Serotonin and Eating Disorders
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are prescribed fairly frequently these days. They are designed to act as antidepressants for the treatment of depression as well as a number of anxiety disorders. In some cases, it’s used to treat some forms of personality disorders. However, some people also began using SSRIs to help them lose weight. While it’s true that most people who begin taking SSRIs do lose weight in the beginning, over the long term, it’s found that SSRIs actually cause users to gain weight.
Studies have shown that 90% of people suffering from obesity are deficient in their serotonin levels. Serotonin is important to the body because it’s a specific neurotransmitter that carries out communication between your brain and body. Specifically, serotonin is involved in carrying messages concerning sleep, sexual responses, impulse control, aggressive behavior, feelings like anxiety and anger, and, most importantly in this case, hunger.
When the levels of serotonin in a person’s body rise, it suppresses the appetite. When people began using SSRIs to lose weight, they didn’t just stop eating, they stopped getting hungry altogether. However, the early weight loss lasts for a very short period of time before the body becomes used to the SSRIs. After six months, most people taking SSRIs would have gained anywhere from 15 to 24 lbs and sometimes even more.
SSRIs don’t just have an effect on weight. Multiple clinical trials have shown that as many as 75% of people taking them experience some form of sexual dysfunction. In some cases, it can be as mild as a general loss of sex drive but in other cases, some men have complained of erectile dysfunction. SSRIs even have an adverse affect on sleep. First, normal sleeping patterns are altered so that REM sleep occurs earlier in the sleep cycle and last longer, which reduces the level of deep sleep and results in waking more often. SSRIs are even known to cause nausea and vomiting, tremors, suicidal thoughts as well as an increase in panic attacks. It can also cause depression and anxiety.
Not every person who takes SSRIs is looking to lose weight. Many people take them to treat a disorder. When they lose some weight in the beginning, they are pleased. When they suddenly start to gain weight for no apparent reason, they may become more depressed than ever. Scientists are still baffled as to why psychotropic drugs cause weight gain and there’s nothing they can do to combat it. As a result, people who are on SSRIs look for other ways to lose weight such as Nutrisystem coupons or going to the gym more often.
SSRIs are not meant to be used as a weight loss drug. Over a long period of time, they cause adverse side effects that can be difficult to deal with.
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