Can antidepressants cause weight gain?
I was suggested to take antidepressants for my eating disorder. Doctor told me might help for anxiety. I have never taken antidepressants, so the doctor explained what the pill does to your body.
I was told that serotonin slows down whole body system. Metabolism, brain, etc... every system in my body. Some might feel apathy.
My biggest concern for taking antidepressants is " will gain weight since pill slows down my metabolism"
So I did some research, and found tans of articles.
According to Daniel K. Hall-Flavin, M.D. ,there are more weight gain article than weight loss articles regarding antidepressants.
From my research, weight gain is a possible side effect of nearly all antidepressants.
However, each person responds to antidepressants differently since each person has different genetic, body system. Some people gain weight when taking a certain antidepressant, while others do not, or lose weight.
Generally speaking, some antidepressants seem more likely to cause weight gain with no evidence.
The antidepressant isn't always a direct cause. Many factors can contribute to weight gain during antidepressant therapy.
For example:
Overeating or inactivity as a result of depression may cause weight gain. Food will taste better when you are on antidepressants.
Some people lose weight as part of their depression, In turn, an improved appetite associated with improved mood may result in increasing weight.
The medicine that may cause weight gain :
Certain tricyclic antidepressants, such as amitriptyline, imipramine (Tofranil) and doxepin
Certain monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), such as phenelzine (Nardil)
Paroxetine (Paxil, Pexeva), a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI)
Mirtazapine (Remeron), which is an atypical antidepressants (medication that does not fit into another antidepressants)
According to Dr, Brucker, main doctor while I'm in the hospital, told me that antidepressants will not make you gain weight.
In my conclusion, antidepressants are not the cause of weight gain. But might cause weight gain due to having less depression by taking antidepressants.