Medicines that make you gain weight!

August_1958
August_1958 Posts: 110 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
What medications have you found, made you gain weight?

I had to start taking Toprol XL and I am having trouble with weight gain all of a sudden, and it is coming on fast.

I'm wondering if anyone else has had this same issue?

Replies

  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    Medication doesn't make you gain weight unless you're eating the calories. It may make you hungrier, slow your metabolism or make you retain water but you have to take in the extra calories in order to gain weight. Your body can't make something out of nothing.
  • SailorSarah311
    SailorSarah311 Posts: 172 Member
    When I was on antidepressants I gained a lot of weight. When I talked to the doctor about it he basically told me to exercise more. I literally gained around 30 pounds while on these meds. I stopped taking them because I hated what they did to me.
  • NanaWubbie
    NanaWubbie Posts: 248 Member
    Answer
    from Sheldon G. Sheps, M.D.
    Yes. Weight gain can occur as a side effect of some beta blockers, especially the older ones, such as atenolol (Tenormin) and metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol-XL). The average weight gain is no more than 4 pounds (about 2 kilograms). Newer beta blockers, such as carvedilol (Coreg), don't typically cause weight gain as a side effect.

    However, the beta blockers that can cause weight gain usually aren't prescribed unless other medications haven't worked, or if you have a specific heart condition that requires taking those medications.

    Beta blockers are used to treat conditions such as high blood pressure and migraines. Doctors aren't sure exactly why some beta blockers cause weight gain. It could be that beta blockers slow your metabolism. Also, if you switch from taking a water pill (diuretic) to a beta blocker as a treatment for high blood pressure, you may gain a few pounds of weight that the diuretic kept off.

    If you're taking a beta blocker for heart failure, tell your doctor immediately if you begin to gain more than 3 to 4 pounds (about 1.5 to 2 kilograms), particularly if the weight gain continues beyond your first week of taking the drug. This could mean that fluid is building up in your legs, abdomen or chest, which may signal that your heart failure is worsening.

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