Side effects from antidepressants: zero libido, weight gain, and drinking more. Help?

I honestly don't even know which part of this is weighing on me more lately, because it feels like I'm stuck in this endless loop, you know? For years now, I've been on Zoloft, and look, it actually works in the sense that I can get through my workday without spiraling into a full-blown panic attack, but man, the trade-off has been brutal. My libido has completely vanished—like, it’s just gone—and honestly, sex has become something I actively want to avoid, which is wild because that’s the last thing I ever thought would happen to me. On top of that, I can't seem to stop reaching for a drink; after a stressful day, a glass of wine feels like my only real escape, even though I know deep down I shouldn't be mixing it with my meds. And then there's the weight gain... ugh. It’s like food and alcohol have become my only little ways to cope with how boring and heavy life feels right now. My relationship is doing okay for the moment, I guess, but I catch myself wondering when my boyfriend is going to finally walk away, since we haven't even been intimate in months. I’m really struggling with all of this, but I feel totally paralyzed because I can't just quit the Zoloft—I'm terrified that if I stop, I'll just spiral even harder, and I've already dealt with some pretty nasty side effects from other medications in the past. Has anyone else out there gone through something similar to this?

Look, let’s be real—every psych med out there is going to have some kind of side effect you can feel. But honestly? Things like drinking alcohol, messing with other substances, pulling all-nighters, or just living under constant stress... those are way more destructive to your system. You really need to cut out the booze entirely, find ways to manage your stress levels, and work closely with your psychiatrist to nail down that "sweet spot" dosage. That’s the dose where you get the help you need without feeling like a zombie. Plus, if you’ve been on these meds for a long time and you aren't even seeing signs of depression anymore, you should definitely chat with your doctor about tapering off or lowering your milligrams. It might be time to step down.

The meds are helping you maintain a certain balance right now, but at the end of the day, you’ve got to focus more on building much healthier lifestyle habits overall.

What’s the point of all that physical training—besides just making more kids—when you can just walk into a store and grab whatever psychoactive stuff, booze, or junk food you want legally? It's right there...

Honestly, it’s not even weird that your libido has totally vanished; if anything, you should be relieved that those are your "only" side effects.
I mean, look at me—when I was on antidepressants, my testosterone levels tanked so hard I felt like a twelve-year-old girl, which is wild considering my baseline is naturally through the roof.

The truth is, you're eating and drinking because there's this massive void inside you that you're trying to plug with drugs (like Paxil), junk food, and booze, but it just isn't working, right? Can't you see that nothing is filling that hole?
Of course, you probably wouldn't even be able to hold down a job or deal with people day-to-day if you weren't doing all this, so I'm really not going to sit here and lecture you on how to live your life.
It's your life, and it's your call.
As for me, I made the choice a long time ago to never be beholden to anyone or anything—even if it means feeling absolutely miserable every single day (and trust me, that's exactly how I feel right now).

I feel the exact same way. At some point, you just have to make a choice: do you want to surrender to this lifestyle, or are you ready to change? I managed to cut out the binge eating that used to give me a temporary high, and I’ve stopped drinking entirely. Even though I love how I feel when I mix alcohol with my medication, even a tiny amount completely clouds my judgment. I don't touch it anymore. I refuse to wake up the next morning having forgotten half of the previous night... even if I struggle sometimes, it's always better to be in control than to lose it.
My only vice left is a couple of cigarettes a day; they provide a strange sort of relaxation, if only for a few minutes.
In my opinion, you really have to strengthen your own self-discipline. You'll find that you actually feel much better once you stop trying to manage stress through food or booze. We have to learn how to deal with life without relying on these destructive coping mechanisms. It’s incredibly difficult, and honestly, there are days you'll feel absolutely terrible, but you have to break those habits... I would suggest setting a different goal instead. For example, focus on fueling your body with a great diet to reach peak health, or channel all that stress into physical activity—like running, hitting the gym, or even just getting lost in your favorite Netflix series... there are endless ways to cope... you just have to find yours. 🙂

Sophia Ward57 said:I feel the exact same way. At some point, you just have to make a choice: do you want to surrender to this lifestyle, or are you ready to change? I managed to cut out the binge eating that used to give me a temporary high, and I’ve stopped drinking entirely. Even though I love how I feel when I mix alcohol with my medication, even a tiny amount completely clouds my judgment. I don't touch it anymore. I refuse to wake up the next morning having forgotten half of the previous night... even if I struggle sometimes, it's always better to be in control than to lose it.
My only vice left is a couple of cigarettes a day; they provide a strange sort of relaxation, if only for a few minutes.
In my opinion, you really have to strengthen your own self-discipline. You'll find that you actually feel much better once you stop trying to manage stress through food or booze. We have to learn how to deal with life without relying on these destructive coping mechanisms. It’s incredibly difficult, and honestly, there are days you'll feel absolutely terrible, but you have to break those habits... I would suggest setting a different goal instead. For example, focus on fueling your body with a great diet to reach peak health, or channel all that stress into physical activity—like running, hitting the gym, or even just getting lost in your favorite Netflix series... there are endless ways to cope... you just have to find yours. 🙂

Hey, hi! Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart, seriously, that is such incredible advice and I know deep down that I need to hear it, so I really want to find a way to change things so I can start feeling better ❤️