How do some drugs like anti-depressants cause weight gain as a side effect? My doctor told me, even if I’m not increasing my calorie consumption, i still may gain weight. How does that work?

Question

How do some drugs like anti-depressants cause weight gain as a side effect? My doctor told me, even if I’m not increasing my calorie consumption, i still may gain weight. How does that work?

In: 1

Answer 1

Depends on the drug, but generally they just cause increased food intake – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8006246/. Drugs like mirtazepine are notorious for this. Some antipsychotics can have other negative metabolic effects