![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by K. Von Balk on August 1, 2002, at 12:34:37
Hi there,
I used to post here a long time ago, but haven't been around for a while.
I just heard of an anecdotal report wherein a female on 60mg. Paroxetine gained 70 pounds in less than 2 months, and has not lost the weight in spite of tapering down to 20mg. This has piqued my curiosity with regards to the mechanisms involved in Paxil (and other SSRI)related weight gain, as well as issues related to reversibility of the latter. Anyone have any opinions, or know of any good studies just offhand?
-KVB
Posted by bubblegumchewer on August 1, 2002, at 19:03:27
In reply to Paxil Weight Gain: Mechanisms, Reversibility, etc., posted by K. Von Balk on August 1, 2002, at 12:34:37
Does it have to do with changes in blood sugar levels? That's my guess; it's all I've heard.
Posted by K. Von Balk on August 2, 2002, at 1:41:21
In reply to Re: Paxil Weight Gain: Mechanisms, Reversibility, etc., posted by bubblegumchewer on August 1, 2002, at 19:03:27
Thanks for that reply. In addition to what you just suggested, I've heard two other explanations. The first is that weight gain is simply the artifact of the anti-depressant effect as mediated through increased appetite. The second is that there is some connection with serotonin 5HT-2 reuptake. The final explanation remains unclear- but whatever!!!
Again, thanks for your reply,
KVB
Posted by bubblegumchewer on August 2, 2002, at 9:47:54
In reply to Re: Paxil Weight Gain: Mechanisms, Reversibility, etc., posted by K. Von Balk on August 2, 2002, at 1:41:21
As soon as I came out of my depression I ate like a programmed robot, going to the kitchen for one pop tart after another after another. I take responsibility for the self-control aspect of this; possibly I was just so glad to be happy and able to eat again that I thought "f!@# it, I'm eating anything and everything I want."
I quickly put on the ten pounds I had lost while depressed, plus a few more. Then I took stock and decided I needed to lose weight. (I'm about 30 lbs. overweight.) For about six months I tried, and I just felt more compelled to eat than I ever had in my life. When I did manage to be "good" for a week or two at a time, the scale did not BUDGE! I suspected strongly that whether or not the drug was increasing my appetite, my metabolism had been changed. Efforts that in the past would have yielded some pounds lost yielded nothing, or required five times the effort (in exercise and uneaten calories) to lose the same one pound.
No insight into the mechanism. But I suspect a changed metabolism as much as, if not more than, an increased appetite.
Posted by Darby on August 2, 2002, at 21:32:05
In reply to Paxil Weight Gain: Mechanisms, Reversibility, etc., posted by K. Von Balk on August 1, 2002, at 12:34:37
After several months of taking them, SSRI's seem to have a variety of impacts on brain chemistry. Some speculate that appetite is stimulated in longterm SSRI use by a convoluted "downstream" antagonism of H1 (histamine) receptors.
None one is really sure, though.
Darby
Posted by Sunnely on August 2, 2002, at 22:34:39
In reply to Paxil Weight Gain: Mechanisms, Reversibility, etc., posted by K. Von Balk on August 1, 2002, at 12:34:37
> Hi there,
>
> I used to post here a long time ago, but haven't been around for a while.
>
> I just heard of an anecdotal report wherein a female on 60mg. Paroxetine gained 70 pounds in less than 2 months, and has not lost the weight in spite of tapering down to 20mg. This has piqued my curiosity with regards to the mechanisms involved in Paxil (and other SSRI)related weight gain, as well as issues related to reversibility of the latter. Anyone have any opinions, or know of any good studies just offhand?
>
> -KVB
How about this one?http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20001115/msgs/49584.html
Posted by K. Von Balk on August 3, 2002, at 19:01:10
In reply to Re: Paxil Weight Gain: Mechanisms, Reversibility, etc. » K. Von Balk, posted by Sunnely on August 2, 2002, at 22:34:39
Just before I posted my initial question, I thought to myself, "I hope there's still some neuroscience types around here". I am very pleased to learn that there are! I'm somewhat less pleased to learn that the answer to my question is more labyrinthine and complicated than I'd ever imagined- but that's the CNS for you!
Again, thanks for your answers.
KVB
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.