While I wrote about this a while back (MayneLiner: Jan 2021 - Medications and Weight Gain: “…One pill makes you larger, and one pill makes you small…”),
I continue to see it as a crucial message for those of us who take medications but find it difficult to reach a healthy weight. Many of us take pills daily. So, it’s important to keep up with emerging clinical knowledge of their side effects.
The Mayo Clinic suggests that some anti-depressants and steroids can lead to weight-related problems by stimulating your appetite, so that you eat more. Drugs such as the diabetes medication Pioglitazone, make the body hold more salt, leading to water build up, among other side effects. There are drugs that increase weight by affecting how much fat you can store. For example, Insulin is a growth hormone, so it stimulates the body to create tissues, including fat cells. Antihistamines can make you sleepy, so you don’t feel like exercising. And other drugs such as Macrobid, an antibiotic that often treats urinary tract infections, Amiodarone, used to treat abnormal heart rhythms, Beta blockers, Methotrexate, Leflunomide and others, can make it more difficult to breathe, so that it’s harder to exercise.
If you think your medication is standing in the way of achieving a healthy weight, what can you do? Please don’t try a DIY approach to changing your meds. I know from personal experience that it can go terribly wrong. Discuss the medication's benefits and side effects with your doctor, and together you can consider alternatives. You might be able to switch to a lower dose or manage your weight by eating healthier foods and becoming more physical active, if that’s available to you. Your health provider may recommend that you talk to a dietitian to help you make healthier eating choices.
I’ll just mention so-called “weight-loss pills.” You can Google the subject like I did and find about 2,430,000,000 results in 0.58 seconds or find about 2,980,000 results looking up “weight loss scams”! It’s true that people can experience such pressure to be thin that they collectively spend billions of dollars a year on weight loss products that have no proven benefit. The National Institutes of Health warn that pills, powders, and herbs promising a quick fix are frauds and could be risky. Pills that speed up metabolism and suppress appetite can lead to high blood pressure, fast heart rate, and lung and heart problems. Other known side effects are bloating, diarrhea, constipation, insomnia, gas, and oily stools. These pills can be powerful stimulants and are addictive. However, a doctor can order medically-approved prescription weight-loss drugs in certain health-related situations, in addition to, not instead of, diet and exercise, and under the doctor’s supervision.
Perhaps the friendly people at TOPS can help. We’d love to see you at our meetings. We meet every Wednesday morning at the Community Centre, from 9:00 to 10:00. We’re a low-cost, enjoyable, international self-help program that welcomes everyone. Check out our website at www.tops.org. (Your first visit is free.) If you want to join us, please call .
Submitted by Amber Harvey
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