The treatment of the depression often consists of psychotherapy coupled with the prescription of antidepressantsThese drugs are divided into several types and are intended to relieve depressive symptoms of the patient, while improving his mood. Nearly 5 million people were prescribed antidepressants in 2021 in France, according to Statista.
These treatments are therefore very widespread, but they are not without risks of side effects. Indeed, the Health Insurance website points out that antidepressants can, for example, promote daytime sleepinessconstipation, erectile dysfunctiona drop in blood pressure, but also weight gain. This last aspect has been investigated in a study from Harvard University (United States), published on July 2 in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.
Weight gain: not all antidepressants have the same impact
To conduct this work, the researchers analyzed prescription data from more than 180,000 adults aged 18 to 80 who were prescribed antidepressants and compared their weight 6, 12 and 24 months after starting eight common antidepressants : sertraline, citalopram, escitalopram, fluoxétine, paroxetinebupropion, duloxetine and venlafaxine. The goal? To compare weight changes among users of different antidepressants.
At the end of the study, the scientists observed that patients taking bupropion were those who gained the least weight compared to users of other antidepressants. In fact, they were 15 to 20 percent less likely to gain a clinically significant amount of weight than users of sertraline, the most common drug.
Antidepressants and weight gain: a factor to take into account when prescribing to avoid stopping treatment
Furthermore, these results demonstrated that a large proportion of the patients followed were taking an antidepressant likely to cause greater weight gain than commonly available alternatives in the same class or subclass.Although there are several reasons why patients and their clinicians choose one antidepressant over another, Weight gain is a significant side effect that often leads patients to stop treatment“, explained Jason Block, one of the authors of the study, in a press release. Indeed, the Vidal website points out that it is estimated that 4 out of 10 patients treated with antidepressants do not follow their doctor’s instructions, particularly regarding the duration of treatment, which is one of the main causes of relapse.
This is why, according to Joshua Petimar, another author of these works, “Clinicians and patients can use this information, among other factors, to help them make the right choice”Indeed, the researchers believe that these results provide concrete data on the weight gain that can be expected after taking some of the most common antidepressants.
As a reminder, you must not stop antidepressant treatment on his own initiative, but discuss it with his doctor in order to put in place a gradual end, with his agreement.
Sources :
- Medication-Induced Weight Change Across Common Antidepressant Treatments: A Target Trial Emulation Study – Annal of INternal Medecine – 2 juillet 2024
- Weight change across common antidepressant medications – EurekAlert!- 1er juillet 2024
- Antidepressant drugs – Vidal.fr
- Treatment of depression – Ameli.fr
- Number of people prescribed antidepressants, anxiolytics, neuroleptics and hypnotics in France in 2021, by sex and type of medication prescribed – Satista – July 2023
