2024-07-29 19:55:35
Antidepressants are essential for many people to relieve their mental illnesses. However, they can also cause unwanted effects.
It is not only an unhealthy lifestyle that can make you fat, certain medications can also lead to weight gain. These include cardiovascular medications such as beta-blockers, insulin or, if used for a longer period of time, glucocorticoids – or cortisone for short.
Such a side effect is also known from antidepressants. The drugs are mainly used to treat depression, but are also prescribed for anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders, panic attacks, sleep disorders, eating disorders and chronic pain.
But the extent of weight gain seems to depend heavily on which antidepressant is taken. The latest research from the USA shows which drugs pose the greatest risk.
As part of an observational study, scientists at the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute evaluated data from more than 180,000 people (18 to 80 years old) who had taken antidepressants for the first time. Specifically, these were eight common active ingredients:
The analysis compared the weight of the participants 6, 12 and 24 months after the start of treatment. A weight gain of five percent or more was considered relevant to health.
The result: All antidepressants used led to a weight gain of up to two kilograms after two years, but this amount varied depending on the active ingredient. The active ingredient bupropion had the lowest risk of extra kilos. Compared to people who took the more common antidepressant sertraline, the risk of significant weight gain was 15 to 20 percent lower for bupropion users.
Bupropion and sertraline are based on different mechanisms of action: Bupropion increases the level of the two psychologically active neurotransmitters dopamine and noradrenaline. Among other things, dopamine increases drive, while noradrenaline activates the body during physical and mental stress. Sertraline, on the other hand, belongs to the class of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which are prescribed much more frequently. The hormone serotonin can lighten the mood and reduce anxiety.
However, even within the same class of active ingredients, differences in the effect on body weight were evident. In the first six months of use, the risk of weight gain for users of the two SSRIs escitalopram and paroxetine was 15 percent higher than for sertraline. Compared to bupropion, this represented a difference of at least 30 percent.
The study clearly shows that not all antidepressants are the same in terms of their side effects. When choosing the right medication, an individual assessment of effectiveness and side effects should therefore always be made. “Doctors and patients can use this information, among other things, to make the right choice for them,” say the study authors.
Ultimately, of course, effectiveness is the most important thing – the antidepressant is intended to help treat depression and other mental illnesses effectively. But as the researchers report, side effects such as weight gain could also have a significant impact on the well-being of patients and thus also on the success of the therapy.