Is Your Medicine Making You Fat?
by Tanith Carey
Few of us taking medications for common ailments expect this side-effect until we look down at the bathroom scales and see we’ve gained weight. But many medications have the potential to boost appetite, cause bloating or slow the metabolism. Here, we look at some of the worst offenders – and how to fight back . . . STEROIDS Steroids are used to treat conditions such as allergies, asthma and rheumatoid arthritis. They work by mimicking hormones in the body which regulate the metabolism and immune system – so helping suppress the immune system and reducing inflammation in the body. However, an excess of steroids can mimick levels of cortisol – the ‘fight-or-flight’ hormone. As the body needs more energy during stressful periods, this ‘stress’ hormone redistributes fat to the stomach, where it’s easily accessible. Fat is also stored, for unknown reasons, on the back of the neck, a condition known as Cushing’s Syndrome. Steroids also cause more sugar to be released into the blood, which ends up being stored as fat and causes fluid retention. Ashley Grossman, professor of endocrinology at Barts and the London School of Medicine, says: ‘Normally you make steroid hormones yourself, but if by taking these drugs you have excess in the body, you can balloon out.
‘It may be worth accepting these effects if the disease that you’re being treated for is much worse. But in general, doctors try to use them at the lowest effective dose and for the shortest periods of time.’ POSSIBLE GAIN: Patients on steroids can increase their weight by 7 per cent or more. Some studies have found patients gain up to 28lb with longer term use. WHAT TO DO: Talk to your doctor about taking steroids on alternate days, instead of daily. For some milder conditions, such as allergies, patients can ask about switching to a prescription-strength aspirin and ibuprofen, which help to reduce inflammation. DIABETES DRUGS Many people with type 2 diabetes are prescribed drugs called sulfonylureas – which work by stimulating the body to make more insulin – to lower high blood sugar levels. But sometimes these drugs cause blood sugars to drop so far that they spark hunger, making patients eat more. The other diabetes drugs linked to weight gain are Thiazolidinediones (TZDs). They help make the body more sensitive to insulin so it better controls blood sugar levels, but also make the body hold onto salt, sparking swelling and weight gain. POSSIBLE
GAIN: Studies have found that sulfonylureas lead to weight
gain of 6 to 10lb WHAT TO
DO: Diabetes UK says there are many alternatives – including
drugs called prandial glucose regulators and metformin, which seem
not to have the side-effect of weight gain. September 1, 2010 Copyright © 2010 Daily Mail
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