Serotonin and weight

Nurses General Nursing

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Specializes in Public Health, DEI.

I'm always a bit reluctant to post weight related threads because it never fails that someone feels compelled to opine that over-eaters are all fat and lazy. Of course, I can't tell anyone what to post or not post, but I would ask that any such poster at least acknowledge that this article makes it clear that calorie control does play a direct role in weight gain or loss and it is not my intention to imply otherwise.

OTOH, I think the information about serotonin is so interesting, because many if not most of the people that I know across the weight struggle spectrum... anorexia, bulimia, overweight, underweight... also struggle with depression and serotonin plays a such role in that dx, too. I've never been sure whether that's a chicken or the egg thing... does the struggle with weight loss exacerbate the depression or does the depression exacerbate the bad habits or is it a vicious cycle?

http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/health_news_detail.asp?health_day=616150

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

I vote for the vicious cycle.

I'm in one right now. I've been unhappy about work, so I 'self-medicate' with food to literally "stuff" the bad feelings for a while. Unfortunately, I tend to eat carbs, which make me tired and sluggish, which makes me not move around much, which makes me gain weight, which makes me depressed and angry, which makes me eat more.........well, you get the picture.

Hope this helps.

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Specializes in CRNA, Finally retired.

Mercyteapot: Observation tells me that there is a definite relationship between seratonin and weight gain. Lots of people gain weight on SSRI's. I'm one of them. Despite cutting my calorie count to new lows and keeping my exercise levels the same, I've blown up. However, life is not worth living without the medication and a waist is a terrible thing to mind.

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Specializes in Public Health, DEI.

I don't recall if Luvox is an SSRI? I was on that for a while years ago, when they were investigating adding depression treatment to the label. It had been used for many years to treat depression off label. It worked like a charm for me, honestly, I felt normal for the first time in my entire life. Unfortunately, I couldn't stop gaining weight. They kept saying it would level off and it never did. We tried some other meds instead and settled on Wellbutrin, which works moderately well and doesn't seem to affect my weight. I still wish I could've stayed on Luvox, though.

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Specializes in behavioral health.

quote in article: But in humans, high serotonin leads people to eat less and shed fat.

If this were true, wouldn't people lose weight taking SSRIs? I do know its much more complex than this. Some people barely eat when they are depressed and some eat more.

Anorexia and bulimia are a complex set of behaviors and emotional regulation problems.

It is an interesting topic. Even though, weight is 'technically' intake-output, it is so much more complex. I eat significantly more food than most people I know and don't tend to gain much weight, even if im inactive. My boyfriend will gain weight if he doesn't work out for one week or if he eats a few more 'bad' meals than he usually does. Why I burn more calories doing nothing is sort of a mystery. Im not athletic and I'm not especially muscular. I do tend to suffer depression (ive never gained weight on SSRIs). I'm losing a lot of weight lately as night shift is destroying my stomach >_<. but i guess that unrelated to topic="P." let say im not one of the cave people who survived last famine.>

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quote in article: But in humans, high serotonin leads people to eat less and shed fat.

If this were true, wouldn't people lose weight taking SSRIs? I do know its much more complex than this. Some people barely eat when they are depressed and some eat more.

Anorexia and bulimia are a complex set of behaviors and emotional regulation problems.

It is an interesting topic. Even though, weight is 'technically' intake-output, it is so much more complex. I eat significantly more food than most people I know and don't tend to gain much weight, even if im inactive. My boyfriend will gain weight if he doesn't work out for one week or if he eats a few more 'bad' meals than he usually does. Why I burn more calories doing nothing is sort of a mystery. Im not athletic and I'm not especially muscular. I do tend to suffer depression (ive never gained weight on SSRIs). I'm losing a lot of weight lately as night shift is destroying my stomach >_<. but i guess that unrelated to topic="P." let say im not one of the cave people who survived last famine.>

ssri=selective seretonin reuptake inhibitor, doest this mean it reduces seretonin??

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ssri=selective seretonin reuptake inhibitor, doest this mean it reduces seretonin??

REUPTAKE INHIBITOR: SSRI's inhibit the reuptake of serotonin, allowing more of this neurotransmitter available; in a sense- increasing the amount of serotonin in the brain

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REUPTAKE INHIBITOR: SSRI's inhibit the reuptake of serotonin, allowing more of this neurotransmitter available; in a sense- increasing the amount of serotonin in the brain

thanks, for clarification....

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quite an interesting article- i've always been intrigued by the topic of weight issues related to NT altering drugs/mental health concerns. i guess it really depends on the individual (client)- whether or not they gain or lose weight w/ concurrent use of SSRI's. i've mostly known people to lose weight with the addition of this med regimen: it seems as though as their mood improves, energy levels increase thereby allowing them more freedom to participate in daily activity.

thanks for the post: the latest info always helps us to think a little bit more!

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