Medications Review

Night sweats from medications is more common than one would think. This article will list medications that cause sweating. In order for us to understand where the sweating is coming from, we should understand that medications cause night sweats as well as diseases and other natural changes. There are several different reasons for the sweating as related to drugs but we will not deeply analyze that issue.

Many medications can not be removed from our daily requirements and often times we can not add any other drugs to get relief. Take for example women that are dealing with breast cancer and have to deal with menopause at the same time. There are very few options for women when it comes to taking night sweat prevention medicines. The options that are available can increase the chances of cancer reoccurring. There is hardly anything that they can do internally to find relief from night sweats; they must look for other options.

With some medications confusion in the natural cooling system of our body will occur. Our temperature regulation system is unable to stabilize our body and keep it a constant temperature. At times we are just fine and then other times we are getting hot for unknown reasons thus developing night sweats. The fluctuation makes the sleeping environment unstable and difficult to maintain healthy sleep.

Located below you will see several medications listed that will cause night sweats. Each drug can cause night sweats or extreme sweating. Some of these medications list fever as a symptom, some come right out and say night sweats. All of these are doing the same thing; they are making people sweat at night.

There are ways to relieve yourself of night sweats, if you can keep your body cool during the night you will be able to stop sweating and start sleeping comfortably. The objective is to keep your body cooler when it needs the cooling boost. In order to do this you must either cool your room, sleep with less covering and a fan, or use a fan designed specifically for cooling your body while sleeping.

A special fan that can generate a light breeze between your sheets will be more effective than lowering your thermostat by six to eight degrees. A system like this will generate a light breeze that will travel between your sheets along your body and push the hot air out of your bed. It will also eliminate the heat that has been building-up within your bed and keep you body cool.

This type of cooling system will also benefit you in the following ways.

The extra body heat that you generate during the night, will be quickly moved out from between your sheets. This simple breeze will keep your body from ever reaching the point at which you start to sweat. This is the most effective method of dealing with night sweats when you look at it from a thermal dynamics point of view.

Sweating at night can be controlled once you understand the mechanics of sweating. It is also imperative that you know the origin of the problem. If you are sweating due to a medical condition, a medication, a natural change, or if you are just a hot sleeper, you should know why you are sweating. Once you understand why you are sweating then you will be able to make the necessary changes needed to start sleeping and stop sweating.

The following is a short list of medications that are known to cause night sweats.

Accupril
Accutane
Altace
Ambien
Amnesteem
Anzemet
Arava
Aricept
Aromasin
Avinza
Bextra
Black Cohosh
Biaxin-xl
Cozaar
Cymbalta
Dilaudid
Diovan
Eligard
Evoxac
Fortovase
Oxycontin

If you have been suffering from heartburn and other symptoms from GERD and acid reflux you may have looked into different forms of medication as a form of treatment. There are a a number of prescription drugs claiming to offer relief from these symptoms and you have probably looked at options like Nexium vs Prilosec as well as Prevacid, Prilosec OTC and others. But what is better Nexium vs Prilosec?

In your search for the pros and cons of Nexium vs Prilosec you may have seen many a blog post or video promoting the advantages or disadvantages of Nexium vs Prilosec. Obviously many of these reports or so called news pieces are nothing but advertising comparing Nexium vs Prilosec for promotion purposes. Any service strongly pushing either Nexium vs Prilosec should be a red flag and you should consider the motivation of the source writing such material. As patients certainly your doctor will also have some input into their opinion of Nexium vs Prilosec and how it can effect you.

When looking at Nexium vs Prilosec they are very similar. Each drug is available in a different dose and can be used for similar problems however there are a few differences when you look at Nexium vs Prilosec. When comparing Nexium vs Prilosec one major factor is price according to one website Prilosec costs around $20 per month while Nexium costs around a whopping $190 each month. Other facts you may uncover when comparing Nexium vs Prilosec include that Nexium is newer, that it is limited in it’s official use and that while Nexium is only available Prilosec can be found over the counter in your pharmacy.

However when it comes to looking at the most important factor – side effects between Nexium vs Prilosec they are both notorious for an extensive list of side effects ranging from the unpleasant to allergic reactions and even those that are deadly. With such long lists of side effects it can be difficult to assess which is more dangerous when looking at Nexium vs Prilosec side-by-side. In fact to list all the side affects in comparing could take up a whole book. So here are just a few of the side effects that have been reported by users of each drug.

Just a few of the side effects associated with Nexium:

* Blurred Vision
* Confusion
* Depression
* Hair Loss
* Unusual Bleeding or Bruising
* Severe Stomach Pain
* Vomiting Like Coffee Grounds
* Hepatitis
* Deceased Numbers Of Blood Cells
* Aggression
* Liver Failure
* Kidney Inflammation
* Severe Skin Reaction
* Hallucinations

In fact the list of side effects of Prilosec listed by patients seems far longer than those of Nexium, but here are a few associated with Prilosec:

* Nausea
* Vomiting
* Stomach & abdominal pain
* Dizziness
* Itching
* Rashes
* Sleepiness
* Constipation
* Diarrhea
* Flatulence
* Headaches
* Muscle weakness and pain
* Loss of taste
* Swelling of extremities
* Mouth inflammation
* Confusion
* Liver problems
* Hypersensitivity
* Aangioedema
* Kidney problems
* Male breast enlargement
* Joint pain
* Arthritis
* General feeling of being unwell
* Dermatitis & skin problems
* Insomnia
* Aggressiveness
* Agitation
* Depression
* Dry mouth
* Hallucination
* Impotence & sexual side effects
* Profuse sweating

As you can see when comparing Nexium vs Prilosec the list of potential serious side effects are lengthy and at the least unappetising. However this does not mean that you have to choose between Nexium vs Prilosec. Fortunately there are many natural remedies that have helped other sufferers of ulcers, GERD, acid reflux and heartburn. These natural remedies do not carry the risk of side effects that you will find when looking at Nexium vs Prilosec. There are a wide range of these home based solutions that include herbs, plants, drinks and changing your diet. So before you decide to try a medication likeNexium or Prilosec wouldn ‘t it be wiser to try some of the natural remedies that have worked for others and see if you can solve your symptoms without these risks?

Having a condition that requires you to take a certain medication everyday, perhaps several times a day, can be life-changing and maybe even a little upsetting. It doesn’t help when it also causes you to gain unwanted weight that may range from a few pounds to 100! Plus, the added weight gain can aggravate the condition you’re taking the prescription for and/or cause other conditions to occur.

This scenario has been a problem for several of my patients so I’d like to share with you why this can happen and what you can do about it. First let’s talk about what kind of medications are most likely to cause you to gain weight.

Medications That Put On Weight

There are many drugs, both prescription and over-the-counter, that can have a side effect of unwanted weight gain. Let me clarify that. The drugs themselves don’t cause you to actually gain weight. Rather, they can stimulate your appetite, or cause you to crave certain foods, so that you eat more and gain weight! This is particularly true of antidepressants, steroids, and hormones.

In addition, certain medications can also cause you to retain water which can give the appearance of solid weight/fat gain. Usually, when you stop taking the drug the water retention goes with it. This is especially true for birth control pills and some female hormone replacement therapies.

Here are some common drug types that you may be taking which could be contributing to your weight gain:

*Antidepressants – stimulate appetite.

*Birth control pills – estrogen/progesterone hormones stimulate appetite.

*Hormone replacement therapies – like estrogen and progesterone in menopausal women; testosterone replacement in men. Can stimulate appetite and increase water retention.

*Antismoking drugs – stimulates appetite.

*Blood pressure drugs – can cause fatigue or shortness of breath which lowers your desire to exercise. Sedentary activity causes weight gain.

*Steroids – used commonly for conditions like lupus, Crohn’s disease, asthma can stimulate appetite and cause water retention.

*Certain diabetic drugs – can cause water retention weight gain.

In addition, certain prescription drugs can react with OTC’s (over-the-counter drugs) or herbal preparations can cause weight gain, even sudden. In fact there are over 200 such drug interactions that cause weight gain! A few of these weight gain interactions include:

*Blood pressure lowering drugs: Like aldactazide, triamterene, Lotensin, Dyazide, when combined with most all OTC pain relievers containing ibuprofen.

*Anti-depressants: Like Elavil, Triavil, amitriptyline when combined with Vitamin C.

What Can You Do About Medication Weight Gain?

The most important thing you can do if you feel your weight gain is due to a drug you are taking is to tell your doctor immediately. Your weight gain may be a side effect of the medication you take. However, that doesn’t mean that you’re stuck with the extra weight. You may be able to switch to another drug for your condition that doesn’t have weight gain as a side effect.

In addition, here are a few recommendations I give my patients when they seem to be gaining weight as a side effect to their medications:

*Appetite stimulation – just because your brain says eat, doesn’t mean you have to feed yourself with high calorie, low nutrient food. Try drinking some clear soups like tomato or even chicken broth. Or, how about a big apple or some cucumber slices cut up in a bowl? These very light “appetite feeders” give your stomach a full feeling without adding a lot of weight-gaining fat/calories.

*Up Your Exercise – if your medication doesn’t have the side effect of fatigue, adding some more exercise to your daily routine can counteract medication related weight gain. Try taking a 20 minute walk or bicycle ride in the morning and spend 20 minutes of your lunch hour taking a walk (weather permitting), or walk around inside your building, up and down the stairs, if possible every day. If you live close to where you work, and your health permits, try walking or bicycling to work.

*Banish Water Weight – there are some excellent natural diuretic foods that are high in potassium and can help you get rid of the extra water weight that may be a side effect of the medication you take. Asparagus, watermelon, cantaloupe, apple cider vinegar, cranberry, strawberries, and bananas. Also, steer clear of high sugar or sodium foods as these can cause your body to retain water. There are also some herbal preparations that can help such as dandelion and uva ursi.

Gaining unwanted weight from medications you may be taking for a certain condition can be disheartening. However, the above recommendations may help you live more comfortably with the medications prescribed for you.

The best method to avoid drug-induced weight gain is to ask your doctor whether this is a possible side effect. If you know that the drug has the potential for appetite stimulation or water retention, you can plan in advance for it and adjust your eating and exercise habits to counteract the effect.