Effects Of Antidepressants On Physical Health Ranked For First Time. For the first time, scientists have ranked how different antidepressants affect physical health — and the results reveal major differences between drugs. Researchers from King’s College London and the University of Oxford analysed more than 150 studies involving over 58,000 patients, uncovering striking variations in weight, heart rate, and blood pressure within just eight weeks of treatment. Some antidepressants caused patients to gain up to two kilos, while others led to a drop in weight. One drug slowed the heart by 21 beats per minute, while another sped it up — changes that researchers say could raise the risk of heart attack or stroke. Professor Oliver Howes said even small changes could have a “big effect across the population,” as around eight million people in the UK take antidepressants. The team stressed that no one should stop their medication, but said matching drugs more closely to each patient’s physical profile could transform treatment outcomes. Instructions: THIS VIDEO MUST NOT BE EDITED FOR LENGTH TO COMBINE WITH OTHER CONTENT