had weight issues all my life. In 2001 had gastric bypass lost over 100 pounds - which 70 slowly came back, but in the last 6 months I rapidly gained about 20 pounds - like in a 2 week period and cannot get rid of them- I am taking Diovan HCT and a water pill as well - I've read a lot about Diovan HCT - could this be the problem? Back pain, headaches, sinus, reflux - it goes on and on... Help
Do you have other health problems besides your gastric issues? What other medications do you take? Has your weight gain remained constant?
Sudden weight gain can have many causes, including a fluid overload. People with certain health issues (kidney, heart or liver disease) can gain a lot of weight in a very short period of time. Because it takes at least three liters of fluid or more for the swelling to even become apparent, the weight gain can be considerable. However, it usually happens over a much shorter period of time - hours or days.
I have been dealing with similar issues. I can gain a lot of weight in several hours, then lose it just as fast. Metabolic and endocrine disorders can also result in sudden weight gain. The questions you should be asking yourself are: were there any lifestyle changes during the time period in question? A new medication started? A change in diet? Increased stress (eating more)?
Many medications alter metabolism and result in weight gain. Thyroid hormone imbalancs often causes weight gain. You say you are taking Diovan Hctz AND a water pill? Which one? The Hctz part of the Diovan hctz medication is a water pill. Are you on two diuretics?
FG
Last edited by flowergirl2day; 03-29-2009 at 07:21 PM.
there was one different thing - the doctor put me on Armour thyroid med but took me off it right away when I told her what was going on - I am 1 year in menopause -but this weight gain was in a week!!! the 10 pounds anyway - I've been fighting to get 70 pounds off now for a very long time - the other water pill is furosemide 40 - they had me on potassium but that made me retain even more water -
oh and I had thyroid levels done and they all came in normal even though my temps were 95-96 on waking and even thru out the day although they would level out at times. BUT I heard that these medications, especially Diovan HCT affects thyroid testing....
there was one different thing - the doctor put me on Armour thyroid med but took me off it right away when I told her what was going on - I am 1 year in menopause -but this weight gain was in a week!!! the 10 pounds anyway - I've been fighting to get 70 pounds off now for a very long time - the other water pill is furosemide 40 - they had me on potassium but that made me retain even more water -
I have heard menopause can do that. I think the only thing you can d is try and exercise more and watch your calories
You know what they say about hormones, menopause and weight gain. Have you discussed the weight gain with your doctor? It is quite interesting to see how different doctors approach this issue. Some will say it is fat - lose weight. Others will say well, the edema does not DO anything (meaning you're not going to die from it) so.....no big deal.
Actually, in sodium/fluid retention problems there is not a lot that can be done besides sodium restriction and (in people with severe kidney issues) fluid restriction, and extra diuretics. I have just discussed this with my internist. Furosemide does not always work. I've tried Furosemide and it did not make any difference. I am already on two diuretics and should not be taking three. It is an option though for when things get really bad. What steps have you taken to reduce the swelling? Have you tried combining two diuretics?
Last edited by flowergirl2day; 03-29-2009 at 07:47 PM.
I've been taking the furosemide along with the Diovan HCT for I'm thinking around 4 years and That is exactly when I started gaining the weight back - I stopped taking everything for a few weeks and lost some weight but I had to start taking it again because I had horrible headaches and my bloodpressure - according to my little cuff at home - was incredibly high! SO - I will be calling my doctor this week - I don't expect to get anywhere because they don't want to hear it- I've been dieting and not one ounce has come off - I really think I have some kind of inflammatory thing going on - will let you know what the doctor's response is.
I know exactly what it is going to be! Please let us know. I hope you'll manage to get to the bottom of this. How is your blood pressure holding up? Are you getting sufficient control with Diovan/hctz?
P.S. Have your doctor check the CRP and ESR levels if you suspect an inflammatory process in progress. That way you'll know for sure.
Last edited by flowergirl2day; 03-29-2009 at 08:00 PM.
at the moment I have no insurance layed off since May -- are they expensive tests to run
I don't think so. They are simple, common blood tests. Both measure the increase in inflammatory proteins. If you can only have one test, choose C-reactive protein. CRP is a non-specific inflammation marker, one of several acute phase reactants. Its level will be increased if there is an inflammatory process in progress, or infection. Unfortunately, it will not tell you where the inflammation is, just that it is happening. Besides confirming the presence of an inflammatory process, this test is used to predict future heart problems, check disease progress and to monitor the effectiveness of treatments.
It seems that your problem is not drug-related since you've been taking these drugs for so long. Why the furosemide - do you have cardio issues? I will be giving it a try and should know the details soon. There comes a point when hctz stops being effective in people with kidney disease and it could be playing a role in water & sodium retention. Just to let you know, thinking back to last summer, I also gained a lot of weight over a two week period. All of that in my abdomen, so that I looked fat. Ditto for legs. There has been some improvement but nothing major. It could be that we have similar things going on. My hands also used to swell but that stopped some time ago. I would be interested in what your doctor has to say (besides telling you that you need to lose weight ).
I have mytral valve regurgitation - so they say - and they seem to dish out Diovan HCT for that particular issue -I have always had water retention but at the end of the day after sitting at a desk for 9 hours - not in the morning - so I have always needed extra fluid removal so to speak - and it runs in the family.I will re-iterate - I did not start to gain weight until he put me on blood pressure medication. My grandmother on my mother's side had a goiter so I am wondering if there is any connection to that issue.
I didnt gain weight until i was put on BP medication either, but my doctor and cardio both denied that the medication could cause weight gain. My med is pretty much the same as yours. Whatever caused it, I got it off. but I did struggle for awhile.
Last edited by mod-anon; 03-31-2009 at 08:20 AM.
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Both of my Dr's say that my 20lb weight gain since I started b/p meds (6yrs ago) can be partly attributed to the medication. I'm finally starting to show some results from my endless efforts to lose weight. Fam
well my doctor didn't say it was because of the medication but she didn't say it wasn't either - she's doing the minimum amount of blood work I can afford and changed me from Diovan to something that starts with a C - oi - I dropped it off at Walmart - ha! Anyway - they're all saying that caffeine has a lot to do with holding onto water so we'll see what happens with new meds, and less caffeine (water pill and potassium)...
Last edited by mod-anon; 03-31-2009 at 12:31 PM.
Reason: Please use the Quick Reply button instead of Quote Reply.
Good luck with that! I hope you'll start seeing less swelling and lose some of those excess "liquid" pounds. Unfortunately, weight gain is a common side effect of many prescription drugs. I think it is somewhat ironic that our doctors consider losing weight an essential part of treating just about every health problem imaginable, then prescribe metabolism-altering drugs that make achieving any weight loss extremely difficult.
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Anyway - they're all saying that caffeine has a lot to do with holding onto water so we'll see what happens with new meds, and less caffeine (water pill and potassium)...
Well, this may not be so. Caffeine stimulates increased renal glomerular filtration and inhibits reabsorption of sodium, thus promoting increased sodium and water excretion. Caffeine is in fact a mild diuretic, just like water, alcohol and cranberry juice. Consumed in moderate amounts, it results in only mildly elevated urine production.
FG
Last edited by flowergirl2day; 03-31-2009 at 09:42 PM.
I have been suffering from high bp for about 10 years and am currently on 4 pills a day, one of them Co-Diovan and havent had that problem. I was on Amloc which wasnt working and that made my legs and ankles swell terribly!!!!
Please let us know. I hope you'll manage to get to the bottom of this. How is your blood pressure holding up? Are you getting sufficient control with Diovan/hctz?
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