Commonly Used Medications That May Lead to Weight Gain

Course overview

Many widely used drugs may cause a patient to gain weight, which can then contribute to the patient being overweight or obese. For example, medications used to treat diabetes, neurologic disorders, psychiatric illnesses, hypertension, HIV, or inflammatory conditions are among the drugs that may contribute to weight gain. Excess weight is associated with poor health and can also impact the mental health of a person. Determining whether a drug is causing a patient to gain weight can be challenging because weight gain may be the result of other factors. Patients look to their healthcare providers to manage their weight within their treatment plans and help them identify the cause. Pharmacy teams can participate in this planning either independently or in collaboration with other healthcare providers.