On Friday, June 11, 2004, at 03:25 PM, snit snat wrote:
> At 03:24 PM 6/11/2004, Carrol Cox wrote:
>> Considering the high sales of prozac, zoloft, paxil, & other SRIs,
>> that
>> must have _something_ to do with increased obesity. Weight gain,
>> sometimes extreme weight gain, is a very common side effect of those
>> drugs.
>>
>> Carrol
>
> I've heard this before, and about other drugs. Do they slow the
> metabolism?
>
> Kelley
>
my understanding is that SSRIs sometimes result in weight gain because of an increase in appetite, apparently. but people also often lose a little (not a lot of) weight on these drugs, because the increase in serotonin levels results in a decrease in appetite.
makes me think the appetite effect (whether plus or minus) is in brain chemistry rather than metabolism, but that's just a guess.
also, not all SSRIs are the same in this respect (as in other respects), and different people respond to different SSRIs differently. my understanding (admittedly sketchy and not to be relied upon as gospel) also is that latest class of neurotropics (like wellbutrin) are popular in part because they do not have the weight gain side effects of some SSRIs.
j