Several drugs have been implicated in mild to extreme weight gain for patients seeking therapies for other unrelated conditions.
Several pharmaceuticals have been shown to induce weight gain; although, not many of them were designed for this purpose. Antidepressants, antipsychotics, antimaniacs and antidiabetic drugs have been implicated in mild to extreme weight gain for patients seeking therapies for other unrelated conditions. Always consult with a health-care professional before using any pharmaceutical for any purposes.
Amitriptyline, mirtazapine and paroxetine
A review article appearing in the October 2010 issue of the "Journal of Psychiatry" investigated antidepressant drugs that reputedly can induce weight gain. The authors conducted a review of the medical literature to clarify the often contradictory published studies by searching several medical databases with brand names of antidepressant pharmaceuticals. The authors recorded the average weight changes and standard deviations for each and performed quantitative analyses. They found that amitriptyline, mirtazapine and paroxetine were correlated with an increased risk of weight gain and cautioned that particular patients may be at risk for obesity-related complications including type II diabetes, arteriolosclerosis and coronary artery disease.
Serotonin
A study published in the March 2010 issue of "Developmental Psychobiology" investigated the effects of serotonin on feeding behaviors in an experimental group of rats. The authors used rats that were handled as newborns and noted that they had an increased appetite for sweet foods as compared to rats that were not handled. A common medication to increase serotonin concentrations in the blood are known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). The study found that increased levels in serotonin were directly correlated to the risk of increased weight gain. In a second experiment, they divided the handled rats and fed half of them with a drug called imipramine that reversed this process and found that the rats receiving imipramine reversed the weight gain caused by increased serotonin levels by 60 days of treatment.
Lithium, carbamazepine and valproic acid derivatives
A study on weight gain involving almost 10,000 children and adolescents ws published in the December 2010 issue of "Primary Care Companion of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry." The authors used both a control group, those participants who received antimaniac medications, and an experimental group who were not medicated. The authors specifically investigated the effects of lithium, carbamazepine or valproic acid derivatives and found that the group receiving antimanic drugs was significantly more likely to be diagnosed with weight gain and obesity.
Human growth hormone
The March 2011 edition of the "Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism" investigated the growth and weight gain response to treatment with human growth hormone, hGH. The researchers used a total of 3215 children, who were born prematurely, and divided them into one of two groups: the preterm group, born between 33 and 37 weeks; and the very preterm group, born at less than 33 weeks gestation. The study found that treatment with hGH substantially induced weight gain in both groups.
Aripiprazole
Aripiprazole is a drug therapy used to enhance the effects of antidepressants for treating major depressive disorder, MDD. In the February 2011 issue of "CNS Drugs," researchers evaluated the weight change effects of aripiprazole over three six-week clinical trials. The study found that the drug was well tolerated with few side-effects and indicated minimal weight gain.
Tags: weight gain, found that, 2010 issue, have been, study found, study found that
