These Prescription Drugs Make You Gain Weight
Many common prescription drugs make you gain weight. This can be exceptionally frustrating. It’s particularly difficult when you know you’ve been eating right and doing your workouts.
At first, you may not realize your prescription drugs make you gain weight. This can make it rather confusing when the pounds continue to climb on. When you are prescribed a drug, make sure to look into all the potential side effects. This way, if you do suddenly suffer from unexplained weight gain, you’ll be better able to determine the cause.
Why Do Prescription Drugs Make You Gain Weight?
It has been estimated that up to 10 percent or even 15 percent of prescription drugs make you gain weight. This can occur as a result of many different reasons.
Some prescription drugs make you gain weight because they boost your sensation of hunger. When you have a larger appetite, you are more prone to overeating. Other medications can cause weight gain because they slow down your metabolism. This reduces your body’s speed of fat burning.
Other prescription drugs make you gain weight in a more temporary way. For instance, they make cause your body to retain water. Those additional fluids in your body’s tissues make you look and feel larger than you should be.
How Much Can Prescription Drugs Make You Gain Weight?
Just because your prescription drugs make you gain weight, it doesn’t mean that it will affect you the same way as someone else. Even with the same medication, individual users will react differently.
What might make one person gain a pound or two could cause you to gain fifteen. That said, there might be another drug that is known for packing on the pounds but might not affect you at all.
If you think your prescription drugs make you gain weight, it’s important to discuss it with your doctor. Don’t simply stop taking the medication. This could place your health in danger. Instead, make an appointment so you can discuss it with your physician. You might discover that there are ways to overcome the weight gain. There may also be alternatives to the drug you’re taking.
Many types of prescription drugs make you gain weight. Consider the following commonly prescribed medications that can lead to weight gain.
Antidepressant Prescription drugs Make You Gain Weight
Some antidepressant prescription drugs make you gain weight. They can include:
• Paroxetine (Paxil)
• Citalopram (Celexa)
• Sertraline (Zoloft)
• Fluvoxamine (Luvox)
• Fluoxetine (Prozac)
• Mirtazapine (Remeron)
Different types of antidepressants can have this effect. They are often known as SSRIs or tricyclic antidepressants. They work by raising the amount of serotonin and other neurotransmitters (brain chemicals). Some of those chemicals play a role in your hunger and appetite control. They can also affect the way your body breaks down calories.
In this way, you may not feel satisfied when you eat. Moreover, you might eat the same amount and gain body fat. There is an especially high risk that these prescription drugs make you gain weight when you use them over time.
Mood Stabilizer Prescription Drugs Make You Gain Weight
Some mood stabilizer prescription drugs make you gain weight. These are drugs meant for controlling schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and certain other mental health conditions. Among those with this side effect include:
• Quetiapine (Seroquel)
• Lithium (Lithobid, Exskalith)
• Clozapine (Clozaril)
• Olanzapine (Zyprexa)
• Risperidone (Risperdal)
These medications have a direct impact on the brain and can therefore affect the metabolism and weight. Mood stabilizers can cause your appetite to become active and stay that way. Many people find that they feel permanently hungry when they use them. This makes it easy to understand why these prescription drugs make you gain weight.
Diabetes Prescription Drugs Make You Gain Weight
Diabetes prescription drugs make you gain weight in many cases. In fact, these medications are notorious for this effect. Among the most common offenders include:
• Insulin
• Glimepiride (Amaryl)
• Glyburide (Diabeta, Micronase)
• Pioglitazone (Actos)
• Glipizide (Glucotrol)
• Nateglinide (Starlix)
• Repaglinide (Prandin)
Diabetes medications work by affecting blood sugar levels. While some cause your body to release a higher amount of insulin before or after you eat, others cause your body to become more insulin sensitive. For this reason, these prescription drugs make you gain weight.
It is normal for you to gain weight while using them, particularly at the beginning. Your body needs time to adjust to the new balance. This can feel very frustrating as you aren’t necessarily doing anything differently than you were before. Moreover, keeping weight under control is especially important when you have diabetes, so it can feel like a step backward.
Talk to your doctor if your prescription drugs make you gain weight. This can help you to learn more ways to overcome it or prevent it from getting worse.
Corticosteroid Prescription Drugs Make You Gain Weight
Corticosteroids are drugs that are meant to reduce inflammation and, therefore, pain. These are not the same types of medications as the steroids bodybuilders are notorious for taking to enhance muscle growth. That said, these prescription drugs make you gain weight as a common side effect.
Among the corticosteroids that may do this are:
• Prednisolone (Pediapred, Orapred, Prelone and others)
• Methylprednisolone (Medrol)
• Prednisone (Sterapred, Prednicot, Deltasone and others)
These medications can be taken in several ways. For example, they can be injected. They can also be used topically as a cream that is rubbed into the skin. They can be taken orally, and they even come as a spray to be inhaled.
That said, these medications also affect the metabolism. Over the short term, they likely won’t have much of an impact on weight. However, over the longer term, the slowed metabolic rate can reduce fat burning. Furthermore, they can cause your appetite to grow which may only compound the problem.
Seizure and Migraine Prescription Drugs Make You Gain Weight
Medications meant to help control seizures or to stop migraine headaches can have an impact on hormones. Among those hormones are those that play a role in hunger control. As a result, the body isn’t as able to sense when it is full. Therefore, many users are prone to overeating. Naturally, this can result in weight gain.
Among the medications that can cause this side effect include:
• Nortiptyline (Pamelor, Aventyl)
• Amitriptyline (Elavil)
• Valproic Acid (Depakote, Depacon, Stavzor)
These types of medications are often used over long periods of time. They are not typically meant for conditions that will go away after a few months. Instead, they treat and prevent chronic conditions. Therefore, their side effects can continue to cause weight problems for their users over time.
The longer the user continues with these medications, the greater the side effects can become. While it may start with hunger control, the metabolic rate can also slow over time. Furthermore, these medications can also lead to water retention. Some studies also show an increased instance fast food craving among users.
Despite the frustration you may feel if these medications cause you to gain weight, it’s important not to give up on them. Work with your doctor to find the best solution. This could mean new ways of coping with the side effects. It may also require you to switch medications. That said, it’s important not to make the decision on your own.
