Sertraline and Loss Of Appetite: What Users Say

• Kri...
• June 6, 2020

For Anxiety and Stress "SERTRALINE WORKS! I have been on Zoloft for about 2 weeks now like the doctor said. At the beginning, it was horrible. Really bad anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts got worse. I felt so hopeless. I didn't want to get out of bed. My stomach hurt, and I stopped eating. I lost around 15 pounds and had issues sleeping. I get really tired and drowsy and take a nap in the morning. Now all the side effects are gone. The next week I felt really calm. Felt like I had no emotion. It was hard. It was more depression than anxiety. But now it's been 2 weeks, and I'm doing fun things and laughing and smiling again. It's like my anxiety is gone. It's great. I still get a moment of it, but it's not all day like before. This really works, and it's rough at the beginning, but it will pay off in the end! You got this!"

• NP9...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 12, 2017

Sertraline for Social Anxiety Disorder "Half the reviews on here are a load of garbage. They range from 'the side effects are too awful' to 'It gives me more anxiety.' Do yourself a favor and do not read to any review from anyone who has taken this drug for less than 8 weeks. If you are serious about reducing your anxiety, then grow some balls and give Zoloft time to work. Yes, you're going to have a number of side effects in the beginning, ranging from drowsiness, nausea, sexual dysfunction, loss of appetite, and even increased anxiety. Guess what, nearly all of these are going to disappear after the first two weeks. In fact, all of the side effects disappeared for me, and it wasn't until around week 8 that I felt the glorious power of this drug. GIVE IT TIME."

• Was...
• September 3, 2020

Sertraline for Depression "About 6 weeks ago, I started Zoloft at 25 mg for GAD, mild depression, and some PTSD and OCD symptoms. Before you continue reading, please understand that my experience likely will not be yours, as is the case with every single review you'll read. Do not be scared to start. It absolutely helped. My overall mood didn't change much, but it helped the physical symptoms of my anxiety and helped me cope with my life stresses. I began to enjoy doing things I love again. I still had bad days, but I was overall functioning well and productive, although I still had not the best outlook on life. Side effects I experienced: insomnia, daily headaches similar to hangovers, shakiness, increased depression the first week, decreased appetite, menstrual changes, and decreased libido. Again, this is just my experience. Do not be afraid to give it a try, people are much more likely to leave negative reviews, I just wanted to leave a review to help others. Best of luck, you've got this!"

• But...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 5, 2020

Sertraline for Social Anxiety Disorder "I have GAD. I knew I was needing support emotionally. 15 years ago, I had used Zoloft and it worked well, so I asked my doctor if I could use it again. So I started on 25mg and after 2 weeks, I upped to the 50 mg my doctor prescribed. Honestly, week 3 and 4 were the worst for me because I couldn't eat, and I felt so much worse with anxiety and lack of peace of mind. Because I was working from home, and others mentioned that the first month was bad, I felt like I was being pushed under emotionally. I had to do a lot of self-talk like 'I am not my feelings, this will pass,' etc. I took my Zoloft at night, and it seemed by evening, I always felt better, but mornings were so difficult. But right at the end of week four, a cloud lifted, and I felt peaceful and calm. So I appreciate others sharing their experience because that's exactly what happened to me. And I pushed through it, and I'm glad I did because I feel much better. Hope that helps someone in week 3. It does get better. Hang in there."

• Bob...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 4, 2023

For Anxiety and Stress "If you're currently reading this, rest assured that there's a light at the end of the tunnel. Despite being an outgoing 29-year-old male, I have been struggling with anxiety for longer than I care to remember. However, by taking sertraline on and off since I was 23, I have found relief every time without fail. The side effects can be incredibly challenging during the first 2-5 weeks of taking the medication, with symptoms like sleeplessness, loss of appetite, low energy, dizziness, and headaches. At times, it felt like I wouldn't make it through. However, after about 2 weeks, my family and friends noticed my smile returning even if I didn't. And after 4-5 weeks, it was as if a magical spark had been reignited within me, and I was myself again. When combined with self-love and care, sertraline can help you feel like yourself again. It's important to push through the challenging times and find a new hobby or rekindle an old one alongside taking the medication. With this combination, you can feel unstoppable! I currently take 100mg of sertraline, although I started with 25mg. Remember, you are stronger than you realize, and we're all in this together!"

• Ric...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 11, 2019

For Anxiety and Stress "I remember reading all the reviews on this site in hope and desperation of feeling better. My anxiety was through the roof. The main problem was not being able to sleep, waking up in sweats, and not being able to stay asleep through the night. The sleep deprivation was feeding my anxiety. I didn't know what was happening to me as I never had anything like this before. I am going to be honest in my review and let anyone know who is going to take Sertraline: the first few days were awful - I was getting suicidal thoughts and was very worried, but after the third day it subsided along with any other side effects. I did appreciate my appetite being suppressed as I did need to lose some weight. If you stick with it after 2-3 weeks, my anxiety eased and now I am two months in, I feel about 99% me. I would also suggest having therapy as this helped me and have someone with you those first days when it can get bad. To anyone who is suffering at the moment, please give this a try."

• lis...
• February 3, 2021

For Generalized Anxiety Disorder "I was so worried about side effects as my anxiety is based around health anxiety. I have been on them for 12 weeks, so here are my side effects: I had a week of needing a number two and needing to go immediately, it was very loose. I had extreme tiredness which lasted 2 weeks, and for the first 2 weeks, I didn't have much of an appetite. I had night sweats which lasted the longest of all the side effects. At 5 weeks, the only side effect I have is I find it takes me longer to climax. I sweat more than I used to. I have had 3 times where I have talked myself down from a panic attack - which is great considering before, I was having a panic attack a day and I couldn't even talk myself down from one. Week 5 was my turning point, I felt amazing, the things I worried about seemed a distant memory, and I could function properly without this worry on my shoulders or working myself up resulting in a panic attack. Please be kind to yourself. I wish you all the best in your journey to better mental health."

• Mag...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 15, 2019

For Anxiety and Stress "I have been on sertraline since 9 days ago. I had all of a sudden generalized anxiety which progressed to panic attacks without any obvious reason. My doctor has prescribed me sertraline 50 mg once daily and told me that may make me sleepy. In those 9 days, I had the worst nausea and loss of appetite with internal shakes. The first day had nightmares. Elevated anxiety and panic attacks especially in the morning. Almost every day I refer to this site to reassure myself that everything will be okay. I will keep you posted. Please wish me luck."

• Cha...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 14, 2019

Sertraline for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "Been going up slowly on Zoloft to help my OCD. I started on 12.5 mg for 2 weeks, 25 mg for 3 weeks, 37.5 mg for 2 weeks, then 50 mg for 3 weeks, now 62.5 mg. Overall, I’m feeling better. Intrusive thoughts related to harm OCD have gone. General anxiety is still there but not constant. When I started this medication for OCD and panic attacks, I was literally having panic attacks every hour due to the OCD. My anxiety was at a 10, now, most days it’s 0-2. Every day I do have some sort of anxious feeling, but for the most part, it’s a fleeting feeling. BEST THING ABOUT THIS MEDICATION... I LOST 20 lbs and continue to not want to eat junk food. I also started working out. Good luck! I wish you the best and hope to continue getting better with time."

• Jul...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 13, 2025

For Anxiety and Stress "I started on Sertraline just over a month ago for anxiety and panic attacks: 4 days on 25 mg, 20 days on 50 mg, 15 days on 100 mg. Starting on Sertraline has been an extremely hard journey, but I am here to tell all of you who are suffering that it is in fact working and YOU WILL FEEL BETTER! The first 14 days were absolutely horrifying: increased anxiety, horrible panic attacks, extreme sweating, nausea, vomiting, no appetite, depressive thoughts. I had to take Xanax some days to cope with it, but somehow I managed to go to (desk job) work every day. Increasing my dose from 50-100 mg initially made it worse again with the side effects all over, but about 5 days into 100 mg, I finally started to feel some relief, and from there, I have just felt better and better. It still goes up and down from day to day, but on a weekly basis, so much better. I felt absolutely horrible starting Sertraline, but if I could do this, so can you! THERE IS LIGHT AND IT WILL BE SO MUCH BETTER! :)"

• Anx...
• October 4, 2019

Sertraline for Panic Disorder "I never ever review anything but after being on this drug for now 4 weeks, I felt the need to review. I was previously on Zoloft (25mg) for 2 years before going off of it, and it was AMAZING. 6 months after stopping it, I could feel my anxiety slowly coming back and decided to go back on Zoloft (25mg). The first 3 weeks were horrible. I would wake up every morning with extreme anxiety, nausea/vomiting, and felt really out of it. For those 3 weeks, I had no energy or appetite (lost 10 lbs) which is hard when you need to work and go to school! I was living in a foggy state of 24/7 anxiety and felt like I couldn't escape from it. I knew it was the medicine making it worse, but I wanted to ride it out since I had positive experiences before. FINALLY after 4 weeks, I am starting to feel back to normal. I can get up in the morning without crippling anxiety and dread, attend school, and enjoy my relationship. Please give this medication AT LEAST 6-8 weeks to work. It eventually gets easier!"

• San...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 16, 2022

Sertraline for Major Depressive Disorder "5 years ago, I was a mess due to a bad breakup, drug & alcohol abuse, and family issues. 8 months later, I stopped all substances and decided to go clean. That made me face reality. I suffered from PTSD, deep depression, severe anxiety, panic attacks, and OCD. I was suicidal. I couldn't stop overanalyzing every single thought. My brain wouldn’t stop, and I had the craziest thoughts ever that I was so sure that I am going crazy. Finally, after 5 years, I decided I need help. I tried many meds and NOTHING worked! I really believed that no med would do. Tried citalopram, seroquel, olanzapine, and others. Finally, Zoloft was the last solution. I started with 25 mg for 4 days, then up to 50 mg for 6 weeks. I noticed the change! Then on the 7th week, 75 mg, then finally 100 mg. The side effects are horrible, yes: increased anxiety and panic, loss of appetite, and all. 6 weeks after increasing to 100 mg, I swear I can jump and scream from happiness! I am full of energy and hope! Please give Zoloft time to work!"

• Anonymous
• May 9, 2009

Sertraline for Depression "I was crying over the weirdest things and didn't want to get out of bed. Then I started taking Zoloft 50mg daily, a month ago. I felt relief an hour after taking it. The side effects for me were stomach upset, decrease in appetite, and sleepiness. That only lasted a week. After three weeks I increased the dose to 100mg which my doctor suggested in the beginning. I have been on many different antidepressants since I was a teenager and this is the first one that I feel 'normal' on. I don't feel emotionless or stay on a fake happiness high. I feel relieved and can deal with the day-to-day stresses."

• Hop...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 3, 2021

For Anxiety and Stress "I started sertraline on September 9th, 25 mg for two weeks, then 50 mg for two weeks, moved to 100 mg for two weeks, and finally on October 25th, started 150 mg. All I can say is the first 4 weeks were horrible. I experienced every single side effect: constant nausea, migraines, diarrhea, anxiety/panic attacks, shakiness, tremors, heart palpitations, sweating, lack of appetite, blurred vision, dry mouth, no energy, and insomnia. Sometimes by the end of week five, I started feeling improvement, and for about a week now, I feel incredible. I finally got my life back, this is the old me that I didn't experience for the last year and a half. I am so grateful for this medication, I can say it's saved my life. All I can say is stick to it, don't stop taking the medicine. You will feel worse before it gets better. Keep in contact with your doctor for instructions, and read what people are posting. That's exactly what I did day after day, and that's what kept me going."

• Ren...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 2, 2022

Sertraline for Panic Disorder "I’m a 32-year-old female that started taking Zoloft a week ago! Your comments really helped me to even start taking it, so thanks to everyone that left a review because I’m scared of medicine. I am to leave a review in hopes to help someone like me! I started on 25mg but broke it in half to get it into my system for one week, and I will move up to my 25mg. But my experience so far: I have had sleepless nights, headaches, diarrhea. I haven’t really been hungry, but y’all, don’t let that scare you like it did me. I’m telling you, even on a small dose I can tell a small adjustment already, and I will be back in another week to update y’all on the dose increase, but take a leap of faith and try it. I can already tell I’m feeling somewhat better just in a week! We are all in this together!"

• Joh...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 14, 2019

For Anxiety and Stress "Sertraline is unbelievable. I was experiencing anxiety and panic attacks for 18 months and refused to take medication for it, in the belief that it would make me weak as a male. I’d wake up daily scanning my body, thinking what’s wrong with me today. I went to the doctors monthly for a checkup believing there was something wrong with me. Then I decided to give the medication a go. For the first two weeks, it was horrible. I felt worse than I ever did before - sickness, head pressure, loss of appetite, increased anxiety and panic attacks, and feeling zoned out. After the two-week mark, I have never felt better. I have very little anxiety and no panic attacks, and actually enjoy life again. Please stick in there when you start taking sertraline, they are brilliant. Advice at the start is to take a couple of weeks off work as you will not want to go in. These will change your life and make you smile again."

• New...
• January 29, 2009

Sertraline for Depression "I just started Zoloft 3 days ago, and the side effects so far have been very clear. For me, I haven't been able to eat. I've never been a good eater, but I don't need to lose weight, and I am eating maybe half of what I used to just a few days ago. Nothing seems to taste very good, and I feel full after very little food. I get nausea for about 10-15 minutes about 4-5 times a day, that I didn't have before. My head feels really weird, like I can feel the chemicals running through my brain. It's really weird. I had problems sleeping before taking Zoloft, so not sure if that is a side effect. A lot of good reviews - going to stick it out."

• lan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 29, 2014

For Anxiety and Stress "I'm 15 and since elementary school I've had anxiety. In December 2013, it started getting severe to the point where I couldn't get any work done or fall asleep for hours. I was extremely concerned about my heart because my chest was hurting and I was having heart palpitations (which worried me more). I finally went to a psychologist mid-February and started Zoloft 25 mg a day for the first week. Now I'm on 50mg/day. I have never been happier. My life has completely turned around. I function like a normal person, and I never worry about my heart anymore. I started noticing the Zoloft working at the beginning of the second week. Only side effect: decreased appetite for the first few weeks, but 100% back to normal now. Zoloft truly changed my life."

• Can...
• May 22, 2020

For Generalized Anxiety Disorder "In my 20s, I started experiencing debilitating anxiety, onto panic attacks, which then looped into depressive episodes. I thought I was losing my mind and wasn't sure how long I'd be able to hold onto this life for. I started fantasizing about dying and realized I really needed help. When I was first prescribed this medication, I was in the darkest, scariest point in my life and I spent hours reading this thread. I was scared to take the medication for a month and finally convinced myself it was time for me to take my mental health seriously. Side effects for the first 3 days were definitely present, but I did not feel worse than I was already feeling. I was dissociated, slightly dizzy, decreased hunger, increased in tiredness, experienced dry mouth, and was emotional near the evenings. Now that I am on week 3 and the side effects have mostly subsided, I can safely say I feel more control over my life and I am hopeful this medication continues to work for me as I enter therapy in the near future."

• Dan...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 30, 2017

Sertraline for Panic Disorder "Life saver. Few side effects initially (increased depression and anxiety, decreased appetite, insomnia and agitation), no side effects long term. Push through those horrible first two weeks. At week three my depression was GONE, agitation completely gone, panic attacks gone. Some general anxiety, But that subsided after a couple of months. I was on this medication for a year, and got off it with little to no withdrawal symptoms. I STRONGLY recommend starting as low as 12.5 mg for a week, then 25 for a week. Cut the 25 mg tablets in half. This eases those horrible initial side effects, especially anxiety and agitation. Big hugs and high five to all of you anxiety/depression sufferers out there. You can and you Will get better!"

• bri...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 22, 2019

Sertraline for Panic Disorder "I was so nervous about starting this Zoloft. I read these reviews over and over for days. I was experiencing extremely bad panic attacks and suffered from depression. I finally bit the bullet and took it. The first day (took it in the morning as directed) I felt really weird, super drowsy and lethargic. Switched it to taking it at night and it was much better. I was still drowsy during the day for about a week, though even after taking it at night. I didn't have much of an appetite at first either and lost some weight which I'm not complaining about. lol. Now, after almost a month of taking it, I am so glad I did. I feel like myself again. It might be weird at first, but please if you need it then try it, and if it sucks tell your doctor, but if you can handle the side effects stick with it, it really does get better and totally worth it! I'm having almost zero negative side effects now and am out and about doing the things I had a seriously hard time doing before."

• Pyr...
• January 8, 2020

For Depression "Sertraline has changed my life for the better. It was a living nightmare getting through the first 8 weeks of side effects. I almost gave up several times, they were so bad. I experienced explosive diarrhea, constipation, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, overeating, extreme tiredness, insomnia, loss of sex drive, inability to orgasm, loss of all emotion, and severe anxiety. I had to take time off work to deal with the physical and emotional side effects of this drug. I also had to have someone come and stay with me. Despite the terrible side effects, it has made me feel like myself for the first time in 10 years. Thanks to this drug, the negative thoughts in my head are locked away in a dungeon somewhere, and crying no longer rules my life. I feel happy, strong, confident, motivated, and finally at peace with myself. I know this drug is not for everyone, but it works for me, and if I can encourage anyone to just buckle down through the side effects...you'll make it to the other side."

• Win...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 25, 2015

Sertraline for Panic Disorder "I have suffered from severe anxiety and panic attacks for almost 13 years. Literally every day, I was anxious from the time I woke up until I went to bed. Racing thoughts, constant anxiety, and at one point, I would hardly go out in public fearing a panic attack. Zoloft has changed my life COMPLETELY! No more racing thoughts or anxiety! Feeling like a normal person again and actually enjoying life and even laughing! Took two months to start feeling full results. Main side effect was sleeping all the time and loss of appetite. Highly recommend!"

• Ano...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 6, 2017

Sertraline for Social Anxiety Disorder "I have been on Zoloft 25-150 mg for over 2 years. This has been the BEST 2 years of your life. Let me say that it took at least 90 days to really kick in and side effects to abate. If you have spent YEARS obsessed about your every action and thought, fearful and angry, depressed the 90 days of side effects is NOTHING. NOW if you want to keep living the way you are living because of dreams, diarrhea, INITIAL loss of appetite and weight loss then so be it. Improvement takes time. I was a 10-year Paxil user. Have TRIED lithium, Prozac, Luvox, tegretol, Xanax, Valium, Alcohol, illegal drugs, supplements, buspar, Klonopin and on and on. ZOLOFT gives me a chance at life. I am still me with growing up issues at 50 plus but man, this ZOLOFT is the deal."

• Kor...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 23, 2015

Sertraline for Depression "I've always experienced social anxiety growing up. I thought this was normal but it became clear to me during college that I shouldn't be feeling so shy all the time. I was afraid to be myself. I was constantly going back and forth between anxiety and depression for years. I tried meditation, yoga, running, a different diet... But nothing seemed to be working good enough! Enough was enough! I researched Zoloft for a few weeks and finally decided to try it out. WOAH! Other than the initial side effects such as decreased appetite and restlessness, this medication changed my life!!! I feel very comfortable talking to people in social settings.. I could finally be myself! The biggest thing is being patient--- it works!!!!! Good luck everyone!"