The association between weight-promoting medication use and weight gain in postmenopausal women: findings from the Women's Health Initiative
Fatima Cody Stanford, Hellas Cena, Ginevra Biino, Olivia Umoren, Monik C. Jiménez, Marlene P. Freeman, Aladdin H. Shadyab, Robert A. Wild, Catherine Womack, Hailey R. Banack, JoAnn E. Manson
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: With the rise in obesity, there has been a concomitant increase in prescription medications associated with weight gain. The objective of this study is to quantify the magnitude of association between putative weight-promoting medications and 3-year weight change in a diverse cohort of postmenopausal women in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI). METHODS: This is a prospective observational cohort study, considering 40 sites in the WHI and a cohort of seventy six thousand two hundred fifty-two postmenopausal women aged 50-79 years, with weight measured at both baseline and 3 years, in the WHI-Observational Study. Body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) were measured at baseline and 3 years. An in-clinic medication inventory identified prescribed medications, including antidepressants, beta-blockers, insulin, and/or glucocorticosteroids. Generalized linear models evaluated if intermittent or persistent use of weight-promoting drugs was associated with increased BMI and WC during a 3-year follow up. RESULTS: Women with overweight or obesity at baseline were more likely to be taking antidepressants, beta-blockers, and/or insulin. Taking at least one putative weight-promoting medication was associated with a greater increase in BMI (0.37 vs 0.27 kg/m, P = 0.0045) and WC (1.10 cm vs 0.89 cm, P = 0.0077) over the course of 3 years compared to women not on these medications. Both BMI and WC increased with the number of weight-promoting drugs prescribed (P for trend per medication used < 0.00001 for both variables). Those who took either antidepressants or insulin, or a combination of antidepressants and beta-blockers, were most likely to have a significant increase in BMI compared to nonusers. CONCLUSIONS: Antidepressants, beta-blockers, and insulin were associated with weight gain in postmenopausal women. This information may help to inform clinical decision-making and efforts to mitigate medication-related weight gain. : Video Summary:http://links.lww.com/MENO/A617.