I wrote last Tuesday about the upset stomach problems I have been having since I started taking Sertraline and the diet that I was recommended to switch to until it worked its way out of my system after having changed to Citalopram.
I thought today I would just give an update on how it has been going and any positive effects I have found as a result. To recap BRAT is an acronym that stands for Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast (white). This combination of food types is commonly recommended to people suffering from or recovering from bouts of diarrhoea and vomiting.
I also mentioned that at the time I had been going to the toilet around 8 or 9 times a day and that my weight had dropped to around 8 stone 10 pounds and it was these things in particular that I hoped to see an improvement in. Below is the diet plan that I laid out last week.
- Breakfast
- White Bread x 4 with Applesauce
- Banana
- Probiotic Yoghurt
- Mid Morning
- Banana
- Lunch
- Soup
- White Bread x 6
- Yogurt
- Afternoon Snack
- Banana
- Tea
- Plain Grilled Chicken x 2
- Boiled Potatoes
- White Rice
I have managed to stick to most of the above with a couple of exceptions. I tried having apple sauce on my morning toast on the first morning to make it less dry but it was bloody disgusting and I haven’t had any applesauce since I’ve also not been having the yogurt which I should probably rectify. Also when it came to tea, I have just been having the plain grilled chicken and boiled potatoes as I was struggling to manage rice as well just through getting full quite easily. Other than that I have struck fairly closely to the plan although I get this means I have been more on the BT diet….
BRAT Diet Results
On the first day things were pretty much as they had been previously, lots of explosive poo and toilet visits. On the second day things improved a bit and I maybe went 3 or 4 times and things were a bit firmer. Since then things have been pretty solid and maybe going 2 – 3 times a day with much less of a sense of urgency and definite improvements in consistency. My weight is also now up to 8 stone 13.6 pounds so definite improvements there.
I’m going to continue over the next week by which time the Sertraline should hopefully be out of my system and I will start introducing more varied foods back into my diet which I can’t wait for as it’s incredibly dull eating at the moment!! I also hope by then to be back into the 9 stone range.
Whether these improvements are as a result of the change in diet or more down to the previous meds leaving my system I don’t know. I am just glad the symptoms have improved and hope the progress continues. I will update again next week, hopefully with less discussion around the consistency of my poo!