Question:
Sorry kind of embarrasing but i have to know
I have been on Zoloft for the last 3 years. I have had a terrible time with diareah when taking this but the benefits far outway the side effect. My question is after surgery will I have an increased problem with this because of the liquids? I was also wondering if anyone has been able to stop taking their Anti-Depressant after surgery? I know that physically we are different but mentally does the Depression subside as well...thanks and love to all — kristen H. (posted on June 2, 2001)
June 2, 2001
I dont know if this will help but, I was on zoloft for six months and I had
my surgery on May 15, 2001 and I have not had one pill since the day before
my surgery. But I do have to say I wasnt taking it for depression but
instead I was taking it for panic disorder. Hope this helps. Good Luck
— Robin C.
June 2, 2001
I don't know about the anti-depressant medication, but after a RNY a lot of
people including me get constipated so if you need to continue the
medication you shouldn't have a problem. You should however ask your
doctor, they know best.
— [Anonymous]
June 2, 2001
This is something you should talk to your dr about, the one who prescribed
the Zoloft for you. If you have been taking it for major depression you
should probably not stop taking it without your MD's supervision. It takes
awhile for Zoloft to build up to a theraputic level and it takes awhile to
be totally out of your systemn. There are some nutritional foods and
supplements that can be taken to help increase seratonin. These are listed
inDr. Schwarzbein'sbook, "The Schwarzbein Principal."She
recomends,a well balanced multivitamin ,a stress B complex with breakfast,
250-300 mg of St John's Wort in the morning,( increasing to 250-300mg 3
times a day as needed);1,000mgs of essential fatty acids 2 times a day
capsules or liquid;(I use liquid flaxseed oil I buy refrigerated,at my
health food store),250-500mg of L-Tryptophan(available by prescription
only) or 25 to 50 mg of 5-hydroxy-tryptophan(5-HTP) (available over the
counter)at bedtime;250-500 mgs of magnesium and 1,000 mgs of calcium at
bedtime. It sounds easier to just take a pill doesn't it. I stopped taking
Paxil that I was on for over 5 years when I began this program. I had
recovered from a major depression and was taking it because I continued to
have a milder depression. When I got to the point where I never felt sad,
happy or angry, I decided that I would rather be depressed than numb.I
gradually reduced my dose and added the nutritional supplements. The
supplements are much cheaper than the Paxil was and do not have the
unpleasant side effects of diarrhea (which I also experienced on Prozac) or
the loss of libido, or the loss of emotion. these drugs are wonderful but
I think that once folks are on them often they stay on them without ever
attempting to see if they can do without. Remember there is no such thing
as a Zoloft deficeit or a Prozac deficeit .It is a seratonin deficit that
needs to be treated and good nutrition can help with that depending on the
degree of the defeceit. I encourage you to ask your Dr before taking
yourself off the meds. Good luck!
— [Anonymous]
June 2, 2001
Hi. I've also been on Zoloft for 3 years. I have never noticed it to cause
diareah in me but everyone's different. I'd ask the doctor who prescribed
the Zoloft how it might affect you after surgery. As for your second
question: I just had my open distal RNY surgery on 5/21/01, or 12 days
ago. The nurse never brought me my Zoloft to take, and I don't know if that
was just an oversight or if it was dr's orders. When I got home, I found it
so difficult to get my other med. down that I didn't even bother with the
Zoloft. So I haven't taken the Zoloft since the day before surgery. So far,
so good. BUT, I really think I'm doing wrong here because stopping a drug
like Zoloft should be done with a dr's supervision. I'm going to stop by
& see my dr. about it on Tues., but to be honest, I really do feel good
& don't want to go back. It's one less headache in the post-op regime
& anyway, I'm really afraid I'll throw it up if I try to take it. I
think it does come in a liquid form though. One last thing: one of the
anonomous posts mentioned St. John's Wort. I just wanted to warn you, if
you didn't know this already - NEVER TAKE ST. JOHN'S WORT & ZOLOFT
TOGETHER! I forget the exact reasons but alls I know is that it's bad to do
that. But St. John's Wort is pretty good, but probably not as good as the
Zoloft. But I believe you have to wait some time, until Zoloft is out of
your system, before trying St. John's Wort. So, work with your doctor! Take
care.
— lalasmommy
June 4, 2001
I am on Celexa for depression and I also have similar gastrointestinal side
effects from the medicine. I was worried more about going off the meds
after surgery b/c of these effects. My doctor said I can take it the day
of my surgery and resume two days after. He also recommends that patients
stay on anti-depressants for at least three months after surgery b/c 1) not
fun going through withdrawal and recovering from WLS, 2) depression often
follows WLS, 3) your body needs time to adjust to all the changes. Hope
this helps.
— PT LawMom
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