Medications that can cause weight gain (Part II)
Antidepressants and Other Common Drugs
In the previous article on this subject, we discussed antidepressants that cause weight gain like the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI drugs) Paxil, Zoloft, and Prozac and the tricyclic drugs Elavil, Tofranil and Triavil.
Other antidepressants such as Nardil, Xanax, Effexor, Serzone, Wellbutrin, and lithium also have a weight gain effect. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as Indocan, Feldene and Ketoprofen are also implicated as well as the Cox-2 inhibitors, Vioxx (which has beenremoved from the market) and Celebrex. Corticosteroids such as Prednisone and Pedipred, hormone replacement therapy and oral contraceptives, some high blood pressure drugs such as Corgard and Altace, and the cholesterol-lowering statin drugs such as Lipitor have weight gain as a side effect. Some anti-histamines like Claritin, Peractin, and Astelin have a similarside effect.
According to Dr. Robert Atkins, of Atkins diet fame, insulin is the most fattening of hormones, and the majority of oral medications for diabetes have weight gain as a side effect. Actos, an oral diabetic drug that is an insulin sensitizer, may cause weight gain according to the fine print in the drug’s advertisements.
Avandia, a drug belonging to the same class as Actos, can have the same side effect according to Consumer Report’s Drug Reference Book.
Prilosec, Prevacid, Adiphex and Nexium are heartburn drugs known as proton pump inhibitors. All have weight gain as a side effect.
Diet Drugs
Ironically, among the drugs that have been implicated in weight gain are diet drugs. At a nutrition conference I attended in 1999, Dr. George S. Cowan, M.D., a surgeon well known in the field of gastric by-pass surgery, conducted a workshop on obesity.
On the basis of feedback from his patients, he claimed that diet drugs such as Phen-Fen and Redux (which have been removed form the market) cause weight gain because they have a rebound effect.
He said that ephedra (aka ma huang), an herb that used to be found in many over-the-counter weight loss products, has the same rebound effect. (As of April 12, 2004, ephedra has been banned from the market because it has been linked to heart attacks and death.)
Although not the principal cause, medications are a part of the epidemic of obesity in this country. But if we need these drugs, what are we to do? The man I mentioned in the previous article who was onhypertension and cholesterol lowering drugs and who had not lost one ounce after three months of dieting expressed the dilemma succinctly, “I guess I’m stuck for it.”
But are we stuck for it? Not necessarily. Many of the chronic conditions for which we take these medications, such as arthritis, hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity and allergies, are diseases or risk factors of lifestyle – diet, toxic substances, lack of exercise – and can be prevented or reversed by changes in life style.
There are natural remedies that can often be alternatives as well. However, never stop medications on your own. Some drugs need to be tapered off and should only be done in consultation with your doctor. Whatever your decision, knowing the side effects of your meds might be helpful in making it.
Mary Lou Williams, M. Ed., is a lecturer and writer in the field of nutrition. She welcomes inquiries. She can be reached at 267-6480.