When you’re struggling with your weight in any way, it can be frustrating. Whether you want to lose weight or gain weight, it can be difficult not to let that struggle affect your mental health. A contributing factor for mental health conditions like major depressive disorder and anxiety disorders is lack of self-esteem or confidence, which can be greatly impacted by a person’s weight. However, if you seek treatment for your symptoms, you may be prescribed an antidepressant, which can result in weight gain.

Antidepressants work to reduce depression and anxiety symptoms that may be interfering with your overall quality of life. While they can play a significant role in your progress, they still can come with side effects like any other medication. One of those possible side effects is weight gain, though some people experience no changes in weight at all. The relationship between antidepressants and weight gain is multifaceted.

In this blog post, we’ll explore how antidepressants and weight gain may be connected as well as what you can do about it. 

How antidepressants and weight gain are intertwined

When it comes to weight gain and mental health conditions, many people may try to chalk it up to depression making it difficult to find the motivation to exercise and eat a balanced diet. If you have anxiety, you may have excessive cortisol being released in your body. Cortisol can contribute to weight gain in multiple ways, such as increasing your appetite. However, starting antidepressants doesn’t eliminate the risk of weight gain.

It’s important to look at how the purpose of antidepressants may lead to weight gain. One of the main goals of antidepressants, especially selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), is to balance the levels of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin plays a role in mood regulation as well as appetite. 

At the beginning of your prescription, you’re likely to lose weight, as balancing serotonin levels can increase your satiety, or the feeling of being full. However, long-term antidepressant use tends to lead to weight gain because the serotonin receptors become less responsive to the medication after a year or so. This means that you’re more likely to act on cravings, particularly for carbohydrate-rich foods. However, some research suggests multiple factors are also involved, such as metabolic changes, behavioral shifts and changes in physical activity.

There are also several types of antidepressants that are more likely to have weight gain as a common side effect, including:

• Amitriptyline (Elavil, Vanatrip)
• Citalopram (Celexa)
• Mirtazapine (Remeron)
• Nortriptyline (Aventyl, Pamelor)
• Trimipramine (Surmontil, Rhotrimine)

What to do if you’re experiencing weight gain that’s connected with antidepressants

It can be frustrating when you’re experiencing weight gain while taking antidepressants because while you know that the medication should be improving your mental health, the effects on your physical health can be distressing as well. If you’re experiencing persistent or worsening weight gain from taking antidepressants, talk to your doctor. You can discuss whether it’s a good idea to adjust or change your medication.

Even if your weight gain can mostly be attributed to the antidepressant, you can treat your weight gain the same way as you would in any other instance where you want to improve your health. The right lifestyle adjustments and self-care techniques can help you reduce the weight gain, for example:

• Eating foods rich in protein and low in calories
• Limiting processed foods and sugar intake
• Having a regular sleep schedule of at least seven hours a night
• Exercising on a regular basis, meaning at least 30 minutes on most days of the week
• Reducing and managing stress with coping techniques and self-care

Lightfully can help you beyond antidepressants that cause weight gain

Antidepressants can help a wide range of mental health conditions, especially if you are having trouble managing your symptoms on your own. However, side effects, like weight gain, can still cause excessive mental and emotional distress that interferes with your overall quality of life. It’s important to explore other options alongside the medication, such as therapy.

If you need a bit more intensive support beyond medication and therapy, Lightfully can help. We provide holistic, personalized mental health treatment through our four levels of care:

• Residential Treatment 
• Partial Hospitalization Program
• Intensive Outpatient Program
• Virtual Intensive Outpatient Program 

We can also help you minimize the side effects of antidepressants as much as possible by making the proper adjustments when needed. Clients in our Residential Treatment Centers and Partial Hospitalization Program have weekly psychiatrist meetings. The Intensive Outpatient Program and Virtual Inpatient Outpatient Program include psychiatrist meetings as needed.

Change is possible. When you’re ready to take the first step, reach out to our Admissions Concierge Team. We’ll take the next steps together, toward the fullest, brightest version of you.