Gabapentin: Does it Lead to Gaining Weight?

a white pills in a package

Most people will experience fluctuations in their body weight from time to time during the normal course of life. The reason weight goes up or down is typically related to dietary habits and regular physical activity levels. Sometimes, though, the standard explanations may not tell the whole story, particularly for those who are on prescription […]

Can Antihistamines Lead to Weight Gain? 

a hand holding pills in front of white flowers

The factors that contribute to the fluctuations in our body weight are complex and can be related to many different aspects of our biology and lifestyle. That’s why unexplained weight gain can be a frustrating and confusing experience, regardless of the number of extra pounds on the scale. One possible explanation for weight gain that […]

What to Know About Beta Blockers and Weight Gain 

a heart shaped bowl filled with pills

It is perhaps inevitable that we all, at some point in our lives, will need to take a prescribed medication to treat an illness or to manage symptoms that impact our quality of life. Yet as helpful as the medication might be, there’s always a chance that it can cause side effects that have to […]

What to Know About Weight Gain and the Menstrual Cycle

a person writing on a calendar

Nearly everyone has probably noticed their body weight go up and down during different chapters in life and during certain times of year (like in the midst of holiday feasting). What we sometimes don’t realize, though, is that these changes can happen on even a daily or a weekly basis. Of the many factors that […]

Do Steroids Make You Gain Weight?

a close up of pills

In popular culture, the term “steroids” tends to evoke images of swollen weight lifters and professional athletes with ethics problems. These types of anabolic steroids contain compounds that are designed to maximize strength by increasing the protein content in skeletal muscles. In  a more general sense, however, steroids make up some part of cell membranes […]

Birth Control: Does it Make You Gain Weight? 

a hand holding a pack of pills

Birth control in one form or another has been around since antiquity, but it was only in the 20th century that it became safe, effective, and widely available. Beyond its core function of preventing an unplanned pregnancy, birth control medication has been additionally used for the treatment of menstruation symptoms and some health conditions specific […]

Why Does Congestive Heart Failure Cause Weight Gain?

congestive heart failure

The human body is incredibly complex, and doctors are constantly discovering new ways that different organs and body systems and genetic differences are connected and interdependent. Weight gain, for instance, is a function of metabolism and how the food we eat is either converted to energy or stored as fat. Yet the story is clearly […]

How Does Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Cause Weight Gain? 

pcos

We tend to think of gaining weight as primarily an issue related to diet and exercise, and for the most part that is true; if you eat more calories than you burn through normal bodily functions and physical activity, you’ll gain weight. Yet there are other factors that are often at work that can affect […]

Can Constipation Cause Weight Gain?

person on toilet

Constipation is a common gastrointestinal problem that affects virtually every person at some point in their life. While not typically a very serious condition, there’s no doubt that constipation can be unpleasant and cause disruptions to a person’s normal quality of life. What many people don’t realize is that constipation by its very nature can […]

Cushing’s Syndrome and Weight Gain

Cortisol

Unexplained weight gain is an unwelcome development for almost anyone; indeed, apart from body builders and certain other types of athletes, few people actually want to gain weight. Yet, to medical professionals, true unexplained weight gain is not the same thing as weight gained because a person is unexpectedly in a calorie surplus. As much […]