diff --git a/src/topics/sorted.js b/src/topics/sorted.js
index a1d809fb48..8348f4ceaa 100644
--- a/src/topics/sorted.js
+++ b/src/topics/sorted.js
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ module.exports = function (Topics) {
 				tids = await Topics.filterWatchedTids(tids, params.uid);
 			}
 		} else if (params.filter === 'watched') {
-			tids = await db.getSortedSetRevRange(`uid:${params.uid}:followed_tids`, 0, -1);
+			tids = await getWatchedTopics(params);
 		} else if (params.cids) {
 			tids = await getCidTids(params);
 		} else if (params.tags.length) {
@@ -63,6 +63,17 @@ module.exports = function (Topics) {
 		return tids;
 	}
 
+	async function getWatchedTopics(params) {
+		const sortSet = ['recent', 'old'].includes(params.sort) ? 'topics:recent' : `topics:${params.sort}`;
+		const method = params.sort === 'old' ? 'getSortedSetIntersect' : 'getSortedSetRevIntersect';
+		return await db[method]({
+			sets: [sortSet, `uid:${params.uid}:followed_tids`],
+			weights: [1, 0],
+			start: 0,
+			stop: meta.config.recentMaxTopics - 1,
+		});
+	}
+
 	async function getTagTids(params) {
 		const sets = [
 			params.sort === 'old' ?
diff --git a/src/topics/unread.js b/src/topics/unread.js
index 9c54445233..bb8e207163 100644
--- a/src/topics/unread.js
+++ b/src/topics/unread.js
@@ -210,15 +210,13 @@ module.exports = function (Topics) {
 	}
 
 	async function getFollowedTids(params) {
-		let tids = await db.getSortedSetMembers(`uid:${params.uid}:followed_tids`);
-		const filterCids = params.cid && params.cid.map(cid => parseInt(cid, 10));
-		if (filterCids) {
-			const topicData = await Topics.getTopicsFields(tids, ['tid', 'cid']);
-			tids = topicData.filter(t => filterCids.includes(t.cid)).map(t => t.tid);
-		}
-		const scores = await db.sortedSetScores('topics:recent', tids);
-		const data = tids.map((tid, index) => ({ value: String(tid), score: scores[index] }));
-		return data.filter(item => item.score > params.cutoff);
+		const keys = params.cid ?
+			params.cid.map(cid => `cid:${cid}:tids:lastposttime`) :
+			'topics:recent';
+
+		const recentTopicData = await db.getSortedSetRevRangeByScoreWithScores(keys, 0, -1, '+inf', params.cutoff);
+		const isFollowed = await db.isSortedSetMembers(`uid:${params.uid}:followed_tids`, recentTopicData.map(t => t.tid));
+		return recentTopicData.filter((t, i) => isFollowed[i]);
 	}
 
 	async function filterTidsThatHaveBlockedPosts(params) {