If weight gain ends up being a significant issue, work to
resolve that with a healthy plan, not another pill. Communication with your
doctor is primary and together you can come up with a solution that will work
best for you.
If a woman is healthy but thin, we give supplements and put
her on a high calorie diet. Most medications to gain weight are steroids, which
are taken as a last resort in certain medical conditions. PRACTIN is an
anti-allergic, which stimulates appetite. It shouldn’t be taken just for weight
gain. These so called weight gain medicines cause salt and water retention, leading
to bloating. It makes people gain weight faster.
Steroid based medicines can cause blood pressure, cataract,
liver cancer, heart problems, osteoporosis and infertility. Even if prescribed
they have to be monitor and blood tests done on a weekly basis. The weight gain
pills, sold furtively over the counter and mostly without prescription, can cause
severe complication in pregnant women and their unborn babies. Drug Control of India doesn’t approve any
weight gaining pills in allopathy.
A south Delhi chemist says women ask for these medicines
without a doctor’s prescription. As these pills are cheap, women take them
indiscriminately he says. Shafi-ur Rahman, who works with a hospital in Kolkata’s
Park Circus. He was shocked that his wife had taken his jokes regarding her
weight seriously. “One day, when I noticed she was literally bloating, I asked
her about it and she told me about these tablets. Now, she often falls ill.”
Sarita, a frail looking 22 year old from Kolkata, India says “Even if I drink a
bottle of pure ghee every day, I’ll not gain weight. And men don’t like skinny
women.” She recently started taking Practin, an antihistamine. After my
neighbour took this tablet for two months, she gained weight, my mother-in-law
advised me to take it too.
Otherwise
known as ‘the pill’, can be a serious source of undesirable side effects. While
this type of gaining pills have created too many health issues for many women
over the years, it also presents some horrible side effects. Certain steroids taken
for muscle gain also cause unhealthy weight gain. Please note that not all
medications used to treat these conditions cause weight gain.
Doctors like: Dr Ambrish Mithal former President of the Endo-crine
Society of India.
Dr Sanjeev Bagai, Consultant Paediatrician
and Nephrologists.
Dr K K Agarwal, National
Vice-President-elect, Indian Medical Association.
Dr Shashank Joshi Mumbai based Endocrinologist.
These Doctor Say, Don’t Ignore Health Hazards of Weight-Gain
Pills.