Antidepressants help millions of people manage depression and other mental health conditions. They can improve mood, daily functioning, and quality of life.
However, new research suggests that some people who take these medicines may also be more likely to gain weight over time, especially if they continue taking them for several years.
Researchers from the Hospital del Mar Research Institute in Spain studied how antidepressant use affects body weight. Their findings were published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry. The team wanted to better understand whether weight gain was linked to the medicines themselves after taking other health and lifestyle factors into account.
The study followed 3,127 adults for six years. The average age of the participants was about 55 years, and around 16% used antidepressants at some point during the study. Some people had already been taking the medicines before the study began, some started during the study, and others continued taking them throughout the entire six years.
Overall, most participants gained a small amount of weight during the study. However, people who took antidepressants gained more weight than those who did not. Those who stayed on the medicines for the whole study had the greatest increase in body weight.
On average, people who started or continued taking antidepressants gained about 2% more body weight than non-users. Even people who later stopped taking the medicines still gained about 1.8% more weight than those who had never used them. People who remained on antidepressants throughout the study were also about twice as likely to become obese.
The researchers considered many other factors that can affect weight, including age, sex, income, physical activity, diet, smoking, and whether participants had depression. Even after allowing for these differences, the link between antidepressant use and weight gain remained strong. Women, older adults, and people with less healthy lifestyles appeared to have a greater risk.
Lead researcher Dr. Camille Lassale said that people taking antidepressants have a higher chance of gaining weight, particularly when treatment continues for a long time. Researcher Dr. Gabriela Lugon explained that antidepressants remain an important treatment for mental illness, but doctors should also pay attention to possible side effects such as weight gain.
The researchers recommend that healthcare professionals regularly check the weight of patients taking antidepressants. Monitoring blood sugar and cholesterol may also help detect health problems early. They stress that patients should not stop taking antidepressants on their own, because untreated depression can have serious health consequences.
Dr. Víctor Pérez, head of Psychiatry at Hospital del Mar, noted that not every antidepressant affects weight in the same way.
Some medicines, including mirtazapine and paroxetine, are more commonly linked with weight gain than others. He suggested that combining medication with psychological therapy and healthy lifestyle support may help patients achieve better long-term results.
Depression affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide, while obesity is also becoming increasingly common. Because these two health conditions often occur together, understanding the possible side effects of treatment is important.
The researchers hope future studies will identify which antidepressants have the greatest effect on body weight and find better ways to help patients stay physically and mentally healthy.
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