Are Your Medications Preventing You From Losing Weight? Overlooked Cause of Slow Metabolism

By Richard Lipman M.D.

Struggling to lose weight and not getting anywhere? Maybe Gaining Weight on Medications?

Are your prescription medications slowing your weight loss?

Numerous drugs have been associated with unusual weight changes. These include the well known steroids, estrogen's and birth control medications as well as a few antibiotics (sulfa, Bactrim, Levoquin) and pain medication.

However psychoactive drugs, especially anti-depressants have been associated with weight gain to far greater degree. Starting with mono amine oxidase inhibitors (Parnate and Nardil) and Remeron. Some of the newer psychoactive drugs have less associated weight problems.

Zoloft, Prozac and Effexor are well known for their weight increase potential. Paxil may be the most significant weight inducer in this group. Wellbutin, not an SSRI, is associated with weight loss. Celexia and Lexapro are in between, with Celexia perhaps causing less weight problems.

It is not possible to predict who's most likely to gain weight from taking antidepressants. However, recent research has shown that people who gain weight within the first few weeks more commonly have weight problems latter on during the treatment. Many factors can be associated with the weight increase including improving mood, and increasing appetite as well as reductions in metabolism.

Depression in it self can cause weight gain, so maybe its not the medications at all. It is clearly a problem with the majority of anti depressant drugs. It does not occur for everyone, but when it does it can be very significant. Overall, its estimated that the chance of gaining significant weight gain with anti depressants is about 25%.

What to do?

Keeping in mind that everyone responds to these drugs differently, switching from one to the other often can lessen the weight problems. Paxil has the most problems among SSRI's while Celexia probably has the least. Recent evidence suggesting adding small doses of seizure drugs such as Topomax or a drug used for alcoholism, naltrexone may lessen the problem.

Dosage: Many professionals recognize that the dose of these drugs needs to be changed as time goes on.

Often lower doses work just as well after a few months. You need to check with your own physician.

Other means to prevent weight gain may simply be adding the same modalities people without depression use to treat their obesity. This includes limiting high calorie foods, especiallly carbs, as well as exercising. Exercise, especially has great benefits for depression.

Richard Lipman M.D, a board certified internist and endocrinologist has been treating weight and metabolic problems for 25 years in his Miami office. Learn more weight loss and tips from a doctor who actually takes care of metabolic problems and obesity problems. Download Your Free Guide to Quick Weight Loss for the Whole Family at Quick Weight Loss.

 

 

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