my doctor has suggested that I take an antidepressant, but I'm
concerned that it will cause me to gain weight. Do all antidepressants
cause weight gain? And does anyone know why that happens?

Hi there

Whether or not you gain weight as a result of taking medication
depends upon the type of antidepressant prescribed by your doctor. The
older antidepressants do tend to cause weight gain, whilst the newer
ones do not. Go to the following page to see old and new
antidepressants listed.

http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/2265/side-effects.html

Generally speaking your doctor will prescribe one of the newer ones.
There may, however, be exceptional circumstances that mean he gives
you an older one (e.g. if you've recently given birth and are breast
feeding).

The following page lists antidepressants and their side effects:

http://www.angelfire.com/mn2/illstandbyyou/antidep.html

Reasons for the older (tricyclic) antidepressants causing weight gain
often depend upon the individual and environmental factors. For an
article detailing possible explanations please go to:

http://www.drdiet.com/articles/171%20Weight%20Gain%20&%20Antidepressants,%20Tricyclics%20ch5.htm

Apparently, a regular exercise regime can help combat weight gain due
to medication.

Hope this puts your mind to rest

sim-ga


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antidepressants "weight gain"

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antidepressants "reasons for weight gain"

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Not all will but some definitly will for some users. A friend of mine
had to start using antidepressants, and until they finally settled on
one that worked, all sorts of side effects were happening. One of the
better working drugs caused weight gain and hair loss. Eventually
there was found a drug that 1) worked for this particular person and
2) didnt have significant side effects. So it would be fair to say you
can find an antidepressant that does not cause weight gain.

Weight gain may result from fluid retention, increased tissue
mass/weight, or both.  If kidney function is not impaired, the
increased weight would seem to be the result of an imbalance between
catabolism and anabolism, with the later factor playing the dominant
role in the increase in patient weight.