Are your medications making you gain weight?!?

Many people gain weight from medications and I don't want this to be you! If you know someone struggling with weight gain tell them to review all their medications w/ their MD to see what can/cannot be changed or stopped.

There are hundreds of medications associated with weight gain as a side effect and I will only discuss the most common ones here today. 

Lets talk about a few of them by category:

A. Diabetes drugs:

1. Insulin (amount of weight gained depends on dose)

-more common with 70/30 mix, Humalog, Novolog

2. Sulfonylureas (4-12 lb weight gain over 1 year)

-Glyburide (Brand names: Micronase, DiaBeta, Glynase)

-Glimepiride (Brand name: Amaryl)

-Glipizide (Brand name: Glucotrol)

-Metaglip

-Glucovance

3. Meglitinides (2-5 lb weight gain over 3-5 months)

-Repaglinide (Brand name: Prandin)

-Nateglinide (Brand name: Starlix)

4. Thiazoldinedione (4-8 lb weight gain over 1 year)

-Rosiglitazone (Brand name: Avandia)

-Pioglitazone (Brand name: Actos)

B. Steroids:
-ALL forms of steroids: lotions, creams, pills, injections
-Weight gain varies depending on dose and duration of treatment
-When used for short term < 3 weeks, generally weight gain is minimal

Some common names for steroids:
-Predisone
-Prednisolone
-Methylprednisolone
-Dexamethasone
-Betamethasone
-Triamcinolone
-Beclomethasone

C. Antipsychotics: 
Listed from most weight gain to least weight gain:
-Olanzapine (Brand name: Zyprexa)
-Zodipine (Brand name: Nipolept)
-Clozapine (Brand name: Clozaril)
-Risperidone (Brand name: Risperdal)
-Quietapine (Brand name: Seroquel)

Your best option for an antipsychotics associated with the least weight gain include:
-Haldoperidol (Brand name: Haldol)
-Ziprasidone (Brand name: Geodon)
-Lurasidone (Brand name: Latuda)

D. Antidepressants:
The most weight gain is associated with:
-Mirtazapine (Brand name: Remeron)

Modest to substantial weight gain is associated with:
SSRIs:
-Paroxetine (Brand name: Paxil)
-Escitalopram (Brand name: Lexapro)
-Citalopram (Brand name: Celexa)
-Fluoxetine (Brand name: Prozac)
-Sertraline (Brand name: Zoloft)

SNRIs:
-Venlafaxine (Brand name: Effexor)
-Duloxetine (Brand name: Cymbalta)
-Desvenlafaxine (Brand name: Pristiq)


Least weight gain is associated with:
-Nefazodone (Brand name: Serzone)
-Bupropion (Brand name: Wellbutrin, Zyban)

E. Antiepileptics (Seizure drugs)
The most weight gain is associated with:
-Valproate (Brand names: Depakote, Depakene, Stavzor)
-Carbamazepine (Brand names: Tegretol, Carbatrol, Equetrol)
-Gabapentin (Brand names: Neurontin, Gralise, Horizant)
-Pregabalin (Brand name: Lyrica)

Least weight gain is associated with:
-Lamotrigine (Brand name: Lamictal)
-Levetiracetam (Brand names:  Keppra, Levetiractam, Elepsia)

F. Antihistamines 
-Acrivastine (Brand name: Semprex)
-Cetirizine (Brand name: Zyrtec)
-Fexofenadine (Brand names: Allegra, Mucinex)
-Loratidine (Brand name: Claritin)
-Desloratadine (Brand name: Clarinex)

G. Birth Control Pills
-Many birth control pills are associated with weight gain; however, below have the highest likelihood of weight gain

Weight gain is associated with birth contraol containing Levonorgestrol:
-Seasonale
-Preven
-Ovral
-Alesse
-Levora
-Mirena IUD
-Skyla IUD

Weight gain is also highly associated with birth control containing Etonorgestrol:
-Nuva Ringa
-Nexaplanon

The list goes on and on. If you are curious about your medications causing weight gain - ask your doctor who can do a quick search on your behalf. 

Hope this gets a few of you off medications associated with weight gain and on the road to a healthier, happier life.

Cheers! Please feel free to ask any questions & ask/follow me @Doctor_Deena on Twitter or Instagram!



 

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