Here's How to Find the Right Antidepressant

A new study has ranked the side effects of popular antidepressants for the first time, highlighting significant differences among the drugs and raising questions about whether millions of people are on the best medication for their needs. Researchers from King's College London and the University of Oxford analyzed data from more than 58,000 patients across 151 studies, focusing on the first eight weeks of treatment, reports the BBC. They found that side effects—ranging from weight changes to shifts in heart rate and blood pressure—varied widely between medications.

For example, agomelatine was associated with modest weight loss, while maprotiline led to more than 4 pounds of weight gain. Meanwhile, nortriptyline sped up heart rates by 21 beats per minute compared to fluvoxamine, which slowed them. There was also a significant difference in blood pressure between nortriptyline and doxepin. The study, published Tuesday in the Lancet, suggests that even people with the same depression diagnosis may need different drugs depending on their health priorities. "Clearly no two antidepressants are built the same," said King's College London's Dr. Atheeshaan Arumuham.

Fluoxetine, bupropion, and sertraline—three commonly prescribed antidepressants in the US—were associated with weight loss, with sertraline also tied to an increase in a liver enzyme that can indicate problems with the organ, per the New York Times. The most prescribed class of antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs (including sertraline), tended to have fewer side effects overall. Researchers, who argue the changes seen over eight weeks could have clinical relevance over longer periods, are now developing a free online tool to help match patients with the right drug for them.