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by teetle on October 13th, 2006

teetle

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Do antidepressents cause weight gain?

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  • by va_freaking_nessa on October 13th, 2006

    va_freaking_nessa

    Weight gain due to antidepressant medication is a very relevant topic. But there are many possible causes and interactions that might influence your weight. Besides the medication you should also consider an increase or change of appetite due to reduced depression or a change of your activity level.


    Doctors look for short term effects (3 to 6 months) or long term effects of the medication (more than 6 months). Any weight gain above 7% of the original weight is considered relevant. Weight gain due to SSRI is less likely in any short term use. Knowing the different effects on weight gain is important in making a good choice before starting antidepressant medication! Doctors should always inform patients about possible side-effects on weight, and possibilities of preventing a severe weight gain by sufficient excerise and health food intake.

    Not all SSRI (like Paxil) cause weight gain for all patients. But one study suggested that there might be differences in weight gain due to the different types of SSRI. Paroxetine (Paxil) may be more likely cause a significant weight gain than other drugs of this type (like fluoxetine or sertraline). Studies about citalopram found no significant weight changes for most patients (but a minority of about 5% of the patients had a weight gain of more than 5 kg).


    Buproprion (Zyban) reports weight loss in the course of therapy (caused by antihistaminic effects). However, the therapeutic effect may be less than other antidepressant. Buproprion is not available in all countries.

    Venlafaxine (Efexor) (inhibitor of serotonine and noradrenaline uptake); no relevant weight gain (but limited data available)

    Nefazodone (Nefadar) ; no significant increase of weight

    Mirtazapine (Rmeron) ; More likely than placebo to cause weight gain, less than tricyclic medication.

    Tricyclic antidepressants : Known for weight gain in short term and long term medication

    So what are your options :

    Get appropriate education about the effects of the drugs on your weight
    Make a food diary to rule out other causes of weight gain
    Increase exercise
    Talk with your doctor about different treatment options
    switching to another SSRI
    switching to another antidepressant class
    combine your medication with Buproprion (causes appetite loss). For a small number of patients (with ADHD), the additional therapy with psychostimulants (methylphenidate) has a similar effect.

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