How Does The Bodys Metabolism Change And Cause Weight Gain When Taking The Medication Depakote?
Weight gain tends to be a common side affect of most mood stabilizers and some antidepressants. It is not well understood why this happens, but here’s a little information and theorizing as to why it happens with lithium: One theory is that increased thirst leads people to drink high-calorie fluids. Other possibilities include endocrinological mechanisms leading to an increase in fat storage and lithium-induced hypothyroidism, which slows metabolism causing less burning dietary calories in general. A 1999 study showed that on a molecular level, a particular receptor known as 5-HT1B is a “target” for lithium (Massout et all, 1999). These receptors are known to be controllers of the system that distributes serotonin, an important neurotransmitter in the chemistry of depression – AND APPETITE. It is possible, then, that one mechanism by which lithium fights depression is related to the side effect of weight gain.
