What Is the Connection between Antidepressants and Weight Loss?

Nearly anyone that routinely takes antidepressants will often gain a minimum of 15 pounds or more in a relatively short amount of time. In addition, adding mood stabilizers into the mix a prescription medications can create an enormous weight gain of 75 pounds or greater. This is long been known as a serious side effect for these types of drugs in an effort to treat depressed individuals.

Weight Gain

Psychiatrist and their patients often deal with this unwanted, unpleasant and unneeded serious side effect between antidepressants and weight loss. Unfortunately, stopping the prescription drug is not always an option. Even when it is an option, it can be extremely dangerous to simply stop taking the medication too quickly.

The weight loss advice provided by physicians and dietitians for individuals taking antidepressants is no different than for any other individual that is overweight. It requires the need to stop consuming junk foods, and change their diet to healthier food choices. This includes incorporating quality fish and vegetables with some fruit along with at least 64 ounces of water every day. In addition, the individual needs to give up eating red meat, and develop an effective antidepressants and weight loss exercise routine.

Antidepressants that create Weight Loss

Some SSRIs (serotonin reuptake inhibitors) and MAOIs (monoamine oxidase inhibitors) along with tricyclic antidepressants typically cause weight gain. However, other antidepressants available can cause patients to lose weight as a side effect, usually through a loss of appetite. Some of these medications including NDRIs (norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitors) can create weight loss, although it is not always a significant amount.

Losing the Weight

Because there is an obvious connection between antidepressants and weight loss, it is essential to start the process of learning how to lose the weight safely and effectively. The first process is to weigh yourself and write the number down, to remember exactly how much you weighed before beginning the medication.

The next step in the process is learning how to tell the subtle differences of having an appetite and being hungry. Hunger usually is an indicator that you could eat any food to satisfy the hunger pangs. There is usually a sense of urgency when hunger is involved alternatively, having an appetite usually focuses on consuming a specific type of food.

Having the ability to tell the difference can help you avoid gaining weight while being on the medication. This is because prescription antidepressant medications tend to create a nagging sensation that drives you to eat, even when you are actually not hungry.

In addition, you should avoid consuming a low carbohydrate, high-protein diet. For any individual on an antidepressant prescription medication regimen, this can be a significant diet for disaster. This is because it prevents serotonin from being produced in the body and will likely increase the urgency for eating at a binging rate.

Because of the obvious connection between antidepressants and weight loss, it is essential to recognize that you will need to eat healthy by making the right food choices, and exercise at least 4 to 5 times every week.