Meloxicam and Weight Gain

Meloxicam (Mobic) is a medication that helps to relieve the symptoms of joint pain, stiffness and swelling that occur in rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.  It does this by limiting a process called inflammation, which occurs in arthritis.

Does Meloxicam cause Weight Gain?

For the majority of patients, meloxicam does not affect their weight. Both Weight loss and weight gain were found as rare side effects in some trials where children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis were treated with meloxicam. If you do experience weight gain with meloxicam, you should see your doctor as this is such an uncommon side effect in adults.

Tips on how to Avoid Weight Gain

For patients worried about gaining weight, there are a number of ways that this can be prevented.

• Eat a calorie controlled diet, restricted to 2000 calories for women daily and 2500 for men.
• Try to eat a healthy balanced diet, with five portions of fruit and vegetables daily, with limited sweets, crisps and takeaways.
• Restrict alcohol consumption to 14 units a week for women and 21 units a week for men spread throughout the week. This is because excess alcohol has a damaging effect on health, and is also very calorific.
• Exercise regularly, three to five times a week for 30 minutes. Gentle exercise like swimming is suitable for patients with arthritis, as this puts minimum strain on the joints.