Asthma Medication and Weight Gain

[Andy-Sev]

So a few years back, a long time before being diagnosed as diabetic, my asthma nurse put me on Clenil Modulite which is a preventer (it comes in a brown inhaler). Well after a month of taking it I had put on almost a stone in weight and stopped taking it which didn't go down well as was told it doesn't cause weight gain. Jump forwards a few years, having recently been diagnosed as diabetic type limbo, as in they can't confirm which type I am yet, and told to lose weight my asthma nurse, who also happens to be the diabetes nurse at my GPs, wanted me to go on Clenil Modulite again. Well I agreed and after a month of taking 2 doses morning and night guess what my weight is creeping up and this is with following a low cal and carb diet whilst exercising more.

Now maybe it is just me, maybe the diet and exercise plan has stopped working for me already but I am leaning more towards this Clenil Modulite being the cause of my weight slowly creeping back up. So are there any other asthmatic diabetics on here who have had the same issues with their medication?

 

[zand]

I believe that the preventative inhaler you use contains steroids. Steroids are known to increase weight, however when they are in inhaler form (rather than tablets) there is usually less of a problem. I don't have a brown inhaler myself but my son does. He is fine with it but the steroid tablets made him gain weight very quickly.

I would think the cause is the inhaler and you are one of the unlucky ones. I would certainly speak to your nurse about it as there maybe a different brown inhaler which doesn't affect you in this way.

 

[Marjack]

I am also diabetic and asthmatic, I have a qvar 100 brown preventer inhaler with which I take two puffs twice a day. I have not had any problems with weight gain. I have read that even though they are steroid sprays, as they are absorbed into the lungs, they do not contribute to weight gain.
That said, as we all know, different people react to meds in different ways. It might be worth discussing your concerns with your asthma nurse and see if you can change your preventer rather than stopping altogether.

 

[Angie52]

Hi I am on victoza injections also novo rapid and lantus solo star metformin 500 mg morning and evenings and just don't seem to be losing any weight at all I have 1400 kl A Day .i still get hypos each day and my bs can go high and then low 2.9 and feel quite rotten at times my doctor says stay as I am for 3 months but I am like this now almost a year and I can't see how an others few months will make any diffrents .my weight gone up to 113.9 kg is any one out there having this trouble .The metformin makes me feel quite sick at times ,I take o

 

[norman.stanbury]

So a few years back, a long time before being diagnosed as diabetic, my asthma nurse put me on Clenil Modulite which is a preventer (it comes in a brown inhaler). Well after a month of taking it I had put on almost a stone in weight and stopped taking it which didn't go down well as was told it doesn't cause weight gain. Jump forwards a few years, having recently been diagnosed as diabetic type limbo, as in they can't confirm which type I am yet, and told to lose weight my asthma nurse, who also happens to be the diabetes nurse at my GPs, wanted me to go on Clenil Modulite again. Well I agreed and after a month of taking 2 doses morning and night guess what my weight is creeping up and this is with following a low cal and carb diet whilst exercising more.

Now maybe it is just me, maybe the diet and exercise plan has stopped working for me already but I am leaning more towards this Clenil Modulite being the cause of my weight slowly creeping back up. So are there any other asthmatic diabetics on here who have had the same issues with their medication?

no its not just you i have the same problem Clenil modulite is a steroid Beclometasone dipropionate and i think most steroids make you put weight on, i was using clenil modulite for years and could not work out why i was putting so much weight on until i googled it and stopped using it by then i had type 2 diabetes

 

[ladybird64]

Hmm. In all honesty, I wouldn't have thought it possible for an inhaled corticosteroid to have this effect. I've had severe asthma all my life (now 52) and have been on many inhalers without a change to weight. Even if it does become absorbed, the quantity of steroid is minimal, not the same as tablets, and it shouldn't have this effect? Not saying it's impossible, but very improbable.

I did notice you mentioned low cal and low carb, they can sometimes clash. What type of foods are you eating, might be a reason there?

 

[Lamont D]

Hi I am on victoza injections also novo rapid and lantus solo star metformin 500 mg morning and evenings and just don't seem to be losing any weight at all I have 1400 kl A Day .i still get hypos each day and my bs can go high and then low 2.9 and feel quite rotten at times my doctor says stay as I am for 3 months but I am like this now almost a year and I can't see how an others few months will make any diffrents .my weight gone up to 113.9 kg is any one out there having this trouble .The metformin makes me feel quite sick at times ,I take o

Insulin will give you weight gain.
There is something wrong with your insulin dosage if you are getting hypos regularly talk to your GP about the dosage.
Metformin, are you on slow release or the enteric form?
If you're on the standard metformin, ask your GP to change it.

 

[Mep]

I used to be asthmatic (although my doc recently told me he doesn't agree it ever completely goes away)... because my last attack was when I was 21 years old and I'm nearly 43 now. Well they had me on becatide preventative inhaler for a few years and I did gain a lot of weight. Actually come to think of it I was diagnosed with PCOS and diabetes not long after I stopped that inhaler. Hmmm I wonder if that also was a trigger for me. Meh obviously I had a few precursors then... forgot all about me being on a steroid inhaler for a few years. geez.... always just blamed my PCOS they claim I've had since a young teen. Yeh, I know that steroids does cause weight gain and increases blood sugar.... that would be an issue for sure. And I still say I'm not asthmatic regardless of what my doc just told me. lol.