Losing weight becomes difficult with some medicines
Would you like to lose weight and start eating healthier and exercising more? Very well! But also check which medicines you are taking. Because some drugs can cause weight gain or make it very difficult to lose weight. This article provides an overview. Is your medicine included? Please consult your doctor first.
Medications are important and can be life-saving. Unfortunately, they often also have side effects, and sometimes they affect body weight. There are drugs that are known for this, such as prednisone. But there are also medicines that will really surprise you. It is a good idea to check the package insert to see if weight gain is a known side effect, or to discuss this with your doctor. Of course, it is definitely not the intention to just stop taking a medicine if you want to lose weight. Never do that on your own. Consult with your doctor: sometimes the dosage can be adjusted or a different medicine chosen.
Prednisone and other corticosteroid medications
Many people already know that the drug prednisone can lead to weight gain. It makes you very hungry and your weight increases rapidly, especially in the abdomen. Prednisone contains corticosteroids, which are very similar to the stress hormone cortisol. Your body produces this hormone itself under the influence of stress. It is a hormone that can cause weight gain. Less well-known is that not only pills, but also injections of corticosteroids can cause you to gain weight. These injections are used, for example, for inflammation in joints. There are also many other medicines that contain corticosteroids, such as inhalation puffs for asthma, nasal sprays for hay fever, eye drops, ear drops, creams for eczema. You really don’t get fat right away by applying a cream or by temporarily using eye drops. But if you use a lot and often of these types of products, they can cause weight gain. For example, if you have asthma, eczema and hay fever and take something with corticosteroids for each condition. It is estimated that 1 in 10 Dutch people use a medicine that contains corticosteroids. Talk to your doctor if you suspect you are gaining weight from a corticosteroid medication. Perhaps there is an alternative.
Insulin and glimepiride
Insulin saves your life if you have diabetes, but it can cause you to gain weight as a side effect. Insulin is a hormone that stimulates fat storage in your body. If you inject a lot of insulin, it can certainly affect your weight, or at least make it difficult for you to lose weight. The diabetes drug glimepiride can also lead to weight gain. Of course, you can’t just stop taking both drugs. However, a change in lifestyle can mean that you need to inject less insulin or take glimepiride. This applies in particular to exercise more, eat less often, and eat low-carbohydrate foods. Talk to your doctor or dietitian about whether this is an option for you.
Antidepressants
There are quite a few antidepressants that have side effects on body weight. The best known are mirtazapine, paroxetine and citalopram. Talk to your doctor if you notice that the antidepressant is having an undesired effect on your body weight. If it is not possible to choose another medication, or if the antidepressant does work well on your mood, ask for a referral to a dietitian. It can help control your weight gain.
High Blood Pressure Medicines
Both beta blockers and alpha blockers can have the side effect of causing weight gain. This is annoying and unfavorable for blood pressure, because being overweight can also increase blood pressure in itself. It is also a good idea to discuss this with your doctor. Is a lifestyle change an option, or are there other drugs that can lower your blood pressure?
Anti-epileptic drugs
Medicines for epilepsy can also have the side effect that you gain weight. These are carbamazepine, valproic acid and gabapentin. Be extra attentive to your weight and lifestyle and consult your doctor again if you suffer from this side effect.
Other medicines
Unfortunately, the list of drugs that can cause weight gain is quite long. Here are some more:
- Antipsychotics (lithium, olanzapine, risperidone)
- (Nervous) pain relievers (pregabalin, amitriptyline)
- Possibly also antacids (proton pump inhibitors)
- Possibly also anti-allergy medicines (antihistamines)
Help, my medicine is on this list
First of all, don’t panic. Weight gain is a potential side effect of all of these drugs, and not something that always occurs per se. It is smart to be aware of your body weight if you are taking one or more of these drugs. Weigh yourself regularly. Is your weight increasing unintentionally, are you extra hungry, are you unable to lose weight, or do you notice that your belly is getting bigger? Then discuss this with your doctor. If it is not possible to change the medication, ask for a referral to a dietician. They can help you lose weight, or give you advice on adjusting your diet so that you are less hungry and do not gain too much weight.
Fat important
Much of the information in this article comes from the book ‘Fat important’ by doctors Liesbeth van Rossum and Mariette Boon. This book is highly recommended if you are overweight, or if you want to understand more about body fat. You can also listen to these doctors, in this conversation in our ‘Healthy Conversation’ podcast series. It’s not for nothing that this is the most listened to episode!
