How do certain prescription drugs affect your weight. Which medications are known to slow metabolism. What can you do to counteract weight gain from necessary medications. How do antidepressants impact appetite and metabolism. Why do some diabetes drugs cause weight gain.

The Hidden Culprit Behind Unexplained Weight Gain: Prescription Medications

Many people diligently watch their diet and exercise regularly, only to find the number on the scale creeping up inexplicably. If this sounds familiar, the answer may lie in your medicine cabinet. Research indicates that 10-15% of weight issues are linked to medications, according to Dr. Louis Aronne, director of the Comprehensive Weight Control Center at Weill Cornell Medical College.

Certain medications can affect your body in ways that promote weight gain:

• Increasing appetite and hunger sensations
• Slowing metabolic rate and calorie burning
• Causing fluid retention
• Altering how your body processes and stores fat

It’s important to note that medication-related weight gain varies significantly between individuals. While one person may gain 15 pounds on a particular drug, another may experience no weight change at all.

Antidepressants and Mood Stabilizers: A Double-Edged Sword for Mental Health and Weight

Among the most common culprits for medication-induced weight gain are antidepressants and mood stabilizers. These drugs, while essential for managing mental health conditions, can have unintended consequences on appetite and metabolism.

SSRIs and Tricyclic Antidepressants

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) and tricyclic antidepressants work by increasing levels of certain neurotransmitters in the brain. Unfortunately, these same chemicals also play a role in appetite regulation and metabolism. Common SSRIs associated with weight gain include:

• Citalopram (Celexa)
• Fluoxetine (Prozac)
• Paroxetine (Paxil)
• Sertraline (Zoloft)

How do these medications lead to weight gain? Dr. Sue DeCotiis, a board-certified internist specializing in medical weight loss, explains: “You might eat but not feel full, or you might lay down more fat even if you’re not eating more.” Some individuals may gain up to 24 pounds in a year while on these medications.

Mood Stabilizers for Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia

Medications used to treat bipolar disorder and schizophrenia can have an even more pronounced effect on weight. These include:

• Lithium (Eskalith, Lithobid)
• Olanzapine (Zyprexa)
• Quetiapine (Seroquel)
• Risperidone (Risperdal)

These drugs directly affect brain chemistry, impacting both weight and metabolism. They can cause a persistent increase in appetite, potentially leading to significant weight gain over time. Some patients may experience an 11-pound weight gain in just 10 weeks, with long-term use potentially resulting in even more substantial increases.

Diabetes Medications: The Irony of Weight Gain in Blood Sugar Control

For individuals with diabetes, managing blood sugar levels is crucial. However, some diabetes medications can lead to unwanted weight gain, creating a frustrating situation for those already struggling with excess weight.

Common Diabetes Drugs Associated with Weight Gain

• Glimepiride (Amaryl)
• Glipizide (Glucotrol)
• Insulin
• Pioglitazone (Actos)

Why do these medications cause weight gain? Different diabetes drugs work in various ways to control blood sugar. Some increase insulin sensitivity, while others stimulate the body to release more insulin before or after meals. Dr. Aronne notes that “some of the older drugs basically vacuum calories into fat cells,” leading to weight gain.

It’s typical to experience some weight gain when first starting these medications as your body adjusts. However, for individuals with type 2 diabetes who may already be overweight, this side effect can be particularly challenging.

Corticosteroids: Balancing Pain Relief with Metabolic Effects

Corticosteroids are powerful anti-inflammatory medications used to treat a wide range of conditions. While effective in reducing pain and inflammation, they can have significant impacts on metabolism and weight.

Common Corticosteroids Linked to Weight Gain

• Methylprednisolone (Medrol)
• Prednisolone (Orapred, Pediapred, Prelone)
• Prednisone (Deltasone, Prednicot, Sterapred)

How do corticosteroids affect weight? These medications can influence metabolism and fat distribution in several ways:

1. Increasing appetite
2. Altering how the body processes and stores fat
3. Causing fluid retention

Dr. DeCotiis explains that long-term use of corticosteroids “may give you a bigger appetite and cause your body to hold onto more fat, especially around the belly.” This can lead to the characteristic “moon face” and central obesity often associated with prolonged steroid use.

Seizure and Migraine Medications: Unexpected Effects on Hunger and Metabolism

Medications used to prevent seizures and migraines can have surprising impacts on weight. These drugs often affect hormones that control hunger and satiety signals in the body.

Commonly Prescribed Seizure and Migraine Drugs

• Amitriptyline (Elavil)
• Nortriptyline (Aventyl, Pamelor)
• Valproic acid (Depacon, Depakote, Stavzor)

How do these medications contribute to weight gain? Dr. Donald Waldrep, co-director of The Center for Weight Loss Surgery at Los Robles Hospital, explains: “They can up your appetite, lower your metabolism, and cause your body to hang on to extra fluids.” Some studies have even shown that certain medications, like valproic acid, may increase cravings for high-calorie foods like fast food.

Beta Blockers: Heart Health at the Cost of Metabolism

Beta blockers are crucial medications for many individuals with heart conditions. They work by slowing heart rate and lowering blood pressure, reducing stress on the heart. However, this beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system can have unintended consequences for metabolism and weight.

Common Beta Blockers Associated with Weight Gain

• Acebutolol (Sectral)
• Atenolol (Tenormin)
• Metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol XL)
• Propranolol (Inderal)

Why do beta blockers lead to weight gain? The slowing of heart rate and reduction in blood pressure can lead to a decrease in overall metabolic rate. This means that your body burns fewer calories at rest, potentially leading to weight gain if caloric intake remains the same.

Additionally, some beta blockers may cause fatigue as a side effect, which can lead to reduced physical activity and further contribute to weight gain.

Allergy Medications: The Surprising Link Between Antihistamines and Weight

While not as commonly associated with weight gain as some other medications, certain allergy relievers can contribute to unexplained increases in weight, particularly when used long-term.

Antihistamines and Weight Gain

Antihistamines, particularly older formulations, have been linked to weight gain in some individuals. These medications work by blocking histamine, a compound involved in the body’s allergic response. However, histamine also plays a role in regulating appetite and metabolism.

How do antihistamines affect weight? Several mechanisms have been proposed:

1. Increased appetite: Some antihistamines may stimulate appetite, leading to increased caloric intake.
2. Drowsiness: A common side effect of antihistamines is drowsiness, which may lead to reduced physical activity.
3. Metabolic changes: Some research suggests that antihistamines may directly affect how the body processes and stores fat.

While the weight gain associated with antihistamines is generally less pronounced than with other medications discussed, it’s worth considering for individuals who use these drugs regularly or long-term.

Strategies for Managing Medication-Induced Weight Gain

If you suspect that your medications are contributing to weight gain, it’s crucial not to stop taking them without consulting your healthcare provider. Dr. Waldrep emphasizes, “You might need to be on that drug to save your life.” Instead, consider the following strategies:

1. Discuss Alternative Medications

In some cases, your doctor may be able to switch you to an alternative medication with a lower risk of weight gain. Some newer formulations or different classes of drugs may provide similar benefits without the same metabolic effects.

2. Adjust Your Lifestyle

Dr. DeCotiis notes, “There’s evidence that a low-carb diet and more exercise may help offset medication-induced weight gain.” Consider working with a nutritionist or dietitian to develop a meal plan that accounts for your medication’s effects on metabolism and appetite.

3. Increase Physical Activity

Regular exercise can help counteract the metabolic slowdown caused by some medications. Aim for a combination of cardiovascular exercise and strength training to boost overall metabolism.

4. Monitor Your Weight Closely

Keep track of your weight and body measurements, especially when starting a new medication. Early recognition of weight gain can allow for prompt intervention.

5. Consider Adjunct Treatments

In some cases, your doctor may recommend additional treatments to help manage weight gain. This could include medications specifically designed for weight loss or referral to a weight management specialist.

Remember, the effects of medications on weight can vary significantly between individuals. What causes substantial weight gain in one person may have minimal impact on another. Always work closely with your healthcare provider to find the best balance between managing your health condition and maintaining a healthy weight.

The Future of Medication and Weight Management

As awareness of medication-induced weight gain grows, researchers and pharmaceutical companies are working to develop new drugs with fewer metabolic side effects. Additionally, personalized medicine approaches may help identify individuals at higher risk for weight gain from specific medications.

What advancements are on the horizon for managing medication-related weight gain?

• Development of weight-neutral alternatives to commonly prescribed medications
• Improved understanding of the genetic factors that influence medication response and weight gain
• Integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning to predict individual risk of weight gain from specific drugs
• Novel combination therapies that pair necessary medications with agents to mitigate weight gain

While these developments hold promise, it’s important to remember that managing weight while on necessary medications often requires a multifaceted approach. This may include careful medication selection, lifestyle modifications, and ongoing monitoring and adjustment of treatment plans.

In conclusion, while certain medications can contribute to weight gain, this side effect should be balanced against the potential benefits of the treatment. By working closely with healthcare providers, staying informed about potential side effects, and taking proactive steps to manage weight, many individuals can successfully navigate the challenges of medication-induced weight changes while maintaining their overall health and well-being.

What Prescription Drugs Make You Gain Weight?

Written by Stephanie Booth

• Depression Medications
• Mood Stabilizers
• Diabetes Medicines
• Corticosteroids
• Drugs That Prevent Seizures and Migraines
• ‘Beta Blocker’ Heart Medicines
• Allergy Relievers
• More

You watch what you eat and fit regular workouts into your schedule. So why is the number on your scale going up instead of down? The reason might lie in your bathroom cabinet.

“As many as 10% to 15% of weight issues are related to medications,” says Louis Aronne, MD, director of the Comprehensive Weight Control Center at Weill Cornell Medical College.

Some meds can make you feel hungrier. Others slow your body’s ability to burn calories or cause you to hold onto extra fluids.

The effects aren’t the same for everybody, though. “One person might gain 15 pounds on one drug. Another might not gain anything,” Aronne says.

If you suspect the medicines that you take are behind your weight gain, don’t go off them before you talk to your doctor. “You might need to be on that drug to save your life,” says Donald Waldrep, MD, co-director of The Center for Weight Loss Surgery at Los Robles Hospital.

You may be able to switch to another medication, including one that can even help you shed pounds. If not, your doctor can suggest what you should do to offset the weight gain.

“There’s evidence that a low-carb diet and more exercise may help,” says Sue DeCotiis, MD, a board-certified internist who specializes in medical weight loss.

Below are some types of medicines that may be the cause of your expanding waistline. It’s not a complete list, so speak to your doctor if you have any concerns about your prescriptions.

Which ones:

• citalopram (Celexa)
• fluoxetine (Prozac)
• fluvoxamine (Luvox)
• mirtazapine (Remeron)
• paroxetine (Paxil)
• sertraline (Zoloft)

Your doctor may call these “SSRIs” (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) or “tricyclic antidepressants. ” They boost the amount of certain “feel good” chemicals in your brain. Some of those chemicals also control your appetite and how your body breaks down calories.

“You might eat but not feel full,” DeCotiis says. “Or you might lay down more fat even if you’re not eating more.” That’s the case especially in the long run. Some depression drugs may cause you to gain as much as 24 pounds in a year.

Keep in mind that depression itself can affect your appetite and eating habits. Your doctor or counselor can help you with that.

Which ones:

• clozapine (Clozaril)
• lithium (Eskalith, Lithobid)
• olanzapine (Zyprexa)
• quetiapine (Seroquel)
• risperidone (Risperdal)

These drugs help treat mental health conditions like bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. They “directly affect your brain and will affect your weight and metabolism,” DeCotiis says.

Mood stabilizers cause your appetite to turn on and stay on. Some may cause as much as an 11-pound weight gain in 10 weeks. People taking them for a long time may gain more.

Which ones:

• glimepiride (Amaryl)
• glipizide (Glucotrol)
• glyburide (Diabeta, Micronase)
• insulin
• nateglinide (Starlix)
• pioglitazone (Actos)
• repaglinide (Prandin)

Diabetes medications control blood sugar levels in different ways. Some make you more sensitive to insulin. Others cause your body to release more insulin before or after meals.

It’s normal to gain weight when you first start taking them, while your body adjusts to the medicine. But “some of the older drugs basically vacuum calories into fat cells,” Aronne says. Weight gain can be especially frustrating for people with type 2 diabetes who were already overweight.

Your doctor can help you figure out if you might do better with another drug, or what lifestyle changes you may need to make.

Which ones:

• methylprednisolone (Medrol)
• prednisolone (Orapred, Pediapred, Prelone, and others)
• prednisone (Deltasone, Prednicot, Sterapred, and others)

Corticosteroids reduce pain and inflammation. They’re different than the steroids bodybuilders take to build muscle.

You can take them as shots, rub them into your skin as a cream, inhale them as a spray, or take them by mouth. Because they also affect metabolism, “taking them for a long time may give you a bigger appetite and cause your body to hold onto more fat, especially around the belly,” DeCotiis says.

Which ones:

• amitriptyline (Elavil)
• nortriptyline (Aventyl, Pamelor)
• valproic acid (Depacon, Depakote, Stavzor)

Medicines that stop migraine headaches and seizures affect hormones that control hunger and make it harder for your body to sense when it’s full.

“They can up your appetite, lower your metabolism, and cause your body to hang on to extra fluids,” Waldrep says. In one study, people who took valproic acid (Depakote) even had more fast-food cravings.

Which ones:

• acebutolol (Sectral)
• atenolol (Tenormin)
• metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol XL)
• propranolol (Inderal)

Beta blockers ease stress on your heart by slowing its rate and lowering blood pressure. “But that decreases your body’s reaction to exercise so you won’t burn as many calories,” DeCotiis says. Because beta blockers make you feel tired, you might not have the energy to work out, which can also cause your weight to rise.

Which ones:

• cetirizine (Zyrtec)
• diphenhydramine (Benadryl)
• fexofenadine (Allegra)
• loratadine (Claritin)

Over-the-counter allergy meds block the action of histamine, a chemical your body makes that causes many of the symptoms of allergies. Blocking histamine with an antihistamine like diphenhydramine may lead to weight gain.

Top Picks

What Prescription Drugs Make You Gain Weight?

Written by Stephanie Booth

• Depression Medications
• Mood Stabilizers
• Diabetes Medicines
• Corticosteroids
• Drugs That Prevent Seizures and Migraines
• ‘Beta Blocker’ Heart Medicines
• Allergy Relievers
• More

You watch what you eat and fit regular workouts into your schedule. So why is the number on your scale going up instead of down? The reason might lie in your bathroom cabinet.

“As many as 10% to 15% of weight issues are related to medications,” says Louis Aronne, MD, director of the Comprehensive Weight Control Center at Weill Cornell Medical College.

Some meds can make you feel hungrier. Others slow your body’s ability to burn calories or cause you to hold onto extra fluids.

The effects aren’t the same for everybody, though. “One person might gain 15 pounds on one drug. Another might not gain anything,” Aronne says.

If you suspect the medicines that you take are behind your weight gain, don’t go off them before you talk to your doctor. “You might need to be on that drug to save your life,” says Donald Waldrep, MD, co-director of The Center for Weight Loss Surgery at Los Robles Hospital.

You may be able to switch to another medication, including one that can even help you shed pounds. If not, your doctor can suggest what you should do to offset the weight gain.

“There’s evidence that a low-carb diet and more exercise may help,” says Sue DeCotiis, MD, a board-certified internist who specializes in medical weight loss.

Below are some types of medicines that may be the cause of your expanding waistline. It’s not a complete list, so speak to your doctor if you have any concerns about your prescriptions.

Which ones:

• citalopram (Celexa)
• fluoxetine (Prozac)
• fluvoxamine (Luvox)
• mirtazapine (Remeron)
• paroxetine (Paxil)
• sertraline (Zoloft)

Your doctor may call these “SSRIs” (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) or “tricyclic antidepressants.” They boost the amount of certain “feel good” chemicals in your brain. Some of those chemicals also control your appetite and how your body breaks down calories.

“You might eat but not feel full,” DeCotiis says. “Or you might lay down more fat even if you’re not eating more.” That’s the case especially in the long run. Some depression drugs may cause you to gain as much as 24 pounds in a year.

Keep in mind that depression itself can affect your appetite and eating habits. Your doctor or counselor can help you with that.

Which ones:

• clozapine (Clozaril)
• lithium (Eskalith, Lithobid)
• olanzapine (Zyprexa)
• quetiapine (Seroquel)
• risperidone (Risperdal)

These drugs help treat mental health conditions like bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. They “directly affect your brain and will affect your weight and metabolism,” DeCotiis says.

Mood stabilizers cause your appetite to turn on and stay on. Some may cause as much as an 11-pound weight gain in 10 weeks. People taking them for a long time may gain more.

Which ones:

• glimepiride (Amaryl)
• glipizide (Glucotrol)
• glyburide (Diabeta, Micronase)
• insulin
• nateglinide (Starlix)
• pioglitazone (Actos)
• repaglinide (Prandin)

Diabetes medications control blood sugar levels in different ways. Some make you more sensitive to insulin. Others cause your body to release more insulin before or after meals.

It’s normal to gain weight when you first start taking them, while your body adjusts to the medicine. But “some of the older drugs basically vacuum calories into fat cells,” Aronne says. Weight gain can be especially frustrating for people with type 2 diabetes who were already overweight.

Your doctor can help you figure out if you might do better with another drug, or what lifestyle changes you may need to make.

Which ones:

• methylprednisolone (Medrol)
• prednisolone (Orapred, Pediapred, Prelone, and others)
• prednisone (Deltasone, Prednicot, Sterapred, and others)

Corticosteroids reduce pain and inflammation. They’re different than the steroids bodybuilders take to build muscle.

You can take them as shots, rub them into your skin as a cream, inhale them as a spray, or take them by mouth. Because they also affect metabolism, “taking them for a long time may give you a bigger appetite and cause your body to hold onto more fat, especially around the belly,” DeCotiis says.

Which ones:

• amitriptyline (Elavil)
• nortriptyline (Aventyl, Pamelor)
• valproic acid (Depacon, Depakote, Stavzor)

Medicines that stop migraine headaches and seizures affect hormones that control hunger and make it harder for your body to sense when it’s full.

“They can up your appetite, lower your metabolism, and cause your body to hang on to extra fluids,” Waldrep says. In one study, people who took valproic acid (Depakote) even had more fast-food cravings.

Which ones:

• acebutolol (Sectral)
• atenolol (Tenormin)
• metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol XL)
• propranolol (Inderal)

Beta blockers ease stress on your heart by slowing its rate and lowering blood pressure. “But that decreases your body’s reaction to exercise so you won’t burn as many calories,” DeCotiis says. Because beta blockers make you feel tired, you might not have the energy to work out, which can also cause your weight to rise.

Which ones:

• cetirizine (Zyrtec)
• diphenhydramine (Benadryl)
• fexofenadine (Allegra)
• loratadine (Claritin)

Over-the-counter allergy meds block the action of histamine, a chemical your body makes that causes many of the symptoms of allergies. Blocking histamine with an antihistamine like diphenhydramine may lead to weight gain.

Top Picks

How to slow down metabolism if you can’t gain weight?

30 April 2019

12 April 2023

4 minutes

6152

ProWellness

Table of contents

• Metabolism symptoms
• Several ways to slow down metabolism
• Proper diet
• Medication method
• Some useful tips

90 002 Disclaimer

Please note that all information posted on the site
Prowellness is provided for informational purposes only and is not a personal program, a direct recommendation for action, or medical advice. Do not use these materials for diagnosis, treatment, or any medical procedure. Consult your physician before using any technique or using any product. This site is not a specialized medical portal and does not replace the professional advice of a specialist. The Site Owner is not liable to any party who has suffered indirect or direct damage as a result of misuse of materials posted on this resource.

How can you slow down your metabolism if you can’t gain weight?

Most people dream of speeding up their metabolism and losing weight. But there is also the opposite desire: you need to gain weight, slow down your metabolism.

There are several ways to slow down the process, but it is also important not to harm your health. Accelerated metabolism is a feature of a particular organism, not a pathology. In some cases, this is a sign of health problems.

Symptoms of accelerated metabolism

People with a fast metabolism can be recognized by their appearance. For them, the whole problem is to gain weight and muscle mass. Usually these are people with high stature, naturally thin physique. But sometimes the metabolic process is accelerated for some external reason.

Symptoms of an accelerated metabolism are:

• increased feeling of hunger or its complete absence;
• excessive thinness;
• inability to gain weight and muscle mass even with increased nutrition;
• feeling tired, lethargic;
• clearly visible veins on the body;
• increased nervousness, irritability.

The reasons for an accelerated metabolism can be very different:

• failures in the hormonal system;
• thyroid diseases;
• violations in the work of the pancreas.

To find out the cause, it is recommended to consult a doctor.

Several ways to slow down metabolism

There are several methods for slowing down the process. You can use several at once, but in any case it is better if the doctor prescribes the treatment. Often, effective therapy depends entirely on addressing the underlying cause. Lifestyle also plays an important role.

Proper diet

Nutritional adjustment is the first effective method. There are several foods that effectively slow down your metabolism. The problem is that most of these products have significant health side effects. Therefore, you should eat them regularly, but in moderation. These products include:

• sugar;
• pasta;
• bread;
• baked goods and confectionery;
• nuts, cereals, seeds;
• fatty foods.

Attention! At the time of therapy, energy drinks, tea, coffee should be abandoned. Exclude citrus fruits, bitter chocolate, spices.

Medical method

If nutrition correction does not have the desired effect, pharmacy preparations can be used. For example, athletes with a naturally thin physique use special protein-carbon cocktails to gain mass. They consist of fast carbohydrates and short protein chains.

Attention! There are some drugs that have weight gain, slow metabolism as a side effect. These are hormonal preparations containing estrogen, as well as some medicines that lower the acidity of the stomach.

Another helper to the body is drugs that affect the secretion of insulin. But in any case, it is better if medication is prescribed by a doctor who will find out the cause of the problem itself.

Some useful tips

If you need to gain weight and lower your metabolic rate, then you can put into practice the following tips:

• reduce the time of daily sleep by a couple of hours – this will lead to the production of cortisol (stress hormone), the body will begin to slow down metabolism and store energy for future use;
• Ambient temperature must be between 22-28°C;
• limit physical activity for a certain period of time so that the body begins to store nutrients;
• moderately reduce the amount of fluid consumed.

Many advise making a faster metabolism your friend and simply eating better and more. Do not experiment if the problem is not a consequence of the disease.

Disclaimer

Please note that all information posted on the site
Prowellness is provided for informational purposes only and is not a personal program, a direct recommendation for action, or medical advice. Do not use these materials for diagnosis, treatment, or any medical procedure. Consult your physician before using any technique or using any product. This site is not a specialized medical portal and does not replace the professional advice of a specialist. The Site Owner is not liable to any party who has suffered indirect or direct damage as a result of misuse of materials posted on this resource.

Expert: Ekaterina Podvalenchuk Expert in nutrition and health

Reviewer: Ekaterina Vorobieva Adept of a healthy and active lifestyle

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Expensive, wild and unsafe – Ogonyok No.

40 (5585) dated 10/14/2019

1K

1

1 min.

…

Radical methods of struggle for life extension cause great controversy: some see them as a leap into the future, others as a sure way to cripple themselves. Here are just some of the shocking experiments. The drug (at that time it had only been tested on laboratory mice) contained the telomerase gene. This, recall, is an enzyme that regulates the length of telomeres (chromosome ends), which, in turn, determines the lifespan of a cell. The therapy cost more than a million dollars. Since the injection of the gene preparation was made illegally, official medicine did not undertake to evaluate the results of the intervention, for this reason it is impossible to confirm or refute the effect. However, Liz Parrish herself, who owns a biomedical company, claims that her biological age has decreased by 20 years. According to unofficial data, several more people underwent therapy who did not want to advertise the treatment for aging.

Drown and forget

Biohackers are happy to test all sorts of new methods on themselves that have made it possible to extend the life of laboratory animals. This includes different ways of hunger strikes and radical diets, young blood transfusions, “rejuvenation” with stem cells, and so on. One of the most famous experimenters of this kind was the CEO of Ascendance Biomedical, Aaron Traivik. Last year, he was found dead in a flotation therapy tank, a relaxation technique that involves diving into a small indoor pool of salt water that keeps the body afloat, creating a feeling of weightlessness.

Eat pills

A handful of pills is included in the daily diet of advanced biohackers. What do they hope for? Mainly on drugs that slow down the metabolism.