The Energy Balance Podcast EB. 118: The TRUTH About Serotonin & SSRIs: Why Serotonin is NOT the Happy Hormone
- Why serotonin is NOT the “happy hormone” and you may not want to increase it
- How serotonin and depression relate to stress and energy balance
- Whether SSRIs are effective for depression
- How SSRIs actually work, their impact on metabolism, and whether they’re the best treatment option for depression
- The real drivers of depression and anxiety
Free Energy Balance Food Guide: https://jayfeldmanwellness.com/guide
Free Energy Balance Mini-Course: https://www.jayfeldmanwellness.com/energy/
Check out the Energy Balance Solution program here: https://www.jayfeldmanwellness.com/solution/
The Nutrition Blueprint: https://mikefave.com/the-nutrition-blueprint/
Click here to check out the show notes: https://www.jayfeldmanwellness.com/ep-118-the-truth-about-serotonin-and-ssris-why-serotonin-is-not-the-happy-hormone
Timestamps:
0:00 – intro
0:58 – the research showing that serotonin is not the “happy hormone”
4:56 – serotonin’s role in driving the stress state that leads to depression
8:26 – the overlap between anxiety and depression and why they are both characterized by elevated serotonin levels
10:27 – the origins of the idea that serotonin is the “happy hormone” and how serotonin became a marketing tool for pharmaceutical companies
14:49 – serotonin is increased during fasting and starvation and why increasing serotonin should not be our goal
20:16 – serotonin is increased during stress, shock, and infection and leads to learned helplessness
29:04 –SSRIs use in neonates causes depression in adulthood
31:35 – the serotonergic system as an adaptive stress response to a lack of energy
39:09 – serotonin’s role in energy redistribution under stress
43:15 – how SSRIs inhibit mitochondrial respiration, glucose metabolism, and energy production in the brain and liver
47:13 – how SSRIs can reduce symptoms and how the brain responds to SSRIs
52:42 – the true drivers of depression and anxiety
1:01:30 – how serotonin relates to stress hormones, including cortisol, and energy balance