system
Will antidepressants help in weight loss and sleep ?
human
I would like to know which antidepressants are out there that help sleep and weight loss. My Son passed away 4 years ago and I ve resisted taking antidepressants, however I did have to take zopiclone to sleep so I was functional to work. I ve weened off the zopiclone, and now it doesn t help even if I do take it, and a few days ago I noticed alopecia 7 inches from the back of my ear past the centre of the back of my head about 2 inches wide. I ve endured weight gain over 50 lbs since my sons death, along with chronic infections (sinus/bladder). I had cancer 20 years ago so have RBS (radiated bowel syndrome) which I take medicine for. I am lucky to get 2 - 4 hours of sleep a night for 4 weeks now and have set up apt with my dr to start a regime of antidepressants, but need to get my weight down to how its been all my life or near, as well get some proper sleep so I can fight off these infections… can you refer a few for me to research so when I go to see my Dr I can suggest? Much appreciated and thanks.
gpt
Hello,Thanks for choosing health care magic for posting your query.I have gone through your question in detail and I can understand what you are going through.Your sleep is disturbed cause of depression. Ones the depression improves the sleep will improve by its own. As your concern is weight gain as well, you should opt for antidepressants that are weight neutral like bupropion or fluoxetine etc.For sleep along with the antidepressants you may take some sleeping aids like zolpidem or clonazepam. Also follow all the steps for a proper sleep hygiene :1) Have some aerobic workouts during day preferably in the morning.2) Have a light dinner.3) Completely avoid coffee/tea/alcohol/energy drinks/coke/smoking.4) Have a warm water bath before going to sleep.5) Dont try very hard to go to sleep. If you are not sleepy then sit on a couch or sofa and do some reading and go to the bed only when you are sleepy.6) Avoid watching tv or working on laptop/computer or bright screens at night.7) Keep the lighting of your bedroom dim and make your bed every morning after you wake up so that you get a cozy bed to sleep at night.8) Use your bedroom only for sleeping and resting and do not do any other work there.9) Avoid afternoon nap for any reason.Using these sleep hygiene along with medications should improve sleep. Hope I am able to answer your concerns.If you have any further query, I would be glad to help you.In future if you wish to contact me directly, you can use the below mentioned link:bit.ly/dr-srikanth-reddy