Sertraline and diarrhoea - please help

Posted , 2 users are following.

Hi, I am hoping for some peace of mind as I'm going out of my mind with worry.

I was on Prozac for twenty seven years and they were no longer working for me so in September my doctor put me on Sertraline at 50mg at first. For the first two weeks I had no side effects so the doctor put it up to 100mg. Four days after starting the higher dose I had a bad bout of diarrhoea and stomach cramps. I put it down to a bug or something I may have eaten but two weeks later I still have the diarrhoea.

I have spoken to my doctor on the phone. Last week she arranged for me to do a stool test which I did and the results were back the next day as clear so I was very relieved. However, the diarrhoea continued and so I started to worry again. I spoke to my doctor on the phone again yesterday morning and she advised me to come off the Sertraline and go onto Citrolapram. I started the new meds this morning. I know I haven't been on the new meds long but the diarrhoea is getting me down.

I have to run to the toilet between one to three times a day. I feel hungry but am reluctant to eat normal sized meals. At first I was just eating soup and toast but now I am managing to eat small meals. I don't have any other symptoms just the diarrhoea. The other day I thought it was getting a little better as it didn't seem as runny, as if lumps were starting to form but now its gone runny again and some of it is dark.

I am worried that the stool test didn't show everything up. I know the doctor was testing for bugs in my bowel but thought that if it was anything serious something else would have showed up. My doctor is very good and on the ball and doesn't seem worried and I do trust her but I can't help but think 'What if it is something awful'. I go to see her face to face in two weeks but I can't cope with the anxiety in the meantime.

I work full time and I manage to do my job and get about so its not stopping me functioning but when it comes on I have to run to the loo or I'd have an accident.

People tell me I am losing weight which normally would make me happy (not that I have a lot of weight to lose) but now I am worried thinking its something awful.

Prior to this I had a bout of sore gums and before that cystitis that lasted a long time and I was worried about that but it cleared.

Does anyone else have this problem and how long will it take to go away now I've stopped the Sertraline or will it ever go away?

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1 Reply

  • Posted

    Diarrhea is one of the most common symptoms when you takes Sertraline and some other SSRI medic.

    I had it too but you don't have worry about it. For some people the diarrhea goes away after a few weeks as the body adapts to the medication. For some it doesn't go away. Actuall it's not really diarrhea but it is the response of the body when there is too much serotonin in the your digestive system and thus you have let's very loose stool. I still have it but just once a day and it doesn't bother me. Nothing to worry about. You checked with your doctor and you are clear so no infection. it's all good imo.

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