Can Phentermine be used to treat depression?

This article will discuss the use of the medication Phentermine for depression. For that, the article will explain why people may use it, its dosage, and the side effects of Phentermine. Along with that, the article will discuss how effective it has been in treating depression.

Can Phentermine be used to treat depression?

There have been many studies that discuss the use of Phentermine to treat depression. And through them, positive and negative aspects were brought to light. Even though it is not entirely clear how it can benefit people with depression, let’s discuss what was found so far. 

The first thing is that its use can cause the release of many monoamines such as norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin. Which are usually found imbalanced in a person with depression. Its use can improve a person’s mood.

Not only that, Phentermine is an energy-inducing drug, and it can make up for the loss of energy that people with depression usually have. And this is often directed to doing some exercise, this can make the person feel better due to the endorphins that come with it, and the weight loss can improve their self-esteem.

Aside from this increase of arousal, the use of Phentermine can cause many changes in a person’s brain wave motion, improving the condition of people with depression. Along with that, it causes hormonal modulation, which can improve their mood. 

It can also improve the cognitive function of people with depression. It does that by improving the catecholamine signaling. And improving cognitive function, can also make people more confident, feel more capable, and with that, improve their mood.

It is a drug that is fast-acting, and since antidepressants can take from 4 to 8 weeks to start to work, experiencing those benefits that Phentermine can bring, in the short-term, can be encouraging. 

Its use can also help people in installing healthy habits. Since it gives more energy, motivation, and reduces appetite, it causes people to work out, and eat healthier. All of that can be beneficial to the person’s overall sense of well-being.

But it is not all positive, the use of Phentermine by people with depression can have some setbacks. The first thing is that this medication can cause some addiction, and people may abuse it. That is because a high dose of it can make people experience euphoria. 

People with depression can also notice so many quick benefits from the use of Phentermine that they may find it hard to stop using it. And even though there is no concrete evidence it improves depression, there is some that show it can make it worse. 

That happens because people with depression have a higher dose of cortisol, norepinephrine, epinephrine, and T4. And the use of the medication can increase those. Which can lead to exacerbation of depression, and even suicidal thoughts.

Depression is not a short-term treatment, but the use of Phentermine is usually recommended to be short-term, maximum 3 months. If people use it for a long time, they may experience many heart problems. Along with that, there may be superior options for treating depression than Phentermine.

People also develop tolerance to the medication. And the improvement that was experienced over the first weeks may decrease over time. This may cause people to decide if they will discontinue its use, maintain the dose, even if it doesn’t improve their mood, or increase the dosage of it.

Although there is still no large-scale research on the benefits of Phentermine in treating depression, there have been many case studies on the topic.  Some have compared its effect with the use of an antidepressant called Wellbutrin. 

Another observed that people that took it to treat depression could develop mania-related symptoms.

Because of all of this, it is extremely important to only take Phentermine, when treating depression, while being followed up by a physician. Let’s learn a little more about Phentermine, its form of use, side effects, and interactions.

What is Phentermine?

Phentermine is a drug used to treat obesity. It is usually recommended to people that need to lose weight since they are experiencing weight-related medical problems. Its main effects are less appetite, and boosting your energy level, so your body can move more. 

It is a tablet, and people usually take one a day. It should be taken an hour before breakfast, or an hour or two after it. Since it is a medication that gives you a lot more energy, it should be taken 14 hours before your bedtime. 

The dosage and how long the treatment will last depends on your condition and will be determined by your doctor. If you stop taking the medication all of the sudden, you can experience symptoms of withdrawal, such as depression and tiredness. That is why, when you are going off it, your doctor will reduce your dosage slowly.

The main side effects of Phentermine are: feeling dizzy, dry mouth, irritability, and difficulty sleeping. Along with that, its use can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or constipation. It can also cause high blood pressure. And you should let your doctor know if its use causes your heartbeat to become fast, or irregular.

If you experience mental or mood changes such as hallucinations, agitation, or uncontrolled rage, you should also get in touch with your doctor. That is also important if you notice any alteration in your sex drive and uncontrolled muscle movements.

Its use should be avoided by people with a history of abuse or dependence on drugs. As well as people with diabetes, neuropsychiatric conditions, hyperthyroidism, glaucoma, and kidney disease. It can also lead to negative events in people with kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension.

It can interact with many other medications such as antidepressants, other weight loss medications, antipsychotics, antidiabetics, and other central nervous system stimulants. That is why it is extremely important to inform your doctor of all the medications you have been taking before starting to use Phentermine.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): Can Phentermine be used to treat depression?

Can Phentermine cause anxiety? 

Phentermine in itself can’t cause anxiety. But it can harm people that are already suffering from anxiety, or have the symptom of agitation. For those people, taking Phentermine can make it worse.

What are the forms of depression? 

Depression can happen in many forms. It can be mild, moderate, major, or persistent depression. Mild depression is one in which the symptoms of depression are less intense. It also lasts a short time.

Because of that, it is one of the hardest ones to be diagnosed. But its treatment is usually mostly based on lifestyle changes. Moderate depression is usually more intense than mild depression when comparing the intensity of the symptoms. 

Moderate depression can cause some impairment to the person’s life, and to treat it, it is usually necessary therapy and lifestyle changes. Major depression is the most intense form of depression when discussing its symptoms. 

It can be hard for a person with major depression to keep their regular life. And at some point, you can have trouble doing the simplest of things, like getting out of bed.

People with major depression can experience all the common symptoms of depression, and along with those, they can suffer from a delusion, hallucinations, or even psychotic symptoms. 

As for persistent depression, it can last for a long time, sometimes it can go on for 5 years. In it, the person swings from mild depression, and major depression.

Does depression have a cure? 

No, depression doesn’t have a cure. Rather than that, mental health professionals say that depression goes on remission. That happens because it is impossible to affirm that a person after they got better from one depressive episode, won’t ever experience another episode.

This may discourage some people to keep their treatment against depression, but what is important to keep in mind is that the treatment will allow you to get back to your life and if you keep the lifestyle changes, and the self-care you learned through the treatment, you can try to prevent it from happening again. 

What are the types of antidepressants? 

Antidepressants are medications people take when they are going through depression. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), are the most common ones, because they usually have fewer side effects, some examples of which are Fluoxetine, and Citalopram.

There are also the Serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), they are similar to SSRIs but were created to be more effective than SSRIs. But since each person works differently, it is impossible to affirm they are better. An example of SNRIs is venlafaxine.

Another type of antidepressant is Noradrenaline and specific serotonergic antidepressants (NASSAs), they are recommended to people that can’t take SSRIs. They can cause more dizziness, but less loss of libido than SSRIs. An example of it is mirtazapine.

There are also tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), they are an older form of medication but can be recommended to people with major depression that are resistant to other medications. An example of it is amitriptyline. 

Serotonin antagonists and reuptake inhibitors (SARIs) are a form of antidepressants that is also prescribed when other forms haven’t worked. An example of it is trazodone. 

And finally, there are the Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) that are also older types of antidepressants. They usually have a lot of serious side effects. The most known example of it is tranylcypromine.

What are amphetamines?

Amphetamines are stimulant drugs. This means that they make the information travel faster from your brain to your body. Some of them can be prescribed by doctors to treat some conditions, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or narcolepsy. They are also used to treat Parkison’s disease. 

But some types of amphetamines are produced illegally and used as drugs. An example of that is speed, and crystal methamphetamine (ice), which is a performance enhancement drug. 

They can make the person feel happier, more confident, along with feeling more energetic, with fast heart beating, teeth grinding, reduced appetite, and increased sex drive.

But what is important to know is that they are highly addictive. So you should only take them when prescribed by your doctor when you have a medical condition that requires you to take them. Otherwise, it can become prejudicial to your health.

Conclusion 

This article discussed if Phentermine can be used to treat depression. For that, the article explained what are its main use, the side effects, and common dosage. Along with that, the article explained how effective Phentermine has been in treating depressive disorders.

References

https://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-4151/phentermine-oral/details

https://www.drugs.com/tips/phentermine-patient-tips

MENTAL HEALTH DAILY