
Eating & Physical Activity to Lose or Maintain Weight.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). Drugs Commonly Associated With Weight Change: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Domecq JP, Prutsky G, Leppin A, et al. Swelling, usually involving the legs and feet. The most common side effects with gabapentin include: Weight gain is one of many possible side effects. Abruptly stopping a seizure medicine can cause seizures that won’t stop. Gradual increases of the medication over time is recommended to alleviate these. Stopping the drug suddenly can lead to serious problems, especially if you are taking gabapentin for seizures. The most common side effects include sedation (sleepiness) and incoordination. If gabapentin is causing you to gain weight, do not stop taking this drug on your own. However, elderly patients are more likely to have unwanted effects (eg, problems with balance or walking, swelling in the feet or legs) and age-related kidney problems, which may require caution and an adjustment in the dose for patients receiving gabapentin. Avoiding standing for long periods of time. Swelling from fluid retention may be reduced by: Eating low-calorie snacks like fruits and vegetables to manage hunger. Avoiding high-calorie snacks and desserts like chips, pastries and sweets. Another possible cause is not getting enough exercise if gabapentin is causing fatigue. In some cases, weight gain may be due to fluid retention, another side effect of gabapentin. The cause of weight gain with gabapentin is likely due to increased appetite. No weight gain was found among people taking the placebo. In people with postherpetic neuralgia, 2% of patients taking gabapentin experienced weight gain. Weight gain was also seen at a similar rate in pediatric epilepsy patients who were 3 to 12 years old. In people with epilepsy, weight gain occurred in 3% of people older than 12 years of age who were taking gabapentin (compared to 2% of people taking the placebo).
People who do gain weight may gain about 5 pounds after 6 weeks of use. Studies have shown that a small number of people taking gabapentin, a drug used to treat epilepsy and postherpetic neuralgia, experienced weight gain.
Gabapentin may cause weight gain, but it is an uncommon side effect.