Health Alert: Some Medications Can Cause Obesity
Are drugs making America fat?
Dozens of common drugs are proving to make people fat.
For those unsuspecting consumers who pop pills for everything that ails them, this may be a shock. Researchers and practitioners have found that dozens of prescription drugs cause you to gain weight. But what is alarming is that many doctors aren’t warning their patients of this unwanted side effect, and they go on gaining weight not knowing that the very medications they are taking may be the cause. Some have gained as much as 100 pounds in six months. So, what drugs should you be on the look out for?
According to an article in the Portland Oregonian by Patrick O’Neill, “the implicated prescription drugs span a wide spectrum of pharmaceuticals — from seizure medications to antidepressants to blood pressure meds”. What typically happens is a patient is so consumed with their particular symptoms which caused their visit to the doctor, that they really don’t notice the weight gain until it becomes painfully obvious. Some of the drugs are thought to alter the body’s metabolism causing “metabolic syndrome”, one of the fastest growing conditions in America, and some actually create cravings for carbohydrates and sweets. But all in all, the reason why some drugs cause some patients to gain weight is poorly understood. Yet, not everyone puts on weight because of drugs, and if they do, the weight gain can vary widely from patient to patient.
In data revealed on Medscape.com, patients on Zyprexa (Olanzapine) gained 8 to 10 pounds, after 10 weeks. And on PsychEducation.org, it is stated that weight gain can be so large on Zyprexa and other drugs that it can cause serious health complications. They go on to state that:
There are some medications which have become famous for this [weight gain]: Zyprexa, Depakote, lithium are all guilty some of the time (not always; it doesn’t happen to everybody). And now that we’re paying more attention to this problem, it’s becoming clear that other medications can do it: all of the new-generation antipsychotics (Zyprexa, Risperidone, Seroquel at least; Geodon very little, aripiprazole more than Geodon but less than the rest) and many of the old-generation medications like Haldol can cause weight gain. Even some antidepressants that were never really suspect in this way are now known to cause weight gain (slower than the medications listed above, though, and perhaps less often), such as Prozac and Paxil.
In other cases of medication induced obesity, prednisone is a known contributor. In the Portland Orgonian article, they cited a patient, Becki Welch, who gained 100 pounds in six months on an extended course of the steroid prednisone. Prednisone was prescribed for her intestinal inflammation. She reported that every time the doctor started to taper her off he drug, her inflammation returned and she ended up at 398 pounds. The patient noted that the problem she found with Prednisone is that “it made food taste so good.”
What is interesting to note is that some drugs with some form of histamine, serotonin and dopamine tend to stimulate the appetite while some drugs are known to cause sluggishness, which leads to a decrease in physical activity. But what is important to anyone taking prescription drugs is that they need to consult with their physician about the potential for weight gain, or for any other common side effects that are connected with the drug. Many times people take medications without a clue as to what the side effects can be and continue to take them not knowing that the drugs are the culprit. Physicians need to communicate side effects and risks better to patients before they walk out the door. The main thing to remember is just ask lots of questions.
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I agree with this completely, thanks for the post.
Pills that Make You Gain Weight…
There may be more involved in your weight gain than your diet and lack of exercise. Often the medications you use are the culprit. I can vouch for that. I take prednisone for ulcerative colitis and fight a losing battle……
Thanks for your comments Ann and Well Woman.
What I have found over the years is that physicians are quick to write prescriptions but few take the time to go over the risks and that includes any that they may deem unimportant such as weight gain. In the meantime, the patient is rapidly gaining weight and getting more depressed which calls for more medication and the cycle continues.
My mother took an antibiotic for a bladder infection which had a litany of side effects one of which was flu like symptoms. She got terribly sick with flu like symptoms but kept taking the antibiotic not knowing that it was what was making her sick. It almost killed her.
The most important thing to remember when starting any medication, is to ask lots of questions and be knowledgeable about side effects because few physicians will take the time to inform you.
Thanks again for your comments. Hope to see you again on our site.
Hello,
I came across this sight while researching a college paper on the cost of obesity in the U.S. From what I can find, the cost has increased by roughly about a billion dollars a year in the last 16 years, and I got to wondering why. We are certainly “doing” more to try to combat the problem. So, I thought of the loved ones I know who face the problem and then of all the people I could think of. Few of them are “slobs” who eat all day and never work purely because of whim. Many of them WERE on prescription drugs, however, and while I know it is not the only factor, I’m hoping to make the point in my paper that is definitely IS a factor I’m afraid many in the Fitness Industry overlook. These people on prescription drugs HAVE tried to lose weight and those who are fighting illness most assuredly do not lack the “grit.” There ARE legitimate reasons as to why they have not met with sucess when it comes to weight-loss. Thank you bringing up the point that medications (which are so readily prescribed) are definitively a cause mandating further investigation.
Thank you for writing this article. I have noticed this trend for some time, yet no one wants to believe that drugs cause obesity.
The only problem of your article (from my limited view)is that you are blaming the patient for being “without a clue”. It is my firm belief that it is the doctors who are clueless, whining that they don’t have “time”. Doctors are not schooled in adverse reactions. They have way too much money to make by being drug pushers. And, hey, if they make the patient sicker, the more profit for them.
The last time I went to a doctor, I asked about the adverse reactions. His quote was “My books don’t go there”!
Time and time I have read newspaper articles which state that our drug use is going up radically. Also, they report that obesity is going up radically. Why can’t anyone connect the dots?
Kathy — thank you for commenting. I do have to agree that we are a drug addicted society. I tend to blame the people as well, though. We are not a mindful people anymore. We are so complacent that we are allowing anyone that is an authority figure to abuse their power and literally kill us, just so we don’t have to think for ourselves.
This is a very informative article. My mother used to take prednisone for her asthma many years ago. The doctor would advise her that losing weight would help her asthma, all along giving her a drug that may have increased her obesity. Wow!