I have been taking sertraline 200 mg for 6 months now. It has helped my anxiety but is it possible that it can make my ibs symptoms worse? I have had continuous loose stools, nausea, stomach pain, gurgling stomach sounds and sweating since being on it. All of my stool and blood tests are normal. Can it be the sertraline causing digestive problems? Is this a sign to change medications?

Mr. Saul PereiraPsychologist51yrs exp

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The medicine is correct and the dosage is the maximum. The nausea and diarrhea is some of the side effects. You need to report to your doctor and get his advice as to any change in medication or dosage. There is abnormal fear in anxiety and it could do with some contribution from your upbringing. Perhaps you experienced strict parenting; or you were intimidated by dire consequences for failure; perhaps you were brought up believing that you were not as good as others; perhaps you were forced to show undue regard for elders and felt inferior around them, etc. You must immediately seek help from a counselor too. In the meantime you must do certain things to build your constitution physically, spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. Mental stability can be achieved by learning a few skills in handling emotions in an appropriate manner. Stress management skills, which have a lot to do with expressing emotions, will need to be a major part of your recovery program. Emotionally you need the help of a counselor and that will help you tremendously to move from anxiety to normal fear. Please persevere and cooperate through all the support you need and you will come through successfully. Develop your body?s health by physical fitness through exercise, good rest (sleep), and a proper diet. Any way what you need to focus on is to do vigorous exercise of the aerobic kind for the heart?s fitness; meditation for the brain?s fitness; sleep for a well rested mind and body; a sound spiritual well being for good confidence and stability; and a diet with lots of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Vigorous exercise, especially of the calisthenic kind, will make your heart, which is a muscle, grow larger; and then your heart will need to beat less often and you will respond to the anxiety with a calmer disposition. If your mind, constitution, and your emotions are in check and fit, you will never be disturbed again. You need to attend personality development courses, personal grooming courses, conversational skills courses, and definitely a good education will empower you to boost self-confidence and by default self-image. Learn never to compare yourself with others: you are unique and there is only one of your kind, ever. If you let that sink in and appreciate who you are truly, you will go places. Whenever there are tests conducted and there are no evidence for your problem, it indicates that there is a psychosomatic condition caused by unexpressed emotions like fear.  

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Dr. Sk Altaf HossienPsychiatrist9yrs exp

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Yes this can be because of sertraline, but as your anxiety symptoms are better with this medicine, consider taking it just after food, the dose or take tab. Pantoprazole for couple of days and then consult a psychiatrist to change the drug.  

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Dr. Soumen KarmakarPsychiatrist9yrs exp

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Sertraline has those side effects you mentioned. Since you are stable on it, do not change it right away. Instead, try ppi (proton pump inhibitors) - a class of drugs taken in empty stomach that might reduce these symptoms. Also, make sure you take sertraline only after a meal - lunch or dinner, and drink lots of water.  

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Dr. Rashmi NavelkarPsychiatrist11yrs exp

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Yes it can be due to sertraline as it's known to cause gastric upset in some patients. Try taking an antacid before taking sertraline. If still it does't help then it's better to change medications.  

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Dr. Sujay N MPsychiatrist22yrs exp

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Sertraline can cause indigestion, loose stools or loss of appetite but usually in the early stages of treatment. If this is ongoing you could try lower dose or alternative medicine for your anxiety and may just try counselling.  

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Dr. Saranya DevanathanPsychiatrist51yrs exp

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Dear Hailey, Sertraline may be helpful for IBS also. IBS is a periodic disorder comes on and off on its own. But, you are saying that 6 months on sertraline with continuous digestive system problems. You can try other SSRI or other group of antidepressants. Will it be as effective as sertraline 200 mg to reduce your anxiety? Why don't you slowly withdraw from sertraline and start non medical treatment like relaxation, psychotherapy, etc.? 

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Mr. Senthilkumar LPsychologist18yrs exp

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Hello friend, anxiety treatment need to have both medicine and certain non medicinal solutions. The second part help in addressing certain side effects as well as addressing the root cause behind your anxiety. These include certain lifestyle changes, excercises routine, dietary changes, relaxation techniques, psychotherapy or mindset changes techniques counseling etc. May be you need to focus and start such solutions in parallel if not haven't started. In addition, mentioned symptoms are due to excess heat (called as pitta in ayurveda) due to your lifestyle and habits. So you also need to manage body heat through food and rest. Be positive. You will be alright soon. Feel free to reach me online or through Lybrate chat for further assistance.  

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