Nardil and Weight Gain: An Overview
A number of side effects are possible with
Nardil® (
phenelzine sulfate), and weight gain does appear to be one of them. This data comes from clinical trials where Nardil was studied extensively and side effects were documented.
Nardil 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. Side effects are then usually separated into those that occur in more than 1 percent of people (common side effects) and those that occur in less than 1 percent of people (rare side effects).
In these studies, weight gain was reported as a common side effect of Nardil, although the exact percentage was not reported.
Nardil and Weight Gain: Suggestions
If you are noticing weight gain with Nardil, talk to your healthcare provider.
He or she will perform a physical exam to look for other causes of weight gain, such as certain types of medical conditions. If the weight gain remains unexplained, your healthcare provider may give you some 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
antidepressant medication.
(Click BMI Calculator to see if your weight is within a healthy range.)