A major UK study has revealed that antidepressants can differ significantly in their physical side-effects, with some causing weight gain, higher heart rates, and blood pressure changes — while others do not.
Researchers from King’s College London and the University of Oxford analysed data from 151 clinical studies involving over 58,000 people who used 30 types of antidepressants. They found weight changes of up to 4kg between different drugs during just eight weeks of treatment.
Patients taking maprotiline gained around 2kg, while those on agomelatine lost about 2.5kg on average. Nearly half of those prescribed maprotiline or amitriptyline gained weight, whereas more than half of agomelatine users lost weight.
The research also found heart rate differences of up to 21 beats per minute and blood pressure changes of 11 mmHg between certain drugs.
Dr Toby Pillinger from KCL said that while antidepressants help many people, the findings highlight the need for “personalised care” and closer health monitoring with some medications. SSRIs, he noted, showed the fewest physical side-effects overall.
Oxford psychiatry professor Andrea Cipriani said the results underline the importance of shared decision-making between patients and doctors, allowing people to choose treatments that best fit their health, lifestyle, and preferences.
