Aner: Delayed gastric emptying after quitting Sertraline

[Aner]

Hello,

 

I new here. Glad to have found this site.

 

I've been on various SSRI's for around 20 years. Last one was Sertraline which I was on for about 4 years. The dose was 100 mg which I've tapered off during 2 years. I'm sorry I can't give a very detailed schedule as I don't remember at what time I did what, but I'm completely off it now since 2 months. No psychological withdrawal symptoms that I've noticed.

 

Thing is, I've had increasingly worse issues with my digestion during the tapering. At first I didn't even realize it was connected to the SSRI. I just noticed that I started feeling bloated and that I burped the food hours after eating (12-14h). I started getting acid reflux at night because the food was still lying in my stomach and not emptying out into the small intestine, so the acid just kept building I'm guessing. I was hoping that completely getting off Sertraline would make it better, but it's just gotten worse.

 

I've searched online and found others with the same issue after they've stopped taking SSRI. I don't know how common this problem is exactly but it seems that most of the sufferers decided to get back on the SSRI to get the gut to function again. I really don't want to do that.

 

Is there anything I can do except wait and hope it gets back to normal? Are there any supplements? I suspect it has to do with serotonin since it has a big role in gut motility.

 

Anyone else suffered from this?

[LotusRising]

Hi @Aner

 

Welcome to SA,

 

Unfortunately, digestive symptoms aren't uncommon. I personally had this same issue from tapering off a benzo. Time has been the biggest healer for me.

 

It could be serotonin, or it could be a temporary form of dysautonomia (nervous system dysfunction).

 

You might find some useful information in the below threads:

 

Mine has gotten much better over time, to the point where most days, I have no issues whatsoever. I did need to eat very small amounts of food for a period of time, sometimes just bites at a time. I was not willing to try any other medications to help. 

 

Did you see the link on our homepage about the windows and waves pattern of stabilization?

I suspect yours will improve with time, similar to others on the site.

 

Are you experiencing any other symptoms?

 

Please feel free to reach out.

 

LotusRising

[Aner]

Thank you so much for the reply! Gives me hope. I've checked the links you shared, thank you very much!

 

I do experience POTS-like symptoms as well as an increased resting heart rate. But I'll keep hope up this will improve as well.

 

The fact that I never received any information about potential life altering side effects by my doctors about SSRI's really infuriates me. I truly feel for everyone else suffering.

 

Thank you again!

[LotusRising]

@Aner

4 hours ago, Aner said:

I do experience POTS-like symptoms as well as an increased resting heart rate. But I'll keep hope up this will improve as well.

Yes, this will improve too!! I had POTS-like symptoms as well, and similarly, much improvement with time. I typically do not have heart rate issues anymore. It was very gradual improvement for me.

 

4 hours ago, Aner said:

The fact that I never received any information about potential life altering side effects by my doctors about SSRI's really infuriates me.

Yes, it IS infuriating. Is your provider aware of your experience?

[Aner]

21 hours ago, LotusRising said:

@Aner

Yes, this will improve too!! I had POTS-like symptoms as well, and similarly, much improvement with time. I typically do not have heart rate issues anymore. It was very gradual improvement for me.

 

So happy to hear it will get better as well! Glad to hear you're doing much better!

 

21 hours ago, LotusRising said:

Yes, it IS infuriating. Is your provider aware of your experience?

 

I've had an appointment with a doctor regarding my gut issues. But he didn't think it was related to SSRI at all. Around here you'll have to be real lucky to find a doctor who actually believes in the dark side of SSRI's I'm afraid.

 

I remember a few days ago there was a show on TV where people sent in questions regarding mental health. A person asked if SSRI's truly are safe and don't pose a risk of making things worse or causing other issues. A doctor on the show claimed that the SSRI's on our market are all safe and pretty much risk free. I was about to pop a vein in my head I was so angry.

 

Thankfully sites like this exists giving people a chance to read up before deciding on psychotropic drugs. I sure wish I had.

 

How long did it take for you to start noticing improvements in your symptoms? Did you find anything that helped digestion besides eating smaller portions? Like chamomile tea or other natural prokinetics?

[LotusRising]

On 12/8/2024 at 2:39 PM, Aner said:

Around here you'll have to be real lucky to find a doctor who actually believes in the dark side of SSRI's I'm afraid.

That seems a common story where I am as well.

 

On 12/8/2024 at 2:39 PM, Aner said:

I sure wish I had.

I think we all do, for sure.

 

On 12/8/2024 at 2:39 PM, Aner said:

How long did it take for you to start noticing improvements in your symptoms?

It took a number of months for me to notice much in the way of change, and then it was very slow with the typical waves and windows type pattern. I wish I could give you something more definitive. It was just slow, gradual improvement. It was a bit scary really, because weight loss did become an issue. But as I mentioned, very little issues at this point.

 

I did work with a naturopath for a bit. She recommended drinking warm lemon water in the morning (to stimulate digestion), as well as castor oil on my abdomen with abdominal massage. I don't know if the timing was coincidental, but this did seem to bring things back to life a bit. There was another member I mentioned this to who didn't have a good experience with this though, so please tread carefully if you try the castor oil. I would start with only 10 min or, and then wash it off.

 

The only other thing I remember doing was opting for nutrient dense foods - I drank a lot of smoothies and blended vegetable soups so I could pack in as many nutrients as possible.

[Aner]

8 hours ago, LotusRising said:

That seems a common story where I am as well.

 

I think we all do, for sure.

 

It took a number of months for me to notice much in the way of change, and then it was very slow with the typical waves and windows type pattern. I wish I could give you something more definitive. It was just slow, gradual improvement. It was a bit scary really, because weight loss did become an issue. But as I mentioned, very little issues at this point.

 

I did work with a naturopath for a bit. She recommended drinking warm lemon water in the morning (to stimulate digestion), as well as castor oil on my abdomen with abdominal massage. I don't know if the timing was coincidental, but this did seem to bring things back to life a bit. There was another member I mentioned this to who didn't have a good experience with this though, so please tread carefully if you try the castor oil. I would start with only 10 min or, and then wash it off.

 

The only other thing I remember doing was opting for nutrient dense foods - I drank a lot of smoothies and blended vegetable soups so I could pack in as many nutrients as possible.

Thank you. I will try out lemon water and go easy with castor oil. You've been really nice and helpful! Thank you so much!

 

Wish you all the best!