Fluoxetine you lose weight? Understand how it works

Anxiety is a common trigger for binge eating. In other words, very often we discount food in a personal order. A fight with the partner, a "tug of the ear" that we take from the boss, lack of money, a sick relative etc. Everything is reason to eat more! Who ever?!

Because of this, many patients ask us in the office: "Doctor, can not I take anything to control my anxiety?" The question is totally valid. One of the medications often used to control anxiety and reduce binge eating is fluoxetine.

Fluoxetine is not indicated for all

This drug belongs to the family of "selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors". It acts by increasing the bioavailability of serotonin to be absorbed and therefore very used in the treatment of depression. However, its use as a coadjuvant in weight loss should be restricted to people who have obesity associated with depression, or in cases of obesity related to a medical condition called Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Therefore, the patient should have a BMI greater than or equal to 30 and a diagnosis of depression or GAD made by a psychiatrist. As far as you can tell, there will be only a few candidates to use fluoxetine to help with weight loss. In addition, studies show that after 6 months of use, the modest weight loss initially gained with fluoxetine gradually losing. That is, the patient tends, in the long term use, to return to his initial weight. This is why the drug is not considered top-line in the treatment of excess weight.

Another aspect to consider is the use for women who present the so-called premenstrual syndrome, popularly known as PMS. Such a term does not adequately reflect the picture as a whole. We know that there is not only the symptom of "tension" in this syndrome, but there can also be food behavior changes. Some women, for example, even consume 10 times more calories in the pre-menstrual period than their usual caloric intake. Within this scenario fluoxetine can serve to attack both conditions at the same time. It helps to control the affective-psychiatric symptoms of the syndrome (irritability, easy crying, depressive symptoms and mood instability) while helping to control binge eating.

How to know if I can take?

It is worth remembering that Fluoxetine is a white prescription-controlled use medication and therefore should only be used after a medical prescription. There are also contraindications that should be respected, in addition to possible side effects, such as reduction of libido.

What to do then? The first step, no doubt, is to seek out your endocrinologist. Discuss with him about your anxiety. Ah! And remember: exercise may be the biggest of all anxiety medications. Good workouts!

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