(23-11-10) Taking Antidepressants can Cause Weight Gain

by Fleur Hupston, citizen journalist
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(NaturalNews) Studies vary considerably when it comes to antidepressants, how
they work and if they work. What is becoming clearer is the most likely reason
why those who use antidepressants tend to put on weight.

SSRIs and SNRIs are routinely prescribed to millions of adults, adolescents
and children for conditions as varied as depression, bed wetting, insomnia,
alcohol addiction, back pain, premenstrual syndrome or simply as a "feel
better" pill. There are side effects to taking antidepressant medication,
including a tendency to gain weight.

Scientists, such as Dr. Carmine Pariante, a neuroendocrinologist based in
London, are beginning to unravel the mystery of the role that cortisol plays in
the brain when individuals take an antidepressant and how this, in turn,
affects weight gain.

Antidepressants and Cortisol

When an antidepressant is ingested, the brain and body start to produce extra
cortisol and adrenalin. These are stress hormones and it would seem that the
brain releases more to combat what it recognizes as excessive serotonin levels.
A single 30mg dose of SSRI or SNRI, given to someone who has never taken this
medication before, will double his or her cortisol levels.

With raised levels of cortisol and adrenalin surging through the body,
depressed individuals get a boost, giving them a feeling of euphoria. SSRI
antidepressants produce a non-depressed state in patients, a state which does
not last forever.

Continually raised cortisol levels can trigger health problems: such as fat
gain, high blood sugar, memory loss and less bone density. Worse still, high
cortisol levels are linked to brain damage and the possibility of developing a
disease called Crushing's Syndrome, a hormone disorder that can cause an
individual to develop insulin resistance and diabetes.

If one takes serotonin-boosting antidepressants over a long period of time,
eventually the body's adrenal glands can lose their efficiency and burnout, a
condition known as adrenal fatigue.

The amount of cortisol secreted in response to stress varies. Studies show
that people who react to stress with high levels of cortisol secretion also
tend to eat more, resulting in weight gain.

Studies published by Dr. Elissa Epel, University of California, San Francisco,
show that stressed people have higher levels of cortisol, increased appetite
and accumulation of fat in the stomach area.

There are many natural alternatives to taking antidepressants; perhaps the
simplest is to exercise regularly. Studies show that 30 minutes of moderate to
strenuous exercise per day is eight times more effective at lifting depression
than taking antidepressants, with all the benefits to overall health that go
with it.

Sources:

http://www.antidepressantsfacts.com...

http://endocrine.niddk.nih.gov/pubs...

Haitham S Nadeem, Mary-Jane Attenburrow and Phillip J Cowen. Comparison of the
Effects of Citalopram and Escitalopram on 5Ht-Meditated Neuroendocrine
Responses, Neuropsycholopharmacology (2004) 29, 1699-1703, May 2004

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In evidenza

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Per coloro che hanno problemi di salute si consiglia di consultare sempre il proprio medico curante.