Friday, 4 May 2012

Medicines can affect weight control

Eating habits and energy expenditure are two of the most significant factors that play a role in weight loss.  Other factors that can prevent weight loss include use of medicines  for treatment of  diseases such as diabetes, arthritis, anxiety and depression.

Excessive weight gain is a problem to many people and it is now becoming an epidemic in the entire world. Keeping our weight in check and keeping ourselves healthy is becoming more and more difficult every day with changing lifestyles, eating habits and lack of exercise.

It is an established fact that diet and exercise play the most important role in weight loss. But many people are worried that despite all the diet control efforts and exercises, they are unable to manage their weight.

It might sound shocking, but intake of certain medications and medical conditions  may be an hindrance to weight control in some people that are not eating more or exercising less. There are a number of drugs that include weight gain as a side effect that can undermine weight control efforts.

Some drugs cause a slow, steady weight gain over a period of time; others can cause you to put on a couple pounds in a week. These drugs work against weight loss by slowing the rate of weight loss or boosting appetite.

What kind of drugs causes weight gain? Medications used to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, diabetes, breast cancer, hypertension, depression, epilepsy and migraines often have the side effect of weight gain.

Also, corticosteroids used in the treatment of arthritis and other rheumatic diseases, and for severe asthma, are also linked with weight gain. The higher the dose used, the greater the likelihood and degree of weight added.
Several factors can contribute to weight gain depend on factors such the person’s age, gender and level of activity, stated that most medicines whose side effect include weight gain were those that require having a prescripition written by a medical doctor.

 The weight gain can be a few kilogrammes and at first might not be noticeable. It is not something that happens overnight. It could take at least six months before the difference in weight is even noticed.

Similarly,  steroidal drugs may cause water retention and a redistribution of fat deposition, thus weight gain in its users as well. In the case of psychotic drugs, antihistamines and medicines for treating depression, these stimulate appetite, causing the person to eat more, so leading to weight gain.”

Steroids generally cause weight gain. However, the amount of weight gain depends upon the type of steroid, its length of use and constitutional characteristics of the particular individual. Steroids can also lead to accumulation of body fat in undesirable areas.
 When calorie intake goes up, it promotes the creation of fat deposits in part of the body such as abdomen, chest, face, and back of the neck.
However, ideally most of these prescription drugs that people just buy are not supposed to be used any how. They are prescribed and used for particular ailments after the risk and benefits ratio must always be considered by the medical doctor.

“For instance, a patient cannot say because she is gaining weight as a result of taking a drug prescribed for an ailment  and on her own decide to stop its use. She needs to first see her doctor to complain about the weight problem so that the doctor can weigh the benefits and risk of stopping its use or give an alternative medication with lesser side effects.

Despite the fact that several drugs can affect weight and as such have the potential to hinder weight loss, it is important to understand that not all of the medications used to treat these conditions affect body weight nor does every drug have the same effect on every person who takes it.

So before blaming your medication for causing unwanted fat deposited in your abdomen, chest, face, and back of the neck, determine if your weight gain is truly a side effect.

In person’s that medication stimulate their appetite, experts advises the following:

• Be a thoughtful eater. Before you put a morsel in your mouth, stop and think if you are really hungry.
• Focus on eating low-calorie foods such as vegetables and fruits that will make you feel satisfied, but won’t make you fat.
• Chew a stick of sugarless gum if you feel a hunger pang.
• Drink low-calories beverages.
•Increase daily physical activity. This will offset the extra calories you may consume.
• Exercise regularly. Three or four times a week, do some aerobic activity: run on a treadmill or go to an exercise class.

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