Extensive clinical trials do not show a link between naproxen sodium and weight gain. However, since the medicine may potentially cause congestive heart failure, and rapid weight gain is the main symptom, notify your healthcare provider immediately if you develop rapid, unexplained weight gain or swelling. If you are taking naproxen sodium and weight gain occurs gradually, try increasing your exercise or eating a heart-healthy diet.
Naproxen Sodium and Weight Gain: An Overview
Side effects are possible with
naproxen sodium (brand names include Aleve
®,
Anaprox®, and
Naprelan®). Gradual weight gain, however, does not appear to be one of them. This data comes from clinical trials where
naproxen sodium was extensively studied and side effects were documented.
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 who are given a placebo (sugar pill). In these studies, side effects are always documented. This way, it is possible to see what side effects occur, how often they occur, and how they compare to the group not taking the medicine. Side effects are then usually separated into those that occurred in more than 1 percent of people (common side effects) and those that occurred in less than 1 percent of people (rare side effects).
For people taking naproxen sodium, gradual weight gain was not reported as either a common or rare side effect. Weight gain has, however, been reported as a rare side effect with other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (
NSAIDs). Since it occurs in less than 1 percent of people taking NSAIDs, it is not possible to tell whether the weight gain is actually caused by the medicine itself, by other factors, or a combination of both.
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