Anyone who has ever taken an antidepressant has inevitably googled “Why do antidepressants make me tired?” or “Antidepressants and weight gain”. Because yes, they DO seem to cause these side effects, yet every website I’ve read says they don’t know why! It is suggested that they make you eat more and this might be why but I don’t buy that. I knew there had to be an underlying mechanism that at least contributed to these side effects. This is a hard pill to swallow (pun intended) when you are facing debilitating anxiety or depression. After all, who doesn’t become MORE depressed when they gain weight or lose their ability to get out of bed? I myself have tapered myself to a miniscule dose (and have since gotten off completely) but have noticed that just the med being in my system affects my ability to lose weight. Lately my fatigue has been horrendous. And its almost ALWAYS cyclical– it comes after my period. So I knew it must be hormone related. So I set off on a quest to find answers with two things at my disposal– the internet and the Natural Grocers down the street (all the good supplements there).
At first I suspected low estrogen, but when those supplements failed to bring about big results I remembered something. Years ago I went to a naturopath and had my hormone levels checked. The only thing I remember her commenting on as being abnormal was that I showed low testosterone. Testosterone? Yes? It’s not just a mans hormone ladies. We need it for the health of our reproductive systems but we also need it for bone growth, fat, protein, and carbohydrate metabolism, and to build lean muscle mass. It also helps with breaking down fat for energy! So low testosterone can cause low metabolism, less muscle mass, low energy, and insufficient breakdown of food! In case you didn’t realize yet, this is a big deal! Digesting our food is critical for obtaining nutrients, amino acids, minerals, fatty acids, and having energy. And we all know low metabolism is bad.
So what does testosterone have to do with antidepressants? In 2017 a study was done to asses the effects of different antidepressant medications on the endocrine system. All six (most common ssris were used here) had endocrine disrupting effects on the body, meaning they disrupted the synthesis of sex hormones and major steroids in the body (Hansen, et al., 2017). Another study showed that testosterone levels in rats were much lower in those who were given antidepressants in comparison to a control group (Erdemir, et al., 2014).
So what can be done about this? I always suggest taking herbs and nutrients to naturally support hormone levels as opposed to using actual hormones. The nice thing about doing it that way is it won’t likely have as pronounced impact, where it can potentially throw other things off. Also, though testing is wonderful, doing a DUTCH test to asses what all of your hormones are doing can be pretty expensive. And good luck getting a regular OBGYN to run hormone testing…
So here are my favorite ways to increase testosterone naturally:
Testojack 100: This is a supplement from NOW brand that includes: b-6, magnesium aspartate, zinc, tribulus terrestris, and eurecoma longifolia. NOTE–I have not tried the other versions of Testojack (200, 300) and have no idea how they fare. Stick to 100.
Weight training
Plenty of protein: Lack of protein has been shown to affect the body’s ability to make testosterone.
Ashwaganda
Something to consider is that if you have low testosterone, other hormones may also be low. Problems with hormone synthesis tend to affect more than just one hormone. Others to consider are estrogen and progesterone (both tremendously important).
Citations
Erdemir, F., Atilgan, D., Firat, F., Markoc, F., Parlaktas, B. S., & Sogut, E. (2014). The effect of Sertraline, Paroxetine, Fluoxetine and Escitalopram on testicular tissue and oxidative stress parameters in rats. International brazilian journal of urology, 40: 100-8. doi:10.1590/S1677-5538.IBJU.2014.01.15
Hansen, C. H., Larsen, L. W., Sørensen, A. M., Halling-Sørensen, B., & Styrishave, B. (2017). The six most widely used selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors decrease androgens and increase estrogens in the H295R cell line. Toxicology in vitro : an international journal published in association with BIBRA, 41, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tiv.2017.02.001
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Erin Fisher NTP 