The Mystery Of Drug-Induced Weight Gain

Q. Approximately a year ago I suffered a tragedy in my life. Afterwards I was diagnosed with a variety of conditions, including acid reflux, high blood pressure, depression and anxiety and chronic headaches.
The specialists I saw put me on the following medications: Aciphex, Ziac, Wellbutrin, Buspar and propranolol. Since starting these medications, I have gained 20 pounds. I have questioned all four physicians, but each one insists the medication he/she prescribed for me is not the cause. Is that true?
A. Drug-induced weight gain is one of those side effects that are not well understood or frequently discussed. Nevertheless, some medications are capable of adding on the pounds. Anti-psychotic medications such as Zyprexa are notorious for this complication.
Weight gain is less common with the medications you are taking, but the literature suggests that each of these may be linked to added weight in susceptible individuals. Please discuss this again with your physicians.
Q. You’ve mentioned that senior citizens are buying drugs from Canada. I know of a young woman with no insurance who buys birth control pills from Canada over the Internet at a very reasonable price. Is she breaking the law?
A. Anyone buying a drug from abroad is technically breaking the law, if it is a medicine approved in the U.S. The FDA and customs have not indicated that they would arrest or prosecute individuals purchasing medications for themselves, however.
Q. I developed hypothyroidism upon the birth of my first child at age 35 and was treated with Synthroid at a dosage of .175 mg. I did perfectly fine until a well-meaning doctor, worried about bone loss, dropped my dose.
I gained weight despite a well-balanced low-fat diet. I was intolerant of cold and went through each day as if I was walking through water. Physical activity was a chore, my hands and face were bloated, my muscles and joints ached with any exertion and my skin was extremely dry. Exercise was such a struggle I quit doing any.
I finally got tired of being tired and went to an endocrinologist. She switched me to Unithroid, and I am happy to say I am a new woman! My body no longer aches, physical activity is no longer a chore and my mind feels like a veil has been lifted off it. I’ve lost two pounds in two months without trying.
Needless to say I’m ecstatic! I love physical activity now! I know others are suffering as I did and wanted to share my story.
A. Your experience shows how important it is to find a doctor you can work with. Unithroid and Synthroid are both levothyroxine, but you seem to respond better to one brand than the other.
At high doses, thyroid hormone could weaken bones. That’s why physicians try to treat patients with the lowest dose that addresses symptoms of low thyroid function like those you experienced. Depression and mental cloudiness are not always recognized as symptoms.
We have prepared a Guide to Thyroid Hormones for readers of this column discussing testing and treatment for thyroid problems. It also lists medications and foods that may interact with levothyroxine. Anyone who would like a copy, please send $3 in check or money order with a long (no. 10) stamped (60 cents), self-addressed envelope: Graedons’ People’s Pharmacy, No. T-4, P. O. Box 52027, Durham, NC 27717-2027.