Medication and Weight Gain

BrightEyesx3
BrightEyesx3 Posts: 335
edited December 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I went to the doctors today eagerly waiting to see how much weight I've lost but it turned out I actually gained weight! I figured out that the weight gain came from my asthma medication because I've had been using it more lately due to the horrible allergy seasons. I was wondering if anyone on here has some medications that make them gain weight and what are some of the things you do it help with the situation?

Replies

  • ABetterBalance
    ABetterBalance Posts: 298
    I recently went back on medication to manage anxiety and depression- and one of the common side effects is weight gain. To counter-balance that I've really been focusing on my nutrition- measuring everything out and using a food scale instead of the "eyeball method" ("eh... that looks like a cup, toss it in!") and entering my own foods in the tracker instead of trying to find something "close enough"

    I've been on the medication 2 months- no weight gain and, now that I am more focused, weight loss is happening with no unreasonable effort.
  • BrightEyesx3
    BrightEyesx3 Posts: 335
    I recently went back on medication to manage anxiety and depression- and one of the common side effects is weight gain. To counter-balance that I've really been focusing on my nutrition- measuring everything out and using a food scale instead of the "eyeball method" ("eh... that looks like a cup, toss it in!") and entering my own foods in the tracker instead of trying to find something "close enough"

    I've been on the medication 2 months- no weight gain and, now that I am more focused, weight loss is happening with no unreasonable effort.

    A food scale?
  • ABetterBalance
    ABetterBalance Posts: 298
    Yep- a food scale. Found it in walmart with the kitchen gadgets. Before I bought it, if a recipe called for 3-4 oz of chicken (fish, beef, whatever) I would just guesstimate. Now I weigh it first to make sure I am not over-eating unintentionally.
  • BrightEyesx3
    BrightEyesx3 Posts: 335
    Yep- a food scale. Found it in walmart with the kitchen gadgets. Before I bought it, if a recipe called for 3-4 oz of chicken (fish, beef, whatever) I would just guesstimate. Now I weigh it first to make sure I am not over-eating unintentionally.

    Do you weigh everything besides meat/fish?
  • jroser37
    jroser37 Posts: 44 Member
    I am also on a depression and bi polar medication. I have lost some weight, but haven't been weighing my food. I amy start to try that.
  • BrightEyesx3
    BrightEyesx3 Posts: 335
    Bump?
  • babycook
    babycook Posts: 172 Member
    I am bipolar. The one drug I was on caused me to gain 40 lbs in a couple of months. And at that time I was on MFP, exercising and weighing food. I knew it was only a temporary drug and when I stopped the weight would come off. Well it didn't. It gave me metabolic syndrome and it's very hard to lose weight with that.
    I'm on metformin for that. I've cut back on my exercise as I think I was doing too much. My calories have dropped as I'm just not as hungry. I lost about 7 lbs in 3 weeks.
  • Karen_DisneyFan
    Karen_DisneyFan Posts: 130 Member
    I picked up an electronic food scale at Target. I love it... I used it the other night to weigh some ground meat to make sure each hamburger started out at the same size. Then, I weighed some sweet potato fries after baking to make sure I only had 3oz - 1 serving. I've also weighed fruit to verify how much I was eating. And tuna steaks to make sure I was logging the correct amount. It's a great tool - I should have bought one YEARS ago - lol
  • tripletmom2004
    tripletmom2004 Posts: 168 Member
    Bump
  • Josie_lifting_cats
    Josie_lifting_cats Posts: 949 Member
    I don't know about you, but allergy season equals two things for me:

    1. If bad, I must have chocolate or I feel like killing someone. (Which is not normal for me.... I'm not a choco-holic)

    2. I'm starving ALL.THE.TIME.
  • bikinibeliever
    bikinibeliever Posts: 832 Member
    Prednisone-evil stuff! Gained 3.8 last week while taking it. I am sure most of it was water, but that stuff makes me crave carbs like crazy. So some of the 3.8 I am sure I had to work off this week.
  • majones_orl
    majones_orl Posts: 195 Member
    Some of the allery med have steroids and will caues weight gain.
  • Liasings
    Liasings Posts: 150 Member
    My diabetes meds cause a HUGE weight gain. This is so horrible because my doctor was insisting that I lose weight. I was gaining 10-20 lbs every 8-12 months. (I am willing to admit that I can't lay all of the blame on the meds). Once he changed my medication, the weight started coming off. Once I got serious and joined MFP, it started coming off faster.

    Don't waste your money on a cheap food scale. Get an electronic one and make sure it "tares". That means you can put a plate or bowl on it, zero (tare) out the weight, add 3 ounces of chicken, zero out the weight, add 6 ounces of broccoli, and so on. I have one that has a "food list" in its memory. You key in a code for, say grapes, and it will tell you the carbs, protein, calories,, etc for that food. I don't use that much, honestly, but I do use the scale often for straightfoward weighing.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    to avoid weight gain with prednisone, have it with a glass of milk(even fake milk counts). that should get rid of the hunger
  • noogie98
    noogie98 Posts: 452 Member
    Most of the asthma meds I am on have a steroidal base, so I am struggling right now with weight issues. It has been rough, but yes, I have been using a food scale as well lately instead of 'guesstimating' the amount of food I put in my mouth. It is amazing how wrong you can be on food portions! Hang in there, it will get better!!
  • BrightEyesx3
    BrightEyesx3 Posts: 335
    I don't know about you, but allergy season equals two things for me:

    1. If bad, I must have chocolate or I feel like killing someone. (Which is not normal for me.... I'm not a choco-holic)

    2. I'm starving ALL.THE.TIME.

    For me allergy season = breathing difficulty. I've already been hospitalized for going into respiratory arrest once, and I'm only 19, so I'm definitely trying to avoid it happening again.
  • BrightEyesx3
    BrightEyesx3 Posts: 335
    My diabetes meds cause a HUGE weight gain. This is so horrible because my doctor was insisting that I lose weight. I was gaining 10-20 lbs every 8-12 months. (I am willing to admit that I can't lay all of the blame on the meds). Once he changed my medication, the weight started coming off. Once I got serious and joined MFP, it started coming off faster.

    Don't waste your money on a cheap food scale. Get an electronic one and make sure it "tares". That means you can put a plate or bowl on it, zero (tare) out the weight, add 3 ounces of chicken, zero out the weight, add 6 ounces of broccoli, and so on. I have one that has a "food list" in its memory. You key in a code for, say grapes, and it will tell you the carbs, protein, calories,, etc for that food. I don't use that much, honestly, but I do use the scale often for straightfoward weighing.

    I used those "tare" bowls in my chemistry class :laugh:
  • blaquebutterfly75
    blaquebutterfly75 Posts: 136 Member
    I was on a birth control pill that was making me gain tons of weight. I hated it, plus my cycle became very irregular. I had my doctor switch me to another one that has made a world of difference.
  • Linda_Darlene
    Linda_Darlene Posts: 453 Member
    Yep- a food scale. Found it in walmart with the kitchen gadgets. Before I bought it, if a recipe called for 3-4 oz of chicken (fish, beef, whatever) I would just guesstimate. Now I weigh it first to make sure I am not over-eating unintentionally.

    Do you weigh everything besides meat/fish?

    I weigh everything!
  • chellebubblz
    chellebubblz Posts: 84 Member
    My IUD (Mirena) has added some unwanted weight because of the hormones. It is so convenient to have but I may have it removed and try something else. Problem is, everything uses hormones =/
  • Josie_lifting_cats
    Josie_lifting_cats Posts: 949 Member
    My IUD (Mirena) has added some unwanted weight because of the hormones. It is so convenient to have but I may have it removed and try something else. Problem is, everything uses hormones =/

    In clinical studies the Mirena resulted in weight gain in less than 0.1% of those on the trials. If you do feel that it is the cause, perhaps consider Paragard. It's an IUD, but non-hormonal. It tends to have the opposite effect, though - instead of lighter or lack or periods, you're more likely to have heavier periods. I know a lot of random facts about these - PM me if you have questions. :smile:
  • BrightEyesx3
    BrightEyesx3 Posts: 335
    Thanks everyone for your help! I appreciate it :flowerforyou:
  • Erisad
    Erisad Posts: 1,580
    I gained about 40 pounds in 2 years after starting antidepressants without changing anything else. Soooo yeah. Meds suck. I would never get on another medication with weight gain as a side effect unless I was going to die without it. >.<
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