taking zoloft for 12 years?

Okay, congratulations on having 12 wonderful, depression-free years. That would be the focus of what you wrote here. There are several issues to address in what you have written. The teeth and grinding, that can be related to stress and caffeine, and definitely a dental issue. Probably need a night guard. Not a dentist, here, so I don't know. Zoloft, to my knowledge does not cause tooth loss.

It does, however, cause weight gain. Not this much. It usually caused a 5-10 pound weight gain. Have you had your thyroid tested? Just a thought. You can lose weight on an antidepressant with careful management of diet and exercise.

Here's the big one. You want to get off the drug. Have you done the homework that your doctor told you to do - the counseling that they recommended you do when they put you on the med? Usually antidepressants and counseling go hand-in-hand, because the goal is not to take the medication forever.

I think that since you were first prescribed zoloft when you were about 37 yrs old, that you really needed it for ongoing clinical depression. Some antidepressants can cause weight gain but some, like Prozac, can help with weight loss. You could talk to your doctor about trying a different medication for your depression but don't stop taking the Zoloft. Your depression will almost surely return. You wouldn't be grinding your teeth if you didn't still have anxiety so stopping medication is not wise.

You can get an inexpensive tooth protection to prevent grinding and wear it at night. It is usually sold in pharmacies and is just a plastic insert to cover your teeth surfaces. The warmth of your mouth molds it to fit your teeth perfectly. You might check out Weight Watchers to lose weight, too. Your weight gain could be due to unwise food choices and lack of exercise and not the zoloft at all. Good luck!! : /

First thing is to get a mouth guard so you don't lose more teeth. Then you should try one of the other of that group of antidepressants. Some of them actually do cause grinding of the teeth. Also, the weight gain is a problem with the Zoloft-like antidepressants. My own feeling is that if it takes those drugs to make you happy, then keep taking them, although you can try another one of them to see if you can stop the grinding.

You should talk to your psychiatrist about your health issues. There are a lot of new antidepressants out there that might work better for you.

You might not want to just quit the medication.

Glad you have been happy; it is so important!