Sertraline severe diarrhea after 3 weeks of taking it.

[Tcateh]

Hi this non stop diarrhea has now lasted 2 weeks.

I began on 50mg of sertraline. A switch from Prozac 40mg down to 20mg. I stopped the Prozac for a week before starting the sertraline.

Few weeks in all good. Then sudden diarrhea a week after going up to 75 mg.

I do have IBS.
I saw my doctor last week and we did all the poo tests including the fit test everything has come back normal apart from slightly raised Calprotectin which week will retest in two weeks.

Now this is the interesting bit and my GP did ask me if I thought it was the sertraline to which I said - I don't know I don't think so.

Butt on research many people have had this problem and it's exacerbated their IBS and even shown on biopsy that you can have microscopic colitis.
I'm guessing she this is why she mentioned the sertraline, but as we've been working on what antidepressant works for me and this has been good for me mentally, pointing the finger at sertraline potentially at this early stage was a jump.

I have requested to see my doctor again but I can't see her for over a week because she's away and is best to see her because we've worked through quite a lot.
Bereavement breakdown etc in the last year.

I've read a lot of threads about sertraline on here about encouraging people to give it a try.

I'm specifically asking for people who developed this severe diarrhea which is obviously making me feel very ill and what you ended up doing about this.

Imodium isn't really very effective and I'm taking dioralyte and drinking loads.
I have fibromyalgia anyway so I'm feeling really really unwell yet my mental health has improved.

Typical 🤔😆

I don't know why I'm laughing because none of this is very funny.

I would so appreciate any feedback on what you did and then experience.

Thank you so much and take care x

Pmsl I wrote butt

Yes I had a bad tummy when I increased from 75-100 but it only lasted a few days. Good luck op

Op is there another anti depressants you can take?? Sertraline does cause upset stomach in a lot of people x

I'm hoping so, real shame as mentally have been good.
I just feel so poorly and as above it's all day many trips to the loo.
Plus accidents 😕
The transition was a bit off, but I expected that and was determined to see it through.

I think I'll stick with the 50mg till I see the doctor.

Prozac helped me for 20 plus years but the death of my mum and complicated family issues caught up with me.
I tried 40mg Prozac but after a couple of months my mental health was terrible in ways I'd never had before.

It's so hard.

I'm so tired and in pain with fibromyalgia.
I'm early 50's. Every med affects me and I had a ruptured brain aneurysm a few yrs ago which is very hard to live with the cognitive after affects.

X

Bump x

Xx

Hopeful bump

Im sorry for your loss OP. I had to stop Setraline for the same reason. It was awful.

Gosh Wolfiefan are you a long long time mnetter?

If so hi, great to 'see' you tho I've had many user names.

Did you have the diarrhoea too? Was if from the off or after increasing dose.

Did you taper off and try something else?

Thankyou xx

I also seem to have found many threads on this, I think I was using the wrong spelling of diarrhoea or something when I searched B4

@Jessebaby

If you see this, as I replied on the other thread

All I can say from my personal experience is that Sertraline is known to cause severe diarrhoea and microscopic colitis, which can be managed but not cured. Basically it’s ongoing flare ups of bouts of diarrhoea and cramps from inflammation of the colon.
i have been experiencing this since Spring 24.

Thankyou for replying.

I'm sorry for your loss x

Did you stop sertraline by tapering it? I think I'm just going to have to put up with this until I see my GP week Monday.

X

I was advised to cut down (ie alternating days) for a week then stop. Immediate prescription for 3 weeks of intensive steroids to stop the diarrhea and inflammation followed by the colonoscopy about a month or so later.

I had diarrhoea for 4 weeks when I started (50mg) Sertraline a few years ago. After the 4 weeks, it just stopped, and has never come back.

You were one of the lucky ones. I was in a bad way!

I had it for 3 months, non stop when I took it 3 years ago. Dr said it couldn’t be the sertraline either but finally agreed to change to mirtazapine. Which was fine except I put on weight, the constant diarrhoea on sertraline meant I’d lost quite a bit, which I needed to. Mirtazapine took me the opposite way and I finally started to lose the weight 6 months after coming off it. But the diarrhoea is back with a vengeance and I’m waiting for a colonoscopy now. Tapering and alternating meds to come off was fine, and I was back to normal poops within a week or so of fully being off them.