Sunday, June 24, 2007

Pot Isn't The Only Drug That Can Add To Your Waist

When I think of drugs that make you fat, marijuana and the munchies that follow immediately come to mind. However pot isn't the only drug out there that can put on the pounds. There are plenty of legal drugs made by Big Pharma that do it as well.

From The UK Independent:

Thousands of people who take prescription medicines for everyday conditions are gaining large amounts of weight as an unexpected side effect, scientists have warned.

Researchers, who found that some patients were putting on up to 22lbs in a year, say that the drugs may even be contributing to the nation's rocketing obesity epidemic.

All of the patients they studied, on medication for conditions as diverse as diabetes, epilepsy, depression, high blood pressure and schizophrenia, showed evidence of weight increase.


How exactly does that work, the big drug companies do not generally warn about weight gain for their products in the slew of potential side effects. The worst offenders are psychiatric medications, specifically Olanzapine and Clozapine from the study. Generally when you are given those types of drugs, the patients are not usually warned about gaining 20lbs a year. It isn't the 'munchies' that cause the weight gain but the specific side effects of the drugs. For example beta-blockers slow the heart rate, steroids and as noted just before, Olanazapine.

Sometimes those medications are more important to take than trying to look good for the beach. However, the drug industry wants to keep selling their product to anyone who will take them and of course the doctors who keep prescribing. The key is to watch out for the pushers and do your own research.