Diclofenac and weight gain

[kippyboo]

12 months ago I gained over a stone in weight in a 6-8 week period , I have never been prone to weight gain, I have always been lean & quite muscular so was quite shocked as it was like my body composition had changed overnight (cellulite & fluid retention)my eating habits and exercise regime hadn't changed, the only thing I could think of was a delayed reaction from giving up smoking almost a year before that.
Despite my best efforts I cannot shift the weight and its driving me mad as to why????Ive been dieting and have given up alcohol just to stop me gaining!!!
Anyway after blood tests revealing nothing i had resigned myself to thinking it must be middle aged spread Until I have had an eureka moment tonight this began soon after being prescribed diclofenac sodium 50mg 3x daily, is it possible that these meds are causing this and if so will things revert back to normal if my GP switches me to something else. Thanks for listening x

[joko]

god i hope its not that, as i am getting some soon.

what does the leaflet say about side effects and contraindications?

[joko]

http://www.drugs.com/...nac-side-effects.html

you should stop taking it and see a doc according to this

[kippyboo]

There is a big long list of POSSIBLE side effects on the leaflet but it doesnt mention weight gain, but I have read online that it can cause it, albeit rarely.
Don't worry Joko,try them i've found they are brilliant for easing joint pain and inflammation , my shoulders, elbows, hips and knees soon let me know if i've been missing doses.

[Sqad]

I would doubt very much that your weight gain was anything to do with taking diclofenac........"might be"............but doubt it.

[rojash]

Errm... It does mention weight gain:

"shortness of breath; sudden or unexplained weight gain"

[rowanwitch]

sudden or unexpected weight gain... because non steroidal pain killers can affect your kidneys so you could get a big increase due to fluid retention it is unlikely to be the problem now as I expect the GP would have requested kidney function blood tests and you'd have been pretty ill soon after the initial gain ...and the weight would have continued to rise. Maybe your activity level has reduced lightly without you noticing due to pain or mobility problems

[Kristal53]

throw out your artificial medicine and go find a homeopath or herbalist. Devils Claw http://www.herbwisdom...herb-devils-claw.html along with Glucosomine http://www.herbwisdom...herb-glucosamine.html will help your ocnditions, along with dietary changes - a good alternative practitioner will help you -good luck

[daffy654]

Kristal, that is very dangerous advice to give to someone.

[rowanwitch]

'Natural ' medicines are still drugs Kristal you don't know why the OP is taking Diclofenac... There is a place for herbal remedies etc... but along side conventional medicine after a qualified practitoner has assesssed the risks of interactions... I know of one pain control consultant specialist/anaesthetist who is including a number of natural produucts in her pain control work including ginger and curcumin but she is still very wary of making any claims for their efficacy

[sunny-dave]

^^^^ - spot on - had started typing pretty much the same as rowan - complementary medicine has its place, but alongside rather than 'throwing out' conventional treatment.

[netibiza]

Agree with Rowanwitch, just cos things are "natural" they are not necessarily what you need.

[rowanwitch]

Lots of conventional drugs are derived from plants including some of the fiercest forms of chemotherapy Drugs that can kill pretty quickly... I use herbal remedies a lot for minor conditions... but at my own risk...

[joannie10]

Hi, both my father have been on diclofenac at various times in our life and neither of us have experienced weight gain but everyone different. Not very scientific but I do think our bodies just go through changes - I exercise all the time now just to keep slip where as up until my late 20s I didn't need to. Have seen this increase in my 30s and moreso now in my 40s and probably eat less now too. Would not really explain quick weight gain though sorry - not sure of your age certainly have heard of weight gain after giving up smoking and sometimes can take time to happen but again why all of a sudden just over 6-8 weeks?

[sunny-dave]

indeed - for example it scares me that someone could just start necking St Johns Wort without a proper diagnosis - has more active components than some POM SSRI drugs ...

[Kristal53]

If any of you had bothered to read my post properly before jumping on the bandwagon -i suggested consulting a professional herbalist or homeopath. i assumed anyone with a braincell would realise this would be BEFORE coming off mainstream medication, and certainly not self-medicating. natural remedies are very potent and they work with the body to help the body self-heal and rebalance -taking artificial medication stop symptoms but rarely treat the cause, which is pretty stupid when you think about it.

[bigbadmarty]

Maybe herbal but never ever homeopathy- professional or otherwise its quackery relying solely on the placebo effect .

[sunny-dave]

"throw out your artificial medicine and go find a homeopath or herbalist" ... seems to imply a sequence of action other than that to which you retreated in your most recent post.

'artificial medicine' is a deliberately emotive and unhelpful way of referring to conventional treatment - which has been through proper controlled randomised trials (unlike most of the alternative therapies you suggest).

I actually have a lot of time for herbal medicine - many products are very effective. Homeopathy on the other hand is unmitigated b*ll*cks - relying solely on the placebo effect in misguided/misled users.

[Chaffinch]

taking artificial medication stop symptoms but rarely treat the cause, which is pretty stupid when you think about it.

And Antibiotics!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Kristal53]

over use of antibiotics is one of the major problems in society today and its even said that this eventually could cause a major appocalypse. The medication the Op is talking about is a NSAID (non steroidal anti inflamatory drug) and is hardly going to kill her should she stop taking it -in fact many people are unable to take NSAIDS because of the many side effects including aggrevating asthma. NSAIDS are used for pain control and as an anti inflammatory, both theses symptoms are easily controlled using natural medicine. The causes can't always be cured, but helped by diet change as well as supplements - heck though, its much easier to continue your unhealthy lifestyle, pop a few pills and take the consequences of side effects, perhaps even popping more pills to elleviate the syptoms of the side effects - ad nauseum until you're basically rattling with artificaial chemicals in your body and get something even natural remedies won't help with -is'nt it?

[Kristal53]

@bigbad marty -OMG! homeopathy has been used for THOUSANDS of years lol! -if its quackery based on the placebo effect, how on EARTH can it be effective in helping animals? -they don't know what the heck they are being given and its been proven time and time again it works -I have first hand knowledge of giving homeopahic preparations to my horses for various things and it works -no I'm not hoping it works so it does - it just does - the whole principle of innoculation was to give a small amount of the disease to activate the bodies own responses and homeopathy works on similar principles - ignorance sometimes really is'nt bliss -its scary....