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Ph.D, MIT researchers ran Harvard U hospital weight loss center
I ran an MIT clinical research program on serotonin, emotions and...
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Tuesday, July 28, 2009
View All of Judith Wurtman's Posts
If you have been a normal weight all your life and find yourself gaining weight while on antidepressants, how will you know if or when your medication may make you obese? It is doubtful that your doctor will tell you; he or she usually does not have a scale in the office or a height/weight chart on t...
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Efexor xl and weight gain
rose martin
Sunday, August 09, 2009 at 04:03 PM
Hi, I was put on Efexor Xl after I had weaned myself off Seroxat [Paxil] after 7years, I titrated slowly down and lost bit by bit nearly 2stone ! I started going very low and was put on Efexor XL - due to external factors, living alone,no employment and no family support systems etc., the Depression got worse and Ive been on a Maintenance Dose of 150mg daily. This has to some degree stabilised the Depression but my self esteem [wrongly or rightly] has alot to do with how I look. Ive put on alot of weight, especially around my middle. I dont eat alot. I brought the subject up with my psychiatrist who is a Professor. He told me to cut out sugar and try and exercise ! Yea great ! I did go on a very low carb. diet and lost nearly a stone but became very low in myself, have you any suggestions? I would be very grateful, Im 58 yr old woman and single. So Id be cooking for myself. Thanks.
re: Efexor xl and weight gain
Judith Wurtman
Sunday, August 09, 2009 at 04:55 PM
Please tell your physician that low carbohydrate diets are the wrong type of weight loss regimens. There are two reasons for this: 1) when you eat carbohydrates without any protein, your brain makes serotonin. Serotonin is the brain chemical which keep your mood stable. If you avoid carbohydrates, then your brain cannot make serotonin and you will become depressed. Your doctor should have known this as the discovery was made in l973.
2) Serotonin in addition to regulating your mood, it also acts to shut off appetite. It is a natural appetite suppressant. So when you make serotonin by eating carbohydrates, you lose your appetite.
Our book, The Serotonin Power Diet is based on years of research at MIT and Harvard showing that if dieters follow a scheduled plan of eating carbohydrates as snacks, they restore serotonin, shut off their appetite, feel calm and lose weight.
re: re: Efexor xl and weight gain
rose martin
Sunday, August 09, 2009 at 05:45 PM
Many thanks, Of course that makes sense ! I live in Ireland and would love to purchase the book.
re: re: Efexor xl and weight gain
Hi, I was put on Efexor Xl after I had weaned myself off Seroxat [Paxil] after 7years, I titrated slowly down and lost bit by bit nearly 2stone ! I started going very low and was put on Efexor XL - due to external factors, living alone,no employment and no family support systems etc., the Depression got worse and Ive been on a Maintenance Dose of 150mg daily. This has to some degree stabilised the Depression but my self esteem [wrongly or rightly] has alot to do with how I look. Ive put on alot of weight, especially around my middle. I dont eat alot. I brought the subject up with my psychiatrist who is a Professor. He told me to cut out sugar and try and exercise ! Yea great ! I did go on a very low carb. diet and lost nearly a stone but became very low in myself, have you any suggestions? I would be very grateful, Im 58 yr old woman and single. So Id be cooking for myself. Thanks.