ABSTRACT
Drug-induced weight gain is a serious side effect of many commonly used drugs leading both to non-compliance with treatment and to the development of comorbid conditions related to obesity. Drug-induced weight gain has been observed following insulin therapy in patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, in psychiatric therapy using antipsychotics, antidepressants, or mood stabilizers, in neurologic treatments with antiepileptic drugs, and in hypertension or steroid hormone therapies (1). Weight gain observed could be less then 1 kg for some antidepressants to up to 50 kg for some antipsychotic or antiepileptic-treated patients (1). Modest weight loss of 5% to 10% of initial body weight is clinically significant (2), and even modest weight gain is an undesirable side-effect of drugs.
