Why am I gaining weight after stopping Zoloft?

[lordlol123]

I took Zoloft for about a week or so and began having pain in my kidney. I'm only 18 and I'm 150 normally, and my metabolism is great, I eat healthy and exercise every day. When I started getting the side pains it came with frequent urination, slight burning and pressure (small jolts of pain in my right side). The doctor put pressure, did a million tests... nothing. She was speechless and couldn't figure out what the problem was. The pain was so bad one morning I went to the ER and the doctor there gave me medication for a kidney infection.... in the mix of the next few days I forgot to take my Zoloft and I was feeling a lot better. Mind you, I had just began taking Zoloft to begin with so it wasn't in my daily routine to continue taking it. A few days later, I took my Zoloft again and the pain came back. My family and I realized the cause.

Long story short, my time taking Zoloft was short. Maybe two weeks? Barely three? But, I noticed shortly after my weight went from 150/151 range in the mornings to 152...153...154... now I'm at 155 and sitting here confused as hell! I read that Zoloft can affect weight but is there a way that it may have effected me even after taking so little? What can I do to get this weight off of me? I'm working out regularly, playing ice hockey almost every day... I'm just confused.

Thank you!

[specialmom]

These types of drugs can be either weight neutral, cause weight to increase or weight to decrease.  Sometimes weight changes are affected simply by the patterns people have with eating surrounding their disorder (when anxious, they don't eat so when that is treated and they are less anxious, they eat more, etc.) that ultimately impacts the scale.  But you were on your Zoloft very briefly.

What IS going on with your eating?  Are you saying that you are not eating more but have suddenly begun gaining weight?  Are you retaining water?  Bloating?  Could hormonal issues be going on?  

[lordlol123]

See, that's why I'm here asking these questions. I stopped taking Zoloft and I felt a bit better but even last night, I held in too much water while going to sleep, woke up in the middle of the night and went to the bathroom and right when my bladder was done I had a sharp pain in my side. It's less severe now : (I dont get it while breathing, moving, etc.) but it is still happening. My doctor has me going for an ultrasound tomorrow. Let's see how that goes.

[AnxiousNoMore]

The pain came back, so it had nothing to do with Zoloft.  Zoloft was unlikely to cause the pain anyway. I think you are focusing your investigation into too many things, since your diet is also unlikely to prevent or cause this pain. People can develop a health issue for many reasons, so see how the ultra goes.

[Paxiled]

I'm a bit confused -- you can tell if someone has a kidney infection by giving an urinalysis.  Did a doctor give you medication without a diagnosis of an infection?  If so, it would most likely have been an antibiotic, and you could be suffering some side effects from that.  Some people are sensitive to them, and they kill off beneficial organisms that are part of our immune and digestive systems, which could, I suppose, explain some weight gain.  Many antidepressants have weight gain as a side effect, but you start to lose it when you stop taking them.  I guess a lot of things are possible here -- it could be the Zoloft I suppose, though it's unlikely given the short time you were on it.  It could be the antibiotics, if that's what you were given.  It could be just a normal fluctuation people go through you would never have noticed if you weren't paying so much attention to your body right now because of what you've been going through.  I'm guessing that this will pass in short amount of time.

[lordlol123]

She didn't know what I had when I went to the ER but she assumed it was an infection off of what I was saying. Tomorrow I'm scheduled for an ultrasound because last night I woke up and had to go to the bathroom and right when my bladder was done -- I felt a sharp pain in my side again. I haven't had these sharp pains in awhile. And it was just that one last night that rehashed it for me. I said it before that I work out, eat well (but do consume a bit too much on sugar)... but I haven't changed a single thing in my routine. So I'm a bit skeptical since the blood work came back fine and all signs were healthy!