Fattening drugs - fattening is often a side effect triggered not necessarily by excessive and unhealthy eating, but also as a result of certain drug treatments that may interfere with the normal process of food metabolism.
Although less than 5% of overweight cases are caused by medications, we believe that such a list of potentially dangerous treatments for your figure should be made so that you are informed when you notice something wrong with your body.
Fattening drugs - antidepressants and insulin can increase appetite
There are several categories of antidepressant drugs, each of which can have negative effects on the figure. Studies have shown that you can gain 2-9 pounds a month if you are being treated with antidepressants.
Therefore, discuss this with your doctor, who may prescribe drugs that contain neurochemicals without any side effects on your appetite.
People with diabetes may sometimes experience an excessive appetite, caused by certain fluctuations in blood sugar. These episodes occur especially when blood sugar levels drop (hypoglycaemia), with some patients noticing a tendency to gain up to 11 kilograms in the first year of treatment for diabetes. There are solutions to such problems, namely antidiabetic drugs with a neutral effect on body weight.
Antipsychotic drugs, negative effect on metabolism
The compounds in such drugs can have a major impact on the functioning of metabolism and satiety, so you can choose up to five kilograms per week.
Usually, people taking antipsychotics are already under the supervision of a doctor, so if you notice that you are gaining more weight than usual, do not hesitate to ask for an alternative, such as atypical antipsychotics, which do not affect body weight.
Sleeping pills and antihistamines cause drowsiness and lethargy
Many medicines used to treat allergies or insomnia contain an ingredient that can disrupt the sleep cycle, meaning that it causes drowsiness during the day and insomnia during the night, so the movement and energy needed to burn calories are kept to a minimum, hence the number of accumulated kilograms.
Fattening drugs - antihypertensives can leave you without energy
Both alpha and beta-blockers used to treat high blood pressure can cause fatigue and lack of energy, which translates into as few calories lost during the day.
Such symptoms should not be overlooked, but the opinion of a specialist should be sought, who will analyze the levels of ACE inhibitors and calcium channel blockers.
Chemotherapy promotes slow fat burning and excessive appetite
Women diagnosed with breast cancer who are undergoing chemotherapy are more likely to gain weight, as the reason is not fully known. It is believed that a medicine designed to reduce the level of estrogen can increase appetite and can weaken the fat burning process.
Chemotherapy can also speed up the onset of menopause, which contributes to weight gain. The solution in such situations is not to change the treatment, but to develop a plan, in collaboration with a nutritionist, who will draw up a list of permitted foods, the exact times at which they eat and a strict exercise program.
Anti-rheumatic drugs turn energy into fat deposits
Oral corticosteroids, used especially in the treatment of rheumatism and chronic inflammation, can contribute to weight gain in several ways. They "steal" calories from energy stores and turn them into fat cells that are deposited, while leading to the appearance of unhealthy appetites.
There are cases of people who have gained up to 28 kilograms of weight after a steroid treatment. The way you can avoid such problems is to switch to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen.
One thing is for sure: if you are gaining weight because of the medications you need to take, the key to solving the problem is patience.
Even if you give up or change those medicines, you will not lose weight as fast as you have gained weight. However, if you report the cause and take control of these issues, you will begin to see the desired results.