Anxiety disorders impact more than 40 million individuals in the united states, making them the most common kind of mental illness. Anxiety, depression, personality disorders, bipolar disease, and schizoaffective disorder are all ailments that may have a long-term influence on a person’s brain, body, and general well-being. Although medication for mental health may be beneficial, it is important to be aware of any harmful reactions that may develop. There is a vast variety of anxiety medications available, and some of them have been proven to induce either weight loss or weight gain, as well as a slew of other unfavorable side effects.
Does anxiety medication cause weight gain?
Keep track of your nutrition as well as your meds.
The majority of people who discover that taking anti-anxiety medication leads them to gain weight change their exercise habits and keep better track of their calorie intake. If the client is not keeping track of the calories they eat, it is impossible to identify whether or not the weight gain is attributable to the medication. It is possible for persons who take anxiety medications to gain or lose weight, depending on whether or not they exercise or monitor their calorie intake. It should be feasible to prevent or reverse weight gain by changing those two factors.
Changing the Dose of Your Anxiety Medication
People who use medicines for anxiety should try to take the smallest dose possible while still achieving the intended therapeutic effect. When taking anti-anxiety medication that affects physiology in a way that produces weight change, the dosage should be reduced so that the person experiences less weight change and psychological impact.
Precautions Should Be Taken Regarding Side Effects
The majority of people who take anti-anxiety medicines will gain weight, either partially or completely, as a consequence of the pills’ side effects. A person using this medication may have adverse symptoms such as constipation, bloating, and fatigue, and as a result, they may gain weight. Consultation with a medical practitioner is essential to get suitable treatment for the goal of minimizing the negative effects of this drug.
Consider the available alternatives.
If a person’s weight is steadily increasing, it is vital to look into any other vitamins, minerals, or medications that they may be taking at the same time. It is possible to considerably reduce the amount of weight gain observed while using anti-anxiety medication if the patient also quits taking unnecessary supplements. The second alternative is to consult with a doctor about acquiring a prescription for anti-anxiety medication that does not promote weight gain, either as a supplement or a tablet.
Treatment of Anxiety with Medications Over a Long Period of Time
The most essential thing to remember is that it takes time for the body to adjust to a medication before the side effects become less severe. This is the most crucial lesson. The body needs time to acclimatize to the persistent presence of drugs, which is known as the “adjustment period.” It is critical to continue taking a new medicine for as long as humanly possible to establish whether or not the undesired side effects will subside when the mind adapts to the prescription.
Why does taking Trazodone cause weight gain?
Trazadone, often known as “Desyrel,” is a prescription medication used to treat depression. It acts as a serotonin blocker by preventing serotonin absorption. Trazadone inhibits serotonin absorption and prevents excessive serotonin levels at numerous receptor sites. The combination not only alleviates grief but also alleviates insomnia.
In recent clinical research, those who took Trazadone for the whole six weeks gained an average of 1.2 pounds. Even though this isn’t a significant weight increase, persons who used this medication for a longer period of time gained more weight. Trazadone users often gain weight since it causes them to feel tired and hungry at the same time.
Hunger Worsens
When a person is depressed, he or she is less likely to desire to eat. As a result, once a person begins taking Trazadone on a regular basis, they rapidly recall that they need to eat. People who begin taking Trazadone may gain weight as a result of changes in their neurochemistry.
Carbohydrate Requirements
Many individuals who use Trazadone report that it makes them want carbohydrates. Scientists investigated this and discovered that obtaining serotonin from carbohydrates is a direct outcome of consuming carbs. As a result, it’s advised to limit your carbohydrate intake.
Hormone Balance
Many patients who used Trazadone for a long period reported hormonal changes. Antidepressants are well known for making it easier to acquire weight. So, even though progress is sluggish, change is still achievable.
What causes concern?
Anxiety is induced by persistent, excessive anxiety or fear in non-threatening situations. To detect anxiety, a doctor should inquire about your medical history and do a physical examination. If the patient does not have a medical disease, the doctor will refer the patient to a mental health professional. There are no unique lab tests for identifying anxiety, instead, a variety of tests will be performed to screen for medical illnesses:
- Being easily exhausted
- Being agitated
- Having difficulty keeping concerns under check
- Having difficulty concentrating; being unable to think of anything
- I’m twitchy, tight, and on edge.
Having difficulty falling or staying asleep, feeling worried, or not getting a good night’s sleep
Having muscular tension
What are some anxiety-relieving medications?
There are several medications available to aid patients suffering from anxiety disorders. Tricyclic antidepressants and atypical antidepressants are two kinds of anxiety medications that might cause weight gain. SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) and SRNIs (serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors) are two kinds of anxiety medications that produce weight loss. The issue is that the most common adverse effect of these two treatments is nausea. Which causes patients to lose their appetite and, as a consequence, lose weight.  Â
What are anxiety disorders?
concern disorders are a well-known category of mental diseases that are characterized by persistent dread and concern. Anxiety is characterized by nervousness, restlessness, and tension. Anxiety disorders produce emotional and physical anguish that interferes with a person’s everyday life.
If a person does not seek treatment for an anxiety disorder, the symptoms may make it difficult for them to establish friends, complete everyday activities, and perform effectively at work. More than 18% of Americans suffer from a sort of anxiety disorder.
What Types of Anxiety Disorders Exist?
People often suffer from many diseases at the same time. Anxiety with bipolar disorder, depression, or borderline personality disorder, for example. Anxiety may be triggered by a variety of factors. Some of these factors include biology, environmental pressures, and brain alterations. When a person experiences long-term anxiety or trauma, their brain changes. This generates anxiousness, which regulates their mood.
Anxiety Disorder in General
For at least six months, people with GAD, or generalized anxiety disorder, worry and feel nervous. People suffering from GAD are concerned about their work, their health, their relationships, their families, and other daily concerns. People with a generalized anxiety disorder will struggle at school, at work, and with others because of their dread and concern.
Anxiety Disorder
Panic episodes occur unexpectedly and often in people with panic disorder. The frightening thing about panic attacks is that they appear out of nowhere. They appear suddenly and for no apparent cause. They may be triggered by anything the individual fears, such as a person, object, or situation. There are several symptoms of a panic attack, including:
- Sweating sensations of being unable to breathe or suffocating
- Fear of imminent disaster
- Shaking or trembling
- Heartbeats, a quicker heart rate, or a rapid heartbeat
- Feelings of inability to deal with situations.
Patients suffering from panic disorder may worry about when their next panic attack will occur and will avoid circumstances, locations, behaviors, and persons that have previously triggered panic attacks. People who suffer panic attacks often worry about them, which may make their lives worse.
Phobia-Related Disorder
A phobia is an intense dread of certain events or objects. When it comes to the dreaded object or event, terror makes no sense. Certain disorders are associated with phobias of heights, flying, blood, certain animals or insects, or other comparable phenomena. People who have phobias will take the necessary precautions to avoid their fear, and if they are forced to confront the item or circumstance they are scared of, they will experience severe anxiety.
Social Anxiety Disorder
When persons with this difficulty have to act or be around other people, they experience a great deal of stress. People suffering from social anxiety disorder will avoid social situations because they are terrified of being judged negatively. This tremendous dread and anxiety about connecting with others will manifest itself in a number of ways.
FAQ | Does anxiety medication cause weight gain?
Why do medicines for worry cause weight gain?
Some medicines for worry make people hungrier, which can cause them to eat more calories than their bodies can use. Some people with worry or sadness have a hard time staying busy, which could keep them from burning more calories than they eat.
How can I stop taking worry pills from making me gain weight?
As easy as it may sound, joining a structured weight management program at the same time as taking a recommended depression or antipsychotic drug is the best way to avoid or slow down unwanted weight gain.
Is it hard to lose weight while taking medicine for anxiety?
Can medicines for worry cause weight loss? Less often than putting on weight, people who take anti-anxiety drugs can lose weight. But everyone’s weight changes differently when they take medicine, so it’s hard to know what will happen before you start a certain drug.