I have a friend of mine, that I have known for years, taking Zoloft (Sertraline HCL), Basically, a selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor, SSRI.

While taking the above medication, he has been losing tissue weight, while eating normally (not on a diet to lose tissue, but not tracking calories either), by observing his eating habits, I am assuming MT or above MT (guessing).

He has lost 10 pounds in as little as 3 weeks, and from all appearances, most of it is fat tissue.

My question is:

How much influence does Serotonin have on Body-weight homeostasis?

I am assuming he was given this drug to bring the levels of Serotonin UP, would this increase the other hormones that effect body-weight homeostasis? Can it do it on its own? Does it effect metabolism (again referring to the drug ingestion). It seems it changes some hormonal balances other than serotonin?

I have read that some gain weight on this prescription drug (of course not knowing their dietary habits, leaves many holes), therefore, its not just weight loss, that can be a side effect.

I have read some on serotonin, but haven't seen any legitimate or quality information on it "playing a part" in body weight regulation. If you have info, and can point me, I would be interested in reading on it.

I appreciate your response, Boss man!


Best regards,

Chillen

Zoloft sounds like some antidepressant stuff linked to suicides. May not be what you are looking for but this is an article on SSRIs.

sounds more like it would lower serotonin levels.. serotonin is linked with satiety, low serotonin would make you more hungry, which could cause weight gain (which you said you had heard about with this drug).. I'm not a pharmacist, though, so you should probably wait for Hoss, OR just have him ask his doctor about it

Hey Chillen

Long time.....

Most common side effects may include:

"Abdominal pain, agitation, anxiety, constipation, decreased sex drive, diarrhea or loose stools, difficulty with ejaculation, dizziness, dry mouth, fatigue, gas, headache, decreased appetite, increased sweating, indigestion, insomnia, nausea, nervousness, pain, rash, sleepiness, sore throat, tingling or pins and needles, tremor, vision problems, vomiting

Many people lose a pound or two of body weight while taking Zoloft. This usually poses no problem but may be a concern if your depression has already caused you to lose a great deal of weight."

Some people claim it makes you want to eat more, though that may be because of the nausea.

I was on it for a while. Didn't effect me one way or the other weight wise, and if it did, it wasn't noticeable.....

Hope this helps

I was reading a lot about SSRI. There is no direct scientific link between weight loss/gain and the medication.

The most common belief among the SSRI and its affect on weight is the following:

1) Thyroid or changes in your metabolism - when you're depressed you're not as active
2) Some people eat when they're sad. So when they're happy, they don't eat as much.
3) They are more active. Since they're happy, they tend to do things.
4) Eat more. People can eat different types of food which might lead to weight gains.
5) They find food less attractive.

I'll pm you with some abstracts as I'm not supposed to post them openly on the web because of copyright.

Sent. Some of them are 5th grade reading, while 1 or 2 might be trouble. Let me know if you need anymore info, as I'm full of it ().

Aren't abstracts usually OK to link to on forums? Abstracts are usually free, aren't they? Full texts on the other hand..

Aren't abstracts usually OK to link to on forums? Abstracts are usually free, aren't they? Full texts on the other hand..

A lot aren't free, obviously most of the ones you see are :P

I don't feel like checking for copyright, tertiary sources to find my info.

tru dat sista yo

Thanks BB for your response, I appreciate the time, sincerely.

Yes, he is taking it for depression.

Yes, I am aware Zoloft (or Sertraline HCL), is prescribed for this diagnosis (and others). Its is prescribed "primarily" due to the functions serotonin plays within the brain (neurotransmitters), which can effect certain psychological functions of a person (just putting it in simple terms).

However, Serotonin is a "multi-function" hormone and can effect satiety (hunger), mood, sleep, vomiting, sexuality, and appetite (from what I understand), and I believe it serves certain functions in the intestinal tract as well.

What I didn't know, is how it effects body-weight regulation or human homeostasis, and its been difficult to locate some "legitimate" and quality information on this.

One way or the other, be it weight gain or loss, just though ingestion of the prescription drug. This intrigues me and has sparked an educational interest.

Zoloft and other drugs like it, "increases" available serotonin levels, and is prescribed, primarily for psychological reasons. However, doing a Google search, I noticed some serotonin based diets.......>LOL, which "claim" increased weight loss (and this I wasn't too surprised, lol)

Dallen, thank you for your response.

This is not true actually. Some have reported weigh loss/weight gain on this prescription medication, and "claim" (emphasis added) no change in dietary habits. I read some since talking to David the other day.

The most beautiful and straight-forward tell it like it is, woman on the internet responded

Thank you very much for providing this, NLL!

What intrigues me the most is the body-weight regulation/homeostasis. I have performed some reading on this, and there is bits and pieces of information that I have read, that leads me to believe, Serotonin just may play a role here. How much, this I do not know, and would like to find out what science knows or doesn't know, and how diet "effects it".


I sincerely appreciate all of your replies thus far, thank you.


Best regards,

Chillen

Thank you! I received it.

In the process of reading it.


David, after 3 weeks on Zoloft: (give the smiley a few seconds to move)



LOL


Chillen

dang, I've never come across an abstract I had to pay for, but I guess you need to be logged into a paysite to see those abstracts in the first place. Anyways, that sucks, where's the teaser effect of a good abstract making it so people just HAVE to sign up to read the whole thing? They need that!

Hi Chillen

anything to help you my man

I think part of the reason why you are finding it difficult to find any concrete info is because the research out there goes so many ways. Some (many) claim weight gain, while others weight loss. It effects so many things (as you listed) that determining how it can affect someones brain- especially when their brain is already affected by something else, makes it hard to nail down.

My son was on Zoloft for 2 years before it stopped working for him. We went thru a horrible rough patch of 6 months before we got him on Prozac and he is a happy boy again. Who knows why, but we had to switch.

He is a skinny as a whip guy and it didn't curb his appetite (thankfully, he can't afford to lose weight) . While for me it did make me more tired and if I had been less strict with myself could have fallen into the trap of eating because I felt I needed "energy" when it was in fact the meds.

Someone already feeling depressed, may not be eating as much as they need to because they don't recognize their body's need of sustenance, and they are not aware they aren't taking in as much as they should be. (That's how I use to be. I would literally forget to eat and not even feel hungry.)

I hope Mreik was able to find you some helpful information. I can only speak from what I have experienced. My best to your friend, he is lucky he has someone like you looking out for him

Cheers!