Obesity and Medicines

Course Overview

Why is it that some medicines can cause people to gain weight whilst others may assist people to lose weight?

Topics

• What disease states are affected by obesity?

• Which antidepressant agents cause the most weight gain?

• When are weight-loss medicines contraindicated?

• How serious are adverse effects of weight-loss medicines?

• Strategies for weight reduction and much, much more...

Need

Obesity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, some musculoskeletal conditions and some cancers. As the level of excess weight increases, so too does the risk of developing these conditions. In addition, being overweight can hamper the ability to control or manage chronic disorders.

Medicines can contribute to both weight reduction and weight gain. Greater awareness of medicines that adversely affect a healthy weight – especially those used in prevalent comorbid conditions – will assist nurses to implement weight management strategies and better educate patients to manage the side effects of these medicines.

Purpose

The purpose of this Course is to provide education about the pathogenesis of obesity and how medications can contribute to this condition in order to assist patients to obtain and maintain optimum weight health.

Learning Outcomes

• Correlate obesity with comorbid conditions to improve patient outcomes through the implementation of weight reduction strategies.

• Use your understanding of specific medicines that cause weight gain in order to improve patients’ quality of life by managing the side effects of these medicines.

• Link alternative therapies for weight reduction with education strategies to improve patient outcomes through effective weight management.

Target Audience

Registered nurses and other health professionals who work with patients with diet-related disease or who routinely administer medicines that can cause weight gain.

Disclosure

No conflict of interest exists for anyone in the position to control content for this activity. Wherever possible, generic or non-proprietary names of medications or products have been used.

Educator

Jenny Gowan

Jenny is a practicing pharmacist, a Teaching Associate at Monash University and Clinical Associate at RMIT university . She is a current member of the PSA Branch committee, Editorial Board Member of AUS-DI (Drug information), Guidelines Committee for the National Asthma Council Australian Asthma Handbook, and RACGP Silver book for Aged Care . Jenny is an accredited consultant pharmacist, and conducts her own company focussing on medication reviews in the home and Aged Care Facilities as well as Quality Use of Medicine consultancy. She works regularly in community pharmacy plus sessions in a GP clinic at a Community Health Centre. Jenny has published over 380 educational articles and presents hundreds of talks annually. In 2010 Jenny received the Sanofi-Aventis award by the University of Sydney, in 2013, PSA Australian Pharmacist of the Year and 2016 Jenny was the AACP-MIMs Consultant Pharmacist of the Year.