What Is The Real Reason For Weight Gain On SSRIs?

MommyMeggo
MommyMeggo Posts: 1,222 Member
edited November 20 in Health and Weight Loss
Before you say "Google", I did. I'm not satisfied or too dense today. o:)
I know we have lots of smarties and many with personal experience so- I posted.

Is it the perceived (or actual) increased appetite signals in the brain and therefore more CI?
Or the lack of energy for less CO?
The combo of both.
It is a lack of self control?

Is it all chemical? Emotional? Is there a physical metabolic change within the body?
Can anything be done to counteract these changes?

Ive read (and read and read) accounts of those who "do everything right" but still gain weight on anti-depressants, etc. I know when depressed people may eat less then when feeling better eat more and put on some weight. Others they have no weight changes.

How does a drug alter the math & science of our ever faithful CI/CO? Presuming the CI/CO remains steady.

Replies

  • anjeden
    anjeden Posts: 15 Member
    https://www.medicalchronicle.co.za/weight-gain-caused-by-antidepressants/
  • Unknown
    Unknown
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  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    I don't think there is any alteration in CO by the drug itself. If the drug has a sedating effect then it will lower incidental movement. It could affect CI by appetite increase. You can perceive you have changed nothing but an extra bite here and there, one extra snack a day and there you go, weight gain without realising anything changed.

    I also think that with the advent of online support communities there's a lot of fearmongering. I see it a lot, every single psychoactive med appears to have caused weight gain for someone. And I think that that plays a role too, you expect your appetite to increase, you expect weight gain to be a side effect, so it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.

    One anti-d I was on made me ravenous for sweet things and at the time I just satisfied it. 14lbs in one month but I was under no illusions how it happened.

    Further down the line I was on seroquel. It is the only med I'm aware of that can cause metabolic syndrome in some people so they become IR. Otherwise, it's the sedation and appetite increase (and of course, when you're tired you want to eat for an energy boost). I also gained on that. But I also started losing while I was on it and tapering off.

    I think it's largely a case of reframing our expectations of what that means on the med label and not allow it even subconsciously influence our behaviours.
  • slaite1
    slaite1 Posts: 1,307 Member
    edited July 2017
    It may increase your appetite-mental? Physical? Doesn't matter- (CI) It may make you feel better, so you eat more (CI). It may make you lethargic and expend less energy (CO). On the flip side, their are some antidepressants that cause exactly the opposite and depress your appetite, you feel better so you eat less (if that's your thing), and you have more energy bc you are less depressed-so you expend more energy.

    We're talking SSRI's here, I'm pretty sure (but willing to be corrected if I'm wrong) that they do not alter your metabolism or whatever. But they do affect all sorts of chemicals and hormones, and it stands to reason that this COULD effect your appetite. But so does exercise. And depression.

    Does it matter, really? Mental illness effects your appetite and energy levels, as does mental health treatments. Whatever the situation, you find your baseline and you decrease CI or increase CO (or both!) in order to lose weight. As far as people "who do everything right" my guess would be that-much like the most common posters here-they are eating more than they think.
  • MsChucktowski
    MsChucktowski Posts: 121 Member
    I don't believe that SSRIs themselves cause weight gain/loss. I experienced a loss of appetite for the first 4-6 weeks of taking SSRIs (sertraline/zoloft) and lost weight because I just couldn't eat much. On the other end of the scale, it may cause a increased appetite, therefore causing weight gain by simply eating more.

    Additionally, I find when I'm out doing things and keeping busy, I eat less. When I'm at home, particularly if I'm having a bad day, I eat more.
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