Why do some anti depressants make you gain weight?

Voxen

Speaking of SSRI's. Why are some more related to weight gain than others? I mean you can't just say it ups serotonin and thus making you happier and more carefree so you end up eating more....because say paxil is associated with more weight gain than others, yet they both affect serotonin. But if both affect serotonin, than shouldn't they have the same affect on weight? Do they affect metabolism in some other way? Thyroid? Digestion?

Any thoughts on the matter would be really helpful. Any ideas?


Thanks for reading.

emmymcq

In my experience, AD's can be kind of constipating (sorry for the tmi) and I've know other ppl complain about this, too. I'm not sure why some pack on pounds more than others, it may have to do with ow potent they are. For example, Celexa (citalopram) doesn't even come close to potency of, say, Zoloft or Prozac. It would take way more Celexa to equal the effect of one of those. Paxil is pretty strong, too. My dr said that as far as antidepressants go, Wellbutrin is least likely to cause gain. I've been on celexa for about a month and haven't gained and feel good. Some meds can cause sugar/carb cravings.

jennmodugno

I'm taking Cymbalta for the second time around, and my first time I found it actually caused me to LOSE weight, because (once the initial adjustment was over) my urge to munch was gone. Kind of looking forward to that, honestly. :P Though I have heard that some folks lose their appetite altogether and have to force themselves to eat, so it can be a little dangerous.

Zoloft, however - don't even get me started! I gained so much weight on that stuff, it's not even funny.

acpaton92

Nurse here: most researchers are unsure of what causes the weight gain, though there are a number of theories:
1) It could have an affect on metabolism
2) They could trigger carbohydrate cravings
3) Because you're becoming less depressed, your appetite may return
4) The weight gain may be a symptom of the depression (and overeating) not a symptom of the treatment

DrLabRat

Speaking of SSRI's. Why are some more related to weight gain than others? I mean you can't just say it ups serotonin and thus making you happier and more carefree so you end up eating more....because say paxil is associated with more weight gain than others, yet they both affect serotonin. But if both affect serotonin, than shouldn't they have the same affect on weight? Do they affect metabolism in some other way? Thyroid? Digestion?

Any thoughts on the matter would be really helpful. Any ideas?


Thanks for reading.

Pharmacologiest/Neuroscientist/Science Geek here

Serotonin does more than regulate happiness. As you already know, it's a neurotransmitter, and... well... neurotransmitters signal from one neuron to another. Your physiological response depends entirely on which circuits are being activated at any given time. Serotonin can and does regulate mood... but it also can help regulate appetite, interest in sex... and... lots of things

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, therefore, promote weight gain because they increase appetite. They don't change metabolism directly, but they can help regulate how much you sleep, how interested you are in exercise, and so on... which therefore regulates calorie burn indirectly. This can also effect weight gain or loss.

Why do SSRIs differ in how much they effect weight gain or loss? Well... Even within the same class, all pharmacological agents differ from one another in how they're absorbed, how they're metabolized, how they act on their target proteins in the brain, whether they have other 'off target' effects and so on. Certain agents might be in the same family, yet they can have different pharmacological profiles and therefor different over-all effects. Paxil tends to be anti-anxiolytic (anxiety), probably due to its interactions with something other than Serotonin re-uptake pumps and is one of the worst for weight gain because of those anti-anxiolytic effects. Calm = less calorie burn.

To complicate matters even further... genetic differences can determine how a certain person responds to a certain drug...

Phat_Bottom_Girl

I started prozac 3 weeks ago, I'm craving carbs and have no energy to get off my sofa ,hopefully this is just the side effects and hopefully be back to normal soon x

Iron_Pheonix

I took citalophram for eight months and I put on nearly a stone with no change to diet or exercise. I'm a nutritionist and personal trainer and I know that nothing contributed to it life style wise except for insomnia....

Anti depressants slow everything in the body. However what is important here is that you can live a normal life! Weight gain is not the be all and end all. I personally just felt like a zombie and exhausted on it. I felt much better when I came off and controlled the depression dietary wise.

Hugs for you all who are struggling there is light at the end of the tunnel. When going through hell... Keep on walking x

Edit: I have been off them for two years, I have only just started to move some of the weight I gained. I read this when I was taking them and saved it : Don't let people tell you that you can just have willpower or exercise more. The drug is messing with your metabolism and your appetite. It's not in your head. If you're vulnerable to this side effect mere "willpower" is unlikely to help.

Wira11

They are all genetically engineered to manipulate fluids in your body, when certain things that are not natural your body reacts in a different way.....some gain, some lose...

big example: aspertane....what it does is manipulate hunger in the body but your body will crave and store more fats.....this man made ammino acid is found in diet products like sodas, gum, sweeteners and many other things even in some medications

MissJanet55

I gained a large amount of weight on zoloft. Lost it all, but some of it is creeping back (after 7 years), so I'm back at it.

Would I have gained it if I had monitored diet and exercise? I don't know, and after all this time I don't know if I was eating more and moving less. I was working hard to lose the weight towards the end of my tme on the drug, though, and it sure wasn't budging until I stopped taking it.

I would add to people who say "you just need to be more careful what you eat and get some exercise", you may not be familiar with clinical depression. It's not just feeling sad. It's a sense of despair that is so deep and overwhelming it makes looking after yourself virtually impossible. No one chooses it, and it's not an excuse. It's just how it is for people.

If I have to choose between gaining weight and being depressed, I'd rather be heavier and able to live a normal, healthy life. It's worth it.

Sheilagh85

1) It could have an affect on metabolism

burn less calories.

2) They could trigger carbohydrate cravings

increase calorie consumption.

3) Because you're becoming less depressed, your appetite may return

increase calorie consumption.

4) The weight gain may be a symptom of the depression (and overeating) not a symptom of the treatment

increase calorie consumption.

Thanks for all the tips but unless you've been on an SSRI and experienced the side effects you can't really judge. Not enough research has been done on why people gain weight on them. I gained 30lbs while on Cipralex, it made me crave sugary and carby foods (foods I would never normally eat). As soon as I went off the medication (after terrible withdrawls) I dropped the 30 lbs in 2 months and my carb cravings completely vanished.

Sheilagh85

I took citalophram for eight months and I put on nearly a stone with no change to diet or exercise. I'm a nutritionist and personal trainer and I know that nothing contributed to it life style wise except for insomnia....

Anti depressants slow everything in the body. However what is important here is that you can live a normal life! Weight gain is not the be all and end all. I personally just felt like a zombie and exhausted on it. I felt much better when I came off and controlled the depression dietary wise.

Hugs for you all who are struggling there is light at the end of the tunnel. When going through hell... Keep on walking x

Edit: I have been off them for two years, I have only just started to move some of the weight I gained. I read this when I was taking them and saved it : Don't let people tell you that you can just have willpower or exercise more. The drug is messing with your metabolism and your appetite. It's not in your head. If you're vulnerable to this side effect mere "willpower" is unlikely to help.

%110 agree with this statement.

benol1

Hi Voxen,

Speaking of SSRI's. Why are some more related to weight gain than others? I mean you can't just say it ups serotonin and thus making you happier and more carefree so you end up eating more....because say paxil is associated with more weight gain than others, yet they both affect serotonin. But if both affect serotonin, than shouldn't they have the same affect on weight? Do they affect metabolism in some other way? Thyroid? Digestion?

Any thoughts on the matter would be really helpful. Any ideas?


Thanks for reading.

I think its an interesting question.
If you approach your pharmacist or clinician he or she would probably explain that very many people experience weight gain during episodes of acute depression, so a side effect of weight gain from anti-depressants is probably not that bad in the scheme of things. The scheme of things meaning that depression, if left untreated, can become a fatal condition. As for the bio-chemistry of SSRIs and how they condition weight gain - you will get a more authoritative answer by speaking to a pharmacist, psychiatrist or general medical practitioner.
Wishing you all the best,

Ben

pamwhite712

I know all too well the effect of drugs on metabolism and appetite. I was on zyprexa, 10mg, for eight years. In that time I gained over 80 pounds. I tried and tried and TRIED to limit my calories, I exercised, and NOTHING helped. I would try and wean myself off the zyprexa, but I couldn't. I was also on Prozac.

I'm at the point now where I can take a quarter of the dose that I used to take of zyprexa, and I switched from Prozac to wellbutrin. I am literally watching the pounds melt off me. It's awesome. I can limit my calories and not be starving all the time. I have energy to exercise.

So in short, they mess with you in many ways. No scientific data to back that up, I just know it did with me.

QueenofScott

I don't know why they do, but I can testify that Pristique does. Yikes. That's when I started rapidly gaining weight. Now I am taking Wellbutrin, which I was told was the only anti-depressant available without the possible side affect of weight gain.

pamwhite712

Oh, and my sister is on Remeron, and it's making her gain massive amounts of weight. I've seen her eat. She never used to eat like she does now.

carolmags

I started on prozac 8 years ago and rapidly gained weight. Ive gone from a uk size 12/14 to 18.
Last year I was changed to venlaflaxine to help with my "hot flashes".
Altogether I have gained 35lbs over the 8 years and my GP says it's not the antidepressants causing this weight gain.
I asked to have my thyroid checked and it came back ok.
Ive been reading forums online and there are an awful lot of people who gain weight when they start taking antidepressants!! I'm weaning myseld off now and I am down to 1/4 of my usual dosage and started mfp on 1st jan. 5lbs lost so far and I'm feeling great. Can't wait to get off antidepressants. I know I couldn't have done without them when I was at my lowest but the weight gain was another thing which brought me down on top of all the other things going on!

dittmarml

On Paxil, I went from 135 to 180 over 2 years. I began tracking calorie input and pretty much no matter what I did, the weight came on. I was also unable to exercise during this time due to massive reconstruction of my left leg; but at the end it was clear that the drug was at the bottom of the gain.

I went off Paxil and started losing, again without being able to exercise.

SSRI's are notorious for gain, nobody really knows why. I did crave carbs and sweets while on it. The previous generation of anti-depressants - Elavil was the most frequently prescribed - was also associated with significant weight gain.

I have a similar response to prednisone, a steroid, which I've been on now for 5 weeks. I've gained 12 pounds. Just stopping now, thank heavens.

Wellbutrin is the only anti-depressant that is not necessarily associated with weight gain; however like all antidepressants not everyone is helped by it.

jincurry89

Anti-depressants aren't the only drugs that do this. Anti-psychotics/convulsants can do the same thing. I was on Zyprexa at one point and gained 20 pounds...in a WEEK. Last year I was taking Abilify and gained almost 40 pounds over about 4 months.
I haven't had any weight gain issues with any others drugs, and I've been on many. I couldn't say whether the weight gain could be attributed to metabolism change, eating more, or a combination.

Unfortunately, everyone's different and you'll never know how you're affected by a drug until you take it. Right now I'm on Trileptal and I am not gained weight, yay!

Also I was on a drug called Topamax which at higher doses is known to cause weight loss. Unfortunately I didn't respond well to it so I have to lose weight the old-fashioned way, ahaha~

dallas4u

My take on SSRIs (and benzos like Xanax if anyone takes this for anxiety attacks) is that they simply make you not care about anything - so you may be inclined to sleep, eat whatever, lay on the couch, drink more, etc..

I have been on Zoloft and Klonopin for depression and anxiety for 10 years. I feel like these drugs have made me indifferent and have robbed me of my personality. Actually, the side effects have caused more problems for me than anything. I am currently working with my doc and a naturopath to wean off of Zoloft and Klonopin. My goal is to get off this garbage because I have felt like a zombie for years.

Maybe I really need the Zoloft - not sure yet but I am going to try to get off of it because the less meds, the better in my opinion.

Paxil was the worst for me. I liked how it made me not care about anything, but I took it for six months in 1999 and put on 30 lbs. I quit that drug and the weight dropped off.

TLTucker80

I am currently on 3 meds for that and bipolar and 2 out of the 3 makes me gain weight I'm talking 10 or so pounds a month...I asked the doctor and he said that it has a lot to do with how strong the doses are for example one is 200mg that i have to take ever night another is 50mg i have to take at night and the last is 20mg i take at noon and its the one at noon and the 200mg ones that make me gain. He said that he cannot lower the doses or stop them because with out them I can not function. So he put me on something to try and help me loss. He said one of 3 things could happen that it slows down the weight gain, i could stay the same weight or it could help me loos a little weight.

amandapye78

Paxi caused me to gain a lot of weight and it would not come off no matter what I did, I could have starved myself and it wouldn't have budged. The dr told me it wasn't Paxil there was no way it was Paxil as soon as I went off I dropped 20lb almost overnight. I dont know how it does it but it does it!