*Note: Never stop or change your medication without consulting your doctor first. If effects of medication on your weight concern you, discuss your options with a healthcare professional.

If you’re on any kind of long-term medication, it’s worth thinking about how this might be affecting your weight. Unfortunately, there are many types of prescription drugs that can have the side effect of increased appetite and weight gain- which can be frustrating when you’re eating healthily and exercising and still not seeing results.

Obviously, it’s not as simple as going off the medication. Stopping or changing your medication without consulting your doctor is never recommended. But if it is causing you to gain weight, or making it harder to lose, it’s important to be aware of this factor, and it may well be worth discussing with your doctor to see what options might be available to you.

If your doctor knows you are concerned about weight management, they might be able to make adjustments to your drug regimen to reduce side effects. Depending on your particular situation and needs, there are often solutions that can help make a bit of a difference, so you can get the treatment you need and maintain a healthy weight at the same time.

The following drugs are some of the most common to cause weight gain as a side effect. This isn’t to say that every person who takes these medications will experience weight gain- each individual responds differently to different drugs, and there is no definite way to tell if you will experience this or not. But if you are on one or more of the following and finding it difficult to lose weight, you may find it beneficial to have a chat with your doctor.

Psychiatric Drugs

Several drugs used to treat psychiatric disorders can contribute to weight gain, either by altering your metabolism or boosting your appetite. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (commonly known as SSRIs) are some of the most common forms of medication for depression and anxiety, but they can unfortunately contribute to weight gain in some people. Weight gain is also a potential side effect older antidepressant medications like lithium, tricyclic antidepressants, and irreversible monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), along with new and old antipsychotics including thioridazine, clozapine (Clozaril), olanzapine (Zyprexa), risperidone (Risperdal), and sertindole (Serdolect).

If a psychiatric drug is contributing to your weight and it bothers you enough, talk to your doctor about the possibility of switching to a different drug. There are so many to choose from, so there are likely to be other options you could try. Or, if you don’t want to change drugs, you might just find it helpful to factor this in to your weight loss plan, and come up with other strategies to help counteract it, like doing extra exercise.

Diabetes Treatment

Some forms of medications used to treat diabetes can also unfortunately promote weight gain in some people. Insulin can cause low blood sugar (also known as hypoglycemia), which in turn can increase your appetite. Sulfonylureas are drugs that stimulate insulin secretion in the pancreas and can also create hypoglycemia. Some of the most commonly prescribed drugs in this family include chlorpropamide (Diabinese), glimepiride (Amaryl), glipizide (Glucotrol), and glyburides (DiaBeta, Glynase, Micronase).

It is also possible for thiazolidinedione drugs,such as pioglitazone (Actos) and rosiglitazone (Avandia) (prescribed to help lower the body’s insulin resistance) to cause fat cells to enlarge and store more fatty acids. If you are undertaking any of these treatments, it might be worth discussing your concerns with your doctor and seeing if there are any adjustments that can be made to your regimen, or any alternative steps you could take to manage your weight.

Corticosteroids

These drugs are commonly used to reduce inflammation, and are effective in the treatment of arthritis and other rheumatic diseases, severe asthma, and pains in the joints, tendons and muscles. Some of the most common corticosteroids include Prednisone (Deltasone), dexamethasone (Decadron, Hexadrol), methylprednisolone (Medrol), prednisolone (Prelone, Pediapred), and hydrocortisone (Acticort, Cortef).

Corticosteroids have been known to increase appetite in some people, which can lead to unwanted weight gain. It is also possible for it to promote the creation of fat deposits in the abdomen, chest, face and back of the neck. Doctors usually recommend that you exercise regularly and/or watch your diet while undertaking corticosteroid treatment. The good news is, this is generally a short-term treatment, which means you might find it easier to lose the extra weight once the treatment ends.