Antidepressants That Cause Weight Loss

While some antidepressants are linked to weight gain, others are associated with weight loss. Because depression can negatively impact your energy levels and motivation, taking antidepressants may also have the effect of giving you more energy once your depression starts to improve.

Many people with depression have worked hard to treat their disease by attending therapy and taking antidepressant medications. Among the side effects associated with antidepressants are both weight gain and weight loss, although these are not a side effect of every medication used to treat depression.

However, any side effect—including weight-related side effects—depends entirely on how your body reacts to a medication. It is possible that you will notice no change in weight or that you will swing in the opposite direction of what's typical, no matter which medication you take. For some people, the fluctuation in weight is only temporary.

Which Antidepressants Cause Weight Loss?

Weight changes are among the reported side effects of antidepressant drugs. While everyone's response is different, there are some antidepressants that cause weight loss, while a few others have been linked to weight gain.

Antidepressants linked to weight loss include:

• Prozac (fluoxetine): One 2022 study found that adults who took 60 mg of Prozac each day lost an average of six pounds during their initial six months of treatment. This effect appears to be dosage dependent since people taking lower doses did not experience such weight loss effects.
• Wellbutrin (bupropion): Research has found that people taking Wellbutrin lost an average a little more than seven pounds over the course of two years of treatment.
• Effexor (venlafaxine): People who take Effexor may experience a quick loss of a small amount of weight, and in a 10-year-long study, Effexor was associated with below-average weight gain.
  

Prozac is an SSRI. Effexor is a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI). Wellbutrin is an atypical antidepressant that doesn't change serotonin levels in the brain. Rather, it uniquely alters other brain chemicals like noradrenaline and dopamine. This is associated not only with weight loss but also improved sexual functioning.

However, Wellbutrin may not be appropriate for everyone. This is especially true of people with a history of seizures or an eating disorder like anorexia or bulimia.

Like all antidepressants, Wellbutrin, Prozac, and Effexor carry a black box warning. This states their potential for increased risk of suicidal thoughts and actions in children, teens, and young adults during the early stages of treatment.

Antidepressants and Weight Gain

While there are some antidepressants that cause weight loss, others are associated with weight gain. The exact reasons for this aren't exactly clear because weight gain while taking an antidepressant is complicated. There is some research investigating the interaction of brain chemicals, antidepressants, and hormones that might result in weight gain, but more study is needed.

However, not all antidepressant medications have this side effect. Research shows weight gain is mostly linked to a few antidepressants:

• Paxil (paroxetine) and Celexa (citalopram): Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) 
• Elavil (amitriptyline): A tricyclic antidepressant 
• Remeron (mirtazapine): An atypical antidepressant 
• Nardil (phenelzine): A monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI)
  

Weight gain associated with other antidepressants, if it does occur, is usually short-lived. In addition, individual factors seem to play a role. In other words, it's hard to predict who will gain weight on certain antidepressants because so many variables are at play.

Why Antidepressants Affect Weight

One reason there are antidepressants that cause weight loss or gain is that some of these medicines impact appetite pathways. Antidepressants that cause weight loss may do so by causing your appetite to decrease. Those that cause weight gain may stimulate the appetite instead.

Depression itself can also affect your activity levels, food choices, and sleep habits—all of which affect weight. So, as the medication begins to reduce feelings of depression, these behaviors can also change. As these behaviors change, you may find that you gain or lose weight.

Your family history may even impact whether your weight will change while taking an antidepressant. For instance, one study found that a family history of obesity helps predict weight gain when taking this type of drug.

Choosing an Antidepressant

Treating your depression is paramount to your mental health and well-being. Your physical appearance and health are also important. Have a candid discussion with your doctor about depression treatment, as there are a lot of options. In general, it is best to avoid making a decision based on weight-related side effects, as these can be unpredictable and also temporary.

Often, it is difficult to know which antidepressant will work best for you. It may take some trial and error to find a medication that is effective and also does not cause unmanageable side effects. Always discuss your treatment with your doctor (never stop taking your antidepressant without your doctor's go-ahead).

Tips When Taking Antidepressants That Cause Weight Loss

If you have concerns about weight-related side effects, talk to your doctor about diet and exercise changes you can make as well. While there are antidepressants that cause weight loss, you can take steps and make lifestyle changes to help manage these side effects.

The strategies to manage your weight can also improve your emotional and mental health. Often, a combination of medication and a healthy lifestyle is the best treatment plan for depression.

Exercise

Whether you are hoping to lose weight, mitigate weight-related side effects from your antidepressant, maintain your weight, or gain weight, exercise can help. And you can start small. Walking, stretching, and moderate-intensity resistance training can all be helpful.

What's most important is consistency. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans suggest at least 150 minutes to 300 minutes a week of moderate-intensity exercise for health benefits. That's 30 to 60 minutes, five days a week, of any exercise you enjoy, from bicycling to swimming to tennis to yoga.

Diet

If you are taking one of the antidepressants that cause weight loss, focus on eating a diet rich in whole foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats. Eating a well-balanced diet can help with weight management. It may also help improve your mood since there is a connection between diet and depression.

Try making small swaps and changes every few days or every week. If you typically drink fruit juice, for example, switch to water and whole fruits; you'll get less sugar and more satiating fiber this way. Another way to get more fiber is by choosing whole grains (such as whole-wheat bread) over refined grains.

Antidepressants As Weight Loss Aids

If you do not have depression, antidepressants are not recommended for weight loss. Taking these medications for that purpose has negligible results. There's no proof that it helps any more with losing weight than diet and exercise alone.

The use of antidepressants for weight loss is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). While your doctor may not prescribe these medications for weight loss, they may consider the potential effects on weight when prescribing them to treat depression.

Some researchers suggest that doctors may want to take a weight-centric approach when choosing antidepressants. This may involve prescribing antidepressants that cause weight loss or that are weight-neutral rather than those associated with weight gain.

If weight loss is your main concern, talk to your healthcare provider about the best way to work toward a weight-loss goal. There are some prescription medications approved for the treatment of obesity, including Contrave.

Contrave is a combination of bupropion (the active ingredient in the antidepressant Wellbutrin) and naltrexone (which is also used to treat some substance use disorders). Research has shown it to be fairly effective, well-tolerated, and safe. As with many medications used for weight loss, it's typically used in combination with a reduced-calorie diet and an exercise program.

Takeaway

Treating depression takes patience and resilience as you find the right plan, but it can be done. While antidepressants can cause weight loss or gain, you can take steps to optimize both your physical and mental health. Your efforts in one area will support the other.