Drugs that cause weight gain (Prescription and OTC)
 

I thought we could start a list. It might be useful. I've been taking naprosyn for back pain and found my weight going up and up. Looked it up and sure enough it is a known side effect.

Naproxen sodium, Naprosyn (Aleve)
Ibuprofin (Advil, etc)

If you know of any, add to the list. Copy mine and add your own. By the end of the thread we should have a lot.

Cozaar/Losartan, for high blood pressure -gained 10 pounds in a week. Started back to LC and couldn't get my appetite under control or get the scale to budge. I was constantly hungry. Stopped taking it and my appetite was normal and the scale started moving.

Here's yet another thing I wish I'd known decades ago. That helps to explains some of my weight re-gain from October to the present. My old knee injury flared up and I've used both Aleve and Advil regularly.

From Jackie Eberstein's Presentation on Low Carb Weight Loss Plateau:

Medications that Increase Metabolic Resistance

-Hormones, Depo-provera, BCPs, HRT
-NSAID
-Psychotropics, many old and newer
-Diuretics and other anti-hypertensives
-Steroids
-Antibiotics
-Insulin and drugs that elicit an insulin response
-Antihistamines
-Diet Pill Rebound
-Statin drugs


***********
Note that drug brand names vary by country, so the generic name of the drug or its category of drug action will be helpful.

I take an antihistamine every night. **sigh**

Anyway, my NSAID story:

I was taking 2-3 naproxen a day for terrible back pain. Gained like 3 pounds in just a couple of days. Terrible stuff!

I don't know if this is quite what you're looking for but I just discovered that in people with weak adrenals dhea supplements are known to convert directly to estrogen, rather than do all the other stuff it is supposed to. This often leads to estrogen dominance, which can cause all kinds of weight gains.

It's also important to watch for food allergy reactions. I'm up 15 lbs because cortef is made with cornstarch and I didn't realize it until I was completely miserable. I hope most of that will go away as my body clears out the inflammation.

Boy...and I thought I was perhaps suffering from a bit of carb creep from time to time.

When I read the average weight losses of most on this forum, mine is very low in comparison, as in a pound a week if I'm lucky.

I can see why now, from the meds list above. I have my work cut out for me, I can see that clearly.

I think maybe all of it; age, meds, and being more careful of what I eat - is all impacting the rate of loss. I am sure of it.

I had recently gone through what all I am eating, and I have decided to cut out a lot of it, and increase just the basics, and to stop being so afraid of fat!

Now I see I have to dump the low-dose statin I take, as well as the antidepressant, and if my BP has gotten a lot better, the diuretic! One would naturally assume a diuretic would actually assist weight loss, wouldn't they?! I see now where I've had this triple whammy going on the whole time!!

I'm so glad I see my Doc next week, and I will get my yearly blood draw and see how all the numbers are. After 5 months of low carb, I'm hoping for some improvement. But also am being realistic, especially after reading someone else's numbers on a thread near this one today!

I'm still happy that 20 lbs. is gone. To me, that is huge! The cigarettes are gone. I started both on the same day. I had to. I feel a lot better in general, even with aging, (darned near 60) and fibromyalgia and arthritis. I can work around all that stuff! As long as I keep moving, and trying to do the right things.

I'm so glad for all the info I've found here. You guys really help clear things up!

Bat Spit, I clicked on your link "One Rat Studies are valid." I read all of that, and it is very good. Love the content and especially the style of the author. Very informative, easy to read! Thanks! I will be following her writings.

Just when I thought I was narrowing things down and figuring out what to do to get off the weight loss stall, I've found much more needing done. That's ok. One step at a time. It doesn't discourage me. It makes me more determined than ever to get it right!! Time to get out my notebooks again where I wrote down every single little thing! Needed to anyway. Now I have to, so as not to forget a single thing!!

Thanks for this thread, Nancy. You're such a terrific contributor!

A big round of :clap: :clap: :clap: for quitting cigarettes. You know that likely is doing the most to improve your health, more than weight loss. And you are fighting what many here are...age (62 for me) and menopause. That's all on another page of Jackie's presentation!
If you are eating VLC, below 50g, fluid balance can become a issue. Low carb is diuretic on its own..the kidneys release water on it own. Why people lose water weight at first and become constipated. Many can lower or stop diuretics. Salt is recommended too but not if you have high blood pressure. Best to work with a doctor, hopefully one who supports low carb, before changing meds on your own.
Now there are nifty free websites and apps that help you keep track of what you eat. I use MyFitnessPal, others like FatSecret, or my PLAN here.

I've finally gotten off the night time antihistamines. My back is doing well enough now I don't need NSAIDs. I am taking a muscle relaxant at night time from time to time though.

Well for the love of Pete! well, I don't love anyone named Pete but I do love my bf's dog Peter...sorta...I digress. Thank you so much for posting this!

I had just reached goal in April - went to Paris, walked a TON, kept relatively clean on diet but apparently walked away the cartilage in my knee and the pain has been constant since– enter multi-daily doses of Advil and Naproxin as well as Benadryl to get to sleep….AND 6 pounds. I have been making myself crazy trying to figure out why I would gain on eating the same food I’ve had consistently for the past year or more. On the suckatude side, I don’t see being able to go without these just now.

Dr Davis recently posted Drugs that Block Weight Loss....with generic and brand names. If weight loss is slow, check this list and discuss with your doctor possible alternatives, reducing dose, etc.

http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2015/...ck-weight-loss/

OMGosh...this post came at the perfect time for me...I gained 2-3 lbs this week and was wracking my brain trying to figure out what the heck I'd eaten to cause it and lo and behold, its the dang ibuprofen! I have chronic neck, upper back problems and usually I can manage them with ice but the past few days they've been screaming so I popped 4 ibuprofen a couple times a day. AARRRGGGHHH! Plus I also take lisinopril/hctz and generic Lipitor so CRAP, that's probably inhibiting my losses some too!
I go to the doc in July and was planning on having a chat about the Lipitor anyway, now gonna add the bp/diuretic to the convo too!
Thanks so much for this, I would have NEVER thought of the ibuprofen as the culprit!
Conni

Ha! Those were the days. I'm back on both.

Those WERE the days! Only five posts ago I was 62, now I'm 64...how the heck did that happen? :lol: :lol:


Conni, if You take an Advil, Don't weigh for a few days, guaranteed weight gain for me, thankfully temporary.

Please spend some time here on the General Health and Cholesterol forums reading back through threads...lots of helpful information to know before you talk to you doctor, e.g. Joint pain is a common side effect of statins. Here is a good collection of information on cholesterol and Nancy has an extensive list of articles on statins in her signature as well. Especially the information on statins and women (basically no benefit) and a good summary on BP from DietDoctor. http://www.dietdoctor.com/blood-pressure
Since a low carb diet is naturally diuretic, you also have to watch your dose of that depending how low "your LC plan" is.

Janet,
Thanks for the good info! I have read some of the statin/chol posts and will stock up on more info here before I go to the doctor.
As for my neck and shoulders, I've had this for 25 years or more but I have no doubt that the statin is probably not helping it.
I will say that almost immediately on starting this WOE most of my pain went away or lessened significantly. Carbs are the devil! lol
Conni

SSRIs (Paxil, Prozac, Zoloft, Lexapro etc) are notorious for causing weight gain, even though there was a fairly recent study that claimed only a five pound gain in only some patients. I was skeptical, because these are incredibly common drugs and I've never heard of anyone NOT gaining weight, sometimes lots, when they are on them.

But I didn't know about NSAIDs in general, or the statin link. Modern medicine gets us going and coming, don't they?

I quit the steroid nasal and inhalers I was using this winter to get over a chronic cough, and stopped taking Aleve twice a day (for knee and back pain) just after Christmas. The scale has started to move again, and my pain actually isn't any worse. It was for the first few days, then evened out. Same has for the lungs and nasal passages. Were a little congested, and rough feeling for a few days, but then cleared.

Now I only take pain meds if absolutely unbearable. Other than than, NO way.

Azelastine nasal antihistamine made me gain 20 pounds in three weeks. That's really what I've been getting off in the past few weeks.

Dr Davis's list of reasons for no weight loss, including the medications he listed before, thyroid disruption/wrong medication, Etc. http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2015/...pdated-version/

I discarded the "official" information on Gabapentin, the drug I was taking for persistent shingles nerve pain, and guess what? The PATIENTS report considerable weight gain with it.

That's where my thirty pounds probably came from. In the process of tapering it off.

After finding out I have massively leaky gut, I finally got off the daily NSAID I was taking. I'm trying to get off the nightly antihistamine I take to sleep. I'm down to 1/4 tablet. Hard to get off that stuff when you're a bad sleeper.

And now antihistamines are linked to brain shrinkage and other permanent brain changes. ARGH!

I thought this part was interesting:

"Intermittent fasting should not be confused with habitual skipping of meals, e.g., always skipping breakfast; habitual and consistent meal skipping actually causes weight gain. If you skip meals, do so in an unpredictable and random pattern, so that your body does not adjust and ratchet down its metabolic rate."

Not sure Jason Fung has addressed this idea of randomness and the body adjusting, but it might make sense.

Earlier someone mentioned that losartan causes weight gain, but I don't see that on this list here.

Is Losartan a beta-blocker or plain 'ole anti-hypertensive? Check the side-effects of any in that big class of drugs, weight gain seems common. Talk about an over-prescribed group for "treating a number" ...BP meds came up in this recent podcast on Medical Flipflops for what they called "surrogate outcomes" ...treating to get a lower BP number, when that may not result in preventing a stroke or heart attack.
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2016...cal-flip-flops/

I have the same question about doing a fast everyday, one reason I have only done a 24 hr 2-3 days/ week. But after watching Bob Briggs I am going to try more days and see what happens.

this study didn't get enough press...because yikes! How many people take these meds for most of the year?!

New Resources found in The Patient's Playbook.

Promoting conversations between providers and patients http://www.choosingwisely.org

Also treatment usage by ZipCode: http://www.dartmouthatlas.org

Down to half my Gabapentin dose: from 12 pills a day to 6. Considering that my doctor suggested lowering by one pill a WEEK, that is great progress :)

Just did the calculations: his way would take 1.6 years.

Confirmed: it was triggering cravings, tiredness, and anxiety because I am feeling better and better as I come off of it. At first, it was a lifesaver: Nazi levels of nerve pain were eliminated, and it brought my anxiety down. But now that I'm well (pain has not returned so far) I know it is doing more harm than good.

A tip I picked up by using obsessive Google-Fu: if I feel poor effects from cutting down, I use tiny doses of chelated magnesium: basically, sucking on one big tablet until I feel better, then putting it into cling wrap until needed again.

I had to cut out my magnesium dose entirely while on these pills: the usual consequences of too much magnesium, ifyouknowwhatImean. Now I can gradually, very gradually, re-introduce it, because I know it is a vital mineral. And is another reason to lose the pills.

Very interesting talk on the "Hidden Costs of Medications" by Jackie Eberstein. Not just dollar costs, but nutrient depletion, stimulation of insulin, triggers for weight gain, other diseases, a packed lecture on many drugs, starting with plain aspirin. On member site, http://www.dietdoctor.com/member/pr...eberstein-lcc-2

Great talk by Jackie Eberstein. It just reinforces how beneficial eating low carb is well beyond weight loss since so often it leads to the elimination of many if not all prescription drugs. It has for me.

Jean

Boy, am I glad I finally read this thread! I recently had sudden weight gain, then just as suddenly, I lost the same pounds. Couldn't figure out why, but now I suspect the naproxen I was taking every day for a while. I don't know if acetaminophen affects me the same, but now I'll be watching.

I'm still taking occasional advil since breaking my wrist on july 5. no weight gain, but not lost either. so what else is new? :)

I've just recently come of my Metoprolol (beta-blocker) and know suspect it was what caused me a 6 year stall at the weight of 170: no gains; no losses, and I was eating low-carb as I always had without cheating. Then my Mom and brother took ill and traveling caused me to put on all I had lost over the period of 1 year.

I'm now on 2.5 mg Lisinipril (lowest dose they make) for a week, and have ever so much more energy. Had to tell my doc about that, too! Didn't realize the metoprolol was causing the fatigue. Grrrrrrr. My doc said I may even not need ANY blood pressure med and may take me of it entirely, if my walking and dieting continues to improve my health. I have lost 20# effortlessly in the last 5 months on Carb Nite Solution and I also incorporate one 24hr fast a week, with occasional random fasting from 6pm to 12 noon through breakfast). I change it up all the time, because I don't want my very adaptive body to catch on as to what food intake it will get on any given day. This seems to be key for me to be able to lose.

I feel better than I have in 8 years!! This is about how long I was on the beta-blocker!! My last doc wouldn't discuss dropping it; my new doc is receptive to listening to her patients and was amenable to changing my med, but she said she didn't think it would make one iota difference in weight loss (said it was likely just age and excess weight) as the weight gain side effect was not so common with Metoprolol. Time will tell as to who is right. ;)

Now all I take is the 1 Lisinipril a day, Vitamin D3 and K2 (calcium uptake regulator).

this explains a lot. in march 2016 I watched my husband die from a blood clot induced heart attack and was in a depression, then tore my meniscus and started relying 0n motrin, had that surgery but found arthritis so was taking it regularly to enable me to do my too physical job. in the meantime I grew an impressive fibroid tumor so now I am 12 days past a full hysterectomy, and with a narcotic allergy that meant more motrin.soon I will have to return to work and the thought of no pain killers is scary. I am a grocery order picker, 18000 steps average a day and 1296 cases from 25-70 pounds. perhaps its time to find a different job but right now I need the insurance. my weight is exactly where it was years ago when I started this, but I had reached my goal and kept it for years. I suppose it will be a lot harder now but this gives me a clue I didn't think about. the other problem I now will face is menopause.