Diovan and Weight Gain

Gradual weight gain does not appear to be a Diovan side effect. However, if you are taking Diovan and weight gain does become a problem, you can help it by limiting your alcohol intake; getting regular physical activity; and eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products, among other things. Another important point to keep in mind is that unexplained rapid gain (especially if it is accompanied by shortness of breath or swelling of the feet, ankles, or legs) can indicate congestive heart failure in some people. If you experience these symptoms while taking Diovan, contact your healthcare provider.

 

Diovan and Weight Gain: An Overview

There are a number of possible side effects with Diovan® (valsartan). Gradual weight gain, however, does not appear to be one of them. This data comes from clinical trials that extensively studied Diovan and documented its side effects.
 
One thing to keep in mind is that rapid weight gain (more than three to five pounds in a week) is a possible sign of congestive heart failure. Therefore, if while taking Diovan you have unexplained rapid weight gain; shortness of breath; or swelling of the feet, ankles, or legs, contact your healthcare provider (see Symptoms of Congestive Heart Failure for more symptoms).
 

Understanding Clinical Trials

Before medicines are approved, they must go through several clinical studies in which thousands of people are given a particular medicine and are then compared to a group of people not given the medicine.
 In these studies, side effects are always documented. As a result, 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 side effects that occur in more than 1 percent of people and those that occur in less than 1 percent of people.
 
For people taking Diovan, gradual weight gain was not reported as either a common or a rare side effect.
 
(Diovan and Weight Gain Continued: Page 2)
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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;