I was finally taking 150mg and I started to feel better after about 6 weeks.  I don't know why the dr. wouldn't put me on something else, because it was so painful to go through PPD and I was looking for relief.  Everytime I would complain about not feeling better, they would just increase my dose.  Even with the hight dose I was taking, I did not gain any weight.  I didn't lose any either though.  Maybe I would have gained weight if I hadn't already had so much excess weight on me from the pregnancy (about 25lbs extra after I had the baby).  I did finally start to feel better, so I can't say that the drug didn't work, it just took awhile to affect me.  With my second pregnancy, since I had suffered so badly with PPD with my first, my new dr. started me on Effexor XR two weeks before I delivered.  What a difference that made!  I went through about two weeks of the "baby blues" but after that I was fine, and I also did not gain any weight on Effexor XR.  But, every drug reacts differently with each different person.  Good luck, and if I have any advice at all, it is to get help!  Postpartum Depression is miserable to go through and I only wish I had known sooner that that is what I was suffering from so I could have enjoyed my newborn a little more.

[thendricks]

Do you mind if I ask what symptoms you had with PPD? and thanks for the very helpful info

[mommyof3mpls]

I took zoloft for ppd and it worked wonders and I lost weight. It made me not want to eat while my body was adjusting to it. I lost about 10 lbs the first month, then when they upped my dosage I lost another 5 lbs. Zoloft made such a huge difference in the way I felt emotionally. I didn't feel numb like some people say, I just felt calm. I am really glad I took it. I already asked my dr. if I could start it right away in the hospital this time. I've had ppd with all 3 kids but only got treatment for it this last time and holy cow what a difference!!! I stayed on it for a year, then tapered off.

[thendricks]

thanks for the positive info :) why did you stop taking it and when you did stop did you feel back to normal?

[ajemmom]

I don't know if I can even remember all the symptoms, but I can honestly say it was the hardest/most painful time of my life, even more painful then when my husband came home one day and said he didn't love me anymore.  Anyway, my symptoms began while I was still recovering from a c-section in the hospital...about 3 days after her birth, I just started crying uncontrollably for really no reason at all, or for silly reasons, like it was Christmas day when I was in the hospital and everyone visiting me had gone home so in my mind, I was all alone and no one cared.  I know that is not the truth, but I guess my raging hormones just wouldn't let me think straight.  After going home, the crying spells became more frequent and I was embarassed to go anywhere or even let anyone come over to see my new baby for fear that I would cry in front of them!  Why should I have been so sad when I should have been so happy to have a new precious baby in the house.  I can say I got a little better over the next few weeks in that I could keep the crying spells in check until I got to a place more private, like my own home or a bathroom somewhere.  I lived this way for probably 2 months or so, never recognizing that I could get help.  Eventually, I began to have a sense of helplesness/hopelesness in that the sad feelings would never go away.  I just didn't know what to do or what was wrong with me.  Little decisions like what to make for dinner, or what to do if the baby was crying too much seemed like huge life altering dilemas, as I was not thinking clearly!  I wasn't sleeping well and I just felt overwhelming sadness all the time.  I honestly started thinking that everyone would be better off if I wasn't around, but I just couldn't leave my baby behind, and the the morning that thought crossed through my mind, I knew it had gone too far and something more than just the "baby blues" was wrong with me.  I woke my husband up at 4:00 in the morning and told him what was going through my mind, and we got help that day.  I went to the dr. in tears thinking I was a failure of a mom and wife, and the dr. was so upset that we hadn't caught this sooner...as my baby was already 5-6 months old (I can't remember exactly).  I started the Zoloft and it still took awhile to feel better, but eventually I did feel like my old self and was just a little upset that it took that long for me to get help and I missed out on enjoying those first months with my little girl.  That is why with the second baby, I started medicine before he was even born, so that I wouldn't go through that again.  I was terrified of taking the medicine before he was born, but in the end, the benefits of taking the medicine outwieghed anything else.  I'm just glad I got help when I did and I now have a new respect for women who are going or who have gone through it.  I have 6 sisters who have all had a number of children and they never had any problems with PPD.  I never thought it would happen to me, but it did, so it can obviously happen to anyone.  Best wishes in getting the relief you need and if you need anything, just ask!

[ImmortalOne]

My sister-in-law was put on a type of Zoloft after her daughter was born, alternating between that and Lexapro because of her mental instability.  The Zoloft worked wonders where the Lexapro made her more apathetic (which it can do).

[mommyof3mpls]

I stopped because I didn't want to be on it for the rest of my life, I wanted to see if I would be ok without it...and I was just fine!

[cutiemama]

If you have PPD, getting on meds sooner than later seems paramount in contrast to weight gain issues. Antidepresents take a good 6 weeks to really take full affect. I'm on Celexa for PPD and it's worked very well. I've heard Zoloft is great and if you're nursing, there are more studies done on Zoloft and it's pretty safe for nursing moms. Good luck.  

[Pearl99]

PPD can be treated with many drugs. I would ask about Celexa which has few side effects (in fact weightloss is one I think at least it was for me). You might end up less concerned about your weight after the drugs kick in anyway. No one with a month old (?) infant needs to be thinking about weight loss (yet anyway). Is there a reason your appearance is so important right now? (i lived in drool-covered sweats for oh 4 years with first 2).

Anyway, I too had PPD with the first one, cried all the time, worried a lot, was very irritable, stopped answering the phone or seeing friends. Thought people were just trying to bother me, criticize me, couldn't do anything right.  I was EXHAuSTED--everything was a giant chore (was not getting any sleep, this is true). The baby was overwhelming; the marriage was bad (well, that part was true); etc. The 2nd baby (without PPD) was like a miracle--and completely different---that's when I realized how bad it had been with 1st.

In general, if I can make a gentle suggestion---it's a lot more effective to take antidepressants if you are ALSO in therapy.  You've had a big life change and to have to deal with PPD is a huge thing too---you deserve some attention and the baby deserves his mom to be getting that attention. Even if you just go once a week and vent (leave the baby with someone), you need to get some coping strategies too. I totally agree drugs are necessary (although Zoloft seems a bit hefty and outdated from what I've heard). Sometimes a therapist will have better drug suggestions than a big old MD -- and you can then appear with a request and the backing of a therapist.  

[decogrl]

I was extremely depressed 2 months ago and what helped me was going back to school once a week and working part-time.  I am lucky ( I guess??) because my in-laws moved in from Pakistan and babysit.  OUr privacy is gone, but I get out of the house and I feel somewhat like myself again.

[Julia2010]

I wasnt depressed i had MAJOR ANXIETY, and it made my thoughts and obsessions MUCH WORSE.