Vivactil and Weight Gain: An Overview
A number of side effects are possible with
Vivactil® (
protriptyline hydrochloride), and weight gain does appear to be one of them. This data comes from clinical trials where the drug was studied extensively and side effects were documented.
Vivactil and Weight Gain: Understanding Clinical Trials
Before medicines are approved, they must go through several clinical studies where thousands of people are given a particular medicine and compared to a group of people not given the medicine. In these studies, side effects are always carefully documented. This way, it is possible to see what side effects occur, how often they appear, and how they compare to the group not taking the medicine.
In these studies, both weight gain and weight loss were reported as
Vivactil side effects, although the exact percentages were not reported. Therefore, it is difficult to say whether weight gain is caused by Vivactil, other factors, or a combination of both.
Vivactil and Weight Gain: Suggestions
If you are noticing weight gain with Vivactil, talk to your healthcare provider.
He or she will perform a physical exam and ask a number of questions to see if other medical conditions could be causing unexplained weight gain. If the weight gain remains unexplained, your healthcare provider may give you some lifestyle suggestions, such as eating
heart-healthy foods, exercising more, and limiting your intake of alcohol. If the weight gain continues, he or she may also recommend other lifestyle changes or possibly switch you to another
depression medication.
(Click BMI Calculator to see if your weight is within a healthy range.)
