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Hayfever relief and weight gain

fairyfootseps39
fairyfootseps39 Posts: 9 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all.
I was just wondering if anyone has had this problem with hayfever tablets.
Years ago I had very bad hayfever and over a period of a summer I took hayfever tablets and gained over 2 stone/ 28lb. I had no other reason to have gained so much weight and put it down to the tablets and swore I wouldn't take them again.
This year however I have hayfever really bad and I couldn't cope anymore and brought piriton, it has chlorphenamine in it. I weighed today after a week of taking them and have gained 6lb!! Surely there is something wrong with this and I know it is not down to what I have eaten as I am sticking to my plan and calorie allowance.
I have used nasal spray and vasaline but it just doesn't do the job.
It states in the leaflet possible side effects appetite loss and weightloss but I googled it and it says they use chlorphenamine for people to gain weight.
Has anyone else had problems with this?

Replies

  • GrumpyHeadmistress
    GrumpyHeadmistress Posts: 666 Member
    Ive never come across an over the counter drug that causes weight gain. Some pills cause an increase in appetite but that doesn’t mean you gain weight. Eating more than you burn causes weight gain.
  • h1udd
    h1udd Posts: 623 Member
    chlorphenamine has been linked with water retention .... if you stop taking them does the weight come back off in a week
  • fairyfootseps39
    fairyfootseps39 Posts: 9 Member
    h1udd wrote: »
    chlorphenamine has been linked with water retention .... if you stop taking them does the weight come back off in a week

    I have literally just looked now before your reply if water retention could be the culprit and found out it could possibly be as like I said I have been sticking to my calories and not over eaten or had an increased appetite. I will not take them again and see if it comes down.
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    Claritin does this for me, I take it for two weeks a year, and although I don't gain weight because I am ready for it, I drop my calories to 1200 plus 400+ exercise and barely hold even. It does seem to be real weight and not water weight, since in the past when I did gain weight on it, the weight does not come off promptly when the drug is stopped.

    No drug can make you gain weight in the absence of any calories, but they can mess with you in other ways, such as slowing your metabolism, slowing down your non-exercise activity levels (which is what I feel like is happening with me, it makes me lethargic), or altering appetite.

    There are other drugs which may not have this effect on you. Talk to your doctor about options.
  • fairyfootseps39
    fairyfootseps39 Posts: 9 Member
    GrumpyHeadmistress wrote: »
    Ive never come across an over the counter drug that causes weight gain. Some pills cause an increase in appetite but that doesn’t mean you gain weight. Eating more than you burn causes weight gain.

    But 6lb gain is quite some over eating and I know for sure that is impossible as I have logged, weighed and measured everything.
  • fairyfootseps39
    fairyfootseps39 Posts: 9 Member
    rheddmobile wrote: »
    Claritin does this for me, I take it for two weeks a year, and although I don't gain weight because I am ready for it, I drop my calories to 1200 plus 400+ exercise and barely hold even. It does seem to be real weight and not water weight, since in the past when I did gain weight on it, the weight does not come off promptly when the drug is stopped.

    No drug can make you gain weight in the absence of any calories, but they can mess with you in other ways, such as slowing your metabolism, slowing down your non-exercise activity levels (which is what I feel like is happening with me, it makes me lethargic), or altering appetite.

    There are other drugs which may not have this effect on you. Talk to your doctor about options.

    Oh I see, I didn't even think of doing that I just continued with my allowance and didn't give it a second thought and now you have said it maybe I have slowed down my activities because I have also been quite lethargic only going on short walks with my son.
  • GrumpyHeadmistress
    GrumpyHeadmistress Posts: 666 Member
    fairyfootseps39 wrote: »
    GrumpyHeadmistress wrote: »
    Ive never come across an over the counter drug that causes weight gain. Some pills cause an increase in appetite but that doesn’t mean you gain weight. Eating more than you burn causes weight gain.

    But 6lb gain is quite some over eating and I know for sure that is impossible as I have logged, weighed and measured everything.

    Any drug which affects your metabolic rate to that level would be prescription only and only prescribed under close medical supervision to avoid knock on medical issues.

    Over the counter drugs are highly unlikely to screw your metabolism so much that you gain 6lbs in such a short period of time.

    Much more likely is water weight (which is a short term gain and then loss), increase in fat levels due to increased appetite or poor calorie counting. Or a combination of all three.

    Unfortunately I can’t see your diary for some reason so can’t discount the last one.


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