Bulldog Weight Loss The Role of Medications in Weight Gain

A systematic review of licensed weight-loss medications in treating antipsychotic-induced weight gain and obesity in schizophrenia and psychosis

Background: Schizophrenia and antipsychotic use are associated with clinically significant weight gain and subsequent increased mortality. Despite weight loss medications (WLMs) licensed by regulatory bodies (FDA, EMA, and MHRA) being available, current psychiatric guidelines recommend off-label alternatives, which differ from non-psychiatric guidelines for obesity.

Objective: Evaluate the efficacy of licensed WLMs on treating antipsychotic-induced weight gain (AIWG) and obesity in schizophrenia and psychosis (OSP).

Method: A literature search was conducted using Medline, EMBASE, PsycINFO and Cochrane Library online databases for human studies using licensed WLMs to treat AIWG and OSP.

Results: Three RCTs (two liraglutide, one naltrexone-bupropion), one unpublished open-label trial (naltrexone-bupropion), and seven observational studies (five liraglutide, one semaglutide, one multiple WLMs) were identified. Results for liraglutide showed statistically significant improvement in weight, BMI, waist circumference, HbA1c, cholesterol, and LDL readings on meta-analysis. Evidence was mixed for naltrexone-bupropion with no detailed studies conducted for setmelanotide, or stimulants.

Conclusion: Evidence is strongest for liraglutide compared to other licensed WLMs. The findings, particularly the inclusion of human trial data, provide evidence for liraglutide use in treating AIWG and OSP, which would better align psychiatric practice with non-psychiatric practices around obesity. The findings also identify continued literature gaps regarding other licensed WLMs.

Deciphering the role of leptin in weight gain associated with anti-psychotic medications

Anti-psychotic medications, such as olanzapine and risperidone, are highly effective treatments for a range of disorders, including schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders. However, these drugs are associated with several adverse metabolic effects. Patients taking anti-psychotic medications often experience weight gain and hyperglycaemia, as well as the development and/or progression of diabetes mellitus and liver disease. The mechanisms underlying these adverse effects are largely unknown. A new preclinical study published in Science Translational Medicine has shown that an increase in circulating levels of leptin might be involved in these adverse metabolic effects.

Similar to the effects seen in humans, olanzapine treatment is known to cause substantial weight gain in some mice, whereas others gain less weight. The researchers performed a genetic analysis of gonadal adipose tissue isolated from mice that were either prone or resistant to weight gain with olanzapine treatment. They found that the mice prone to weight gain had increased expression of the gene encoding leptin (Lep) and decreased expression of the gene encoding adiponectin, which suggests that leptin is an important factor in the weight gain associated with olanzapine.

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Unlocking the Secrets of English Bulldog Weight: Your Comprehensive Guide

Despite their somewhat daunting look, English bulldogs are genuinely a genial and easygoing dog breed. Due to their inclination towards a more leisurely, inactive lifestyle rather than engaging in walks or vigorous games, they tend to put on a significant amount of weight.

So, if you are concerned about your dogs weight, this article is the most informative guide on what to know about your English Bulldogs growth, from the puppy stage to full maturity.

The English Bulldog Growth Chart

Its not unusual to see an obese English bulldog. However, you can keep your English bulldogs weight gain healthy by focusing on balanced high-quality dog food and regular physical activity. Remember that the English bulldog breed has short noise and stocky legs, which means they might not enjoy intense exercise. But, bulldogs love chew toys and can benefit from regular walks.

So, its paramount for pet parents to keep track of their English bulldogs weight. This helps avoid health issues like hip dysplasia.

Puppy Growth Timeline & Needs

Heres a quick guide on your English bulldogs growth time from birth to full maturity, along with what to expect and their needs at different developmental stages.

Birth to 14 days

It takes the English bulldog puppy about two weeks before they can hear and see. During this period, the English bulldog puppies feed on their mothers milk alone. So, ensuring the female English bulldog food intake is healthy and getting enough rest is important.

One month

After about 30 days from birth, the English bulldog puppy starts developing his senses and playing with his littermates. You can start offering them wet dog food as they stop feeding on breast milk. Its important not to feed them too much food to avoid any shocking hazards. At this stage, the average male and female weight should be around 5 pounds.

2 Months

At two months, the puppies are independent and fully weaned off their mothers milk. At this stage, the puppys training starts with some obedience training. Also, pet parents should feed their English bulldog puppies a healthy diet thrice daily. The male English bulldog puppy should weigh about 9 12 pounds, while the female should weigh about 7 10 pounds.

3 Months

You should continue their training and start leash training. You want to get them acclimated to being groomed. You want to encourage the right behaviors and curb the awful ones at this stage. A 3-month-old male English bulldog weighs about 13 18 pounds, while the female weighs 12 15 pounds, according to the American Kennel Club English bulldogs weight chart.

4 Months

At four months, these puppies start monkeying around the house. You can keep them well-behaved using positive reinforcement training. However, watching the dogs diet for a healthy puppys growth is essential. Remember that this dog breed gain weight really fast.

Also, it would help if you socialized your English bulldog with other dogs by enrolling him in puppy kindergarten classes. This will teach him how to get along with other breeds and be less aggressive toward your friend or familys pets.

At this period, your female bulldog will likely weigh about 18 22 pounds, while the male dogs can weigh up to 24 pounds.

5 12 Months

During this period, you want to focus on your English bulldog weight. English bulldogs tend to eat a lot and gain weight fast. Your dogs growth between this timeline can be very rapid.

In addition, neutered dogs tend to grow larger since they have a lower testosterone level than typical male bulldogs.

At one year, an ageing male should weigh around 55 pounds, while the adult female English bulldog weighs an average of 42 pounds.

Factors That Affect Your English Bulldog Growth

Numerous factors contribute to your dogs growth. Knowing these factors and how they influence your English bulldogs growth can help you understand their development process:

English bulldog genetics

Genetics is a primary factor determining the size of this dog breed. These dogs are short with stubby legs because of genetics. This explains why most responsible breeders show you the litters parents. This helps you predict how large your puppy might be and even understand some genetic health problems.

Nutrition

Another high contributor to your English bulldogs weight is nutrition. How much food he eats depends on his energy levels, age, and size. So, feeding your dog a large quantity of food does not mean you are overfeeding him. However, it would be best to aim for a healthy weight, as discussed in the English bulldog growth chart. Otherwise, your dog might become overweight, which will make your dog susceptible to orthopedic ailments like hip dysplasia.

Keeping track of their weight is vital as it helps indicate malnourished dogs. If this is the case, seek veterinary care immediately.

Physical Health

Puppies with many health concerns, especially hip dysplasia, tend to have stunted growth. During their playtime, they can get injured. Therefore, watching over this dog breed is essential to avoid accidents. Conversely, physical activity is vital for maintaining your dogs healthy weight.

When will my female dogs stop growing?

For this dog breed, it takes up to a year for them to reach their maximum adult height. However, it might take them about 18 months to get their final weight.

Why are English bulldogs bred?

This English bulldog is originally bred for bull baiting. This explains their short muzzle and difficulty in breathing. According to AKC, English bulldogs are classified as a Brachycephalic breed and more prone to brachycephalic syndrome.

What helps an English bulldog lose weight?

The maximum weight of a male bulldog shouldnt exceed 60 pounds, while 55 pounds for female dogs. If that happens, it means your dog is overweight. So, exercise your dog more and formulate a healthy dogs diet.

Final Thoughts English Bulldogs

English Bulldogs are amazing furry friends. They make great companions and are a perfect addition to your home. However, bulldogs love sedentary life and tend to eat a lot. So, keeping track of their weight is essential to avoid any health issues.

Weight loss

Prescription weight-loss drugs

Study the pros and cons of medicines to treat obesity.

By Mayo Clinic Staff

Are you an adult who has serious health problems because of your weight? Have you tried diet and exercise but haven't been able to lose enough weight? If you answered yes to these questions, a prescription weight-loss drug may be a choice for you.

Prescription drugs are medicines that a health care provider prescribes for you. You can't buy them off the shelf in a drug store like you can buy nonprescription medicines.

Just know that you need to use prescription weight-loss drugs in addition to not instead of a healthy diet and exercise.

Who can take weight-loss drugs?

Your health care provider may suggest a weight-loss drug for you in some cases. These include if you haven't been able to lose weight through diet and exercise and your:

• Body mass index (BMI) is greater than 30. This means you're living with a condition that involves having too much body fat, called obesity.
• BMI is greater than 27. You also have a serious medical problem linked to obesity, such as diabetes or high blood pressure.

Before choosing a medicine for you, your health care provider thinks about your history and health challenges. Then your provider talks with you about the pros and cons of prescription weight-loss drugs.

These drugs aren't for everyone. For example, you shouldn't take prescription weight-loss drugs if you're trying to get pregnant, are pregnant or are breastfeeding.

How well do weight-loss drugs work?

Prescription weight-loss drugs that you can use for more than 12 weeks, called long-term use, lead to major weight loss compared with an inactive treatment that doesn't use medicine, called a placebo. The combination of weight-loss medicine and lifestyle changes leads to greater weight loss than do lifestyle changes alone.

Taking these drugs for a year can mean a loss of total body weight of 3% to 12% more than that lost with lifestyle changes alone. That may not seem like a lot. But losing 5% to 10% of your total weight and keeping it off can have important health benefits. For example, it can lower blood pressure, blood sugar levels and levels of fats in the blood called triglycerides.

What you should know about weight-loss drugs

Mild side effects, such as nausea, constipation and diarrhea, are common. They may lessen over time. Rarely, serious side effects can happen. That's why it's important to ask your health care provider about all treatment choices. And ask about the possible benefits and risks of each drug.

Weight-loss drugs can be expensive and aren't always paid for by insurance. Ask your insurance company about your coverage.

Many people gain back some of the weight they lost when they stop taking weight-loss drugs. But practicing healthy lifestyle habits may help limit weight gain.

How long do I take a weight-loss drug?

How long you take a weight-loss drug depends on whether the drug helps you lose weight. If you've lost enough weight to improve your health and you haven't had serious side effects, your health care provider may suggest that you take the drug long term.

If you haven't lost at least 5% of your body weight after taking the full dose of a drug for 3 to 6 months, your health care provider will probably change your treatment. They may switch you to a different weight-loss drug.

What drugs are approved for weight loss?

Six weight-loss drugs have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for long-term use:

• Bupropion-naltrexone (Contrave)
• Liraglutide (Saxenda)
• Orlistat (Xenical, Alli)
• Phentermine-topiramate (Qsymia)
• Semaglutide (Wegovy)
• Setmelanotide (Imcivree)

Most prescription weight-loss drugs work by making you feel less hungry or fuller. Some do both. The exception is orlistat. It affects the way your body absorbs fat.

Bupropion-naltrexone

Bupropion-naltrexone is a combination drug. Naltrexone is used to treat alcohol and opioid addiction. Bupropion is a drug to treat depression, called an antidepressant, and a drug to help people stop smoking, called a quit-smoking aid. Like all antidepressants, bupropion carries a warning about suicide risk. Bupropion-naltrexone can raise blood pressure. So your provider will need to check your blood pressure regularly at the start of treatment. Common side effects include nausea, headache and constipation.

Liraglutide

Liraglutide also is used to manage diabetes. It's given as a daily shot. Nausea is a common complaint. Vomiting may limit its use.

Orlistat

You also can get orlistat in a reduced-strength form without a prescription (Alli). Orlistat can cause side effects such as passing gas and having loose stools. You need to follow a low-fat diet when taking this medicine. In rare cases, people have had serious liver injury with orlistat. But researchers haven't found that the drug causes liver injuries.

Phentermine-topiramate

Phentermine-topiramate is a combination of a weight-loss drug called phentermine and an anticonvulsant called topiramate. Phentermine has the potential to be misused because it acts like a stimulant drug called an amphetamine. Other possible side effects include an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, insomnia, constipation, and nervousness. Topiramate increases the risk of birth defects.

Phentermine by itself (Adipex-P, Lomaira) also is used for weight loss. It's one of four similar weight-loss drugs approved for use for less than 12 weeks, called short-term use. The other drugs in this group aren't often prescribed.

Semaglutide

Semaglutide also is used to help control type 2 diabetes. You take it as a weekly shot to manage obesity.

It can cause side effects such as:

• Nausea and vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Belly pain
• Headache
• Tiredness

Setmelanotide

The FDA has approved setmelanotide only for people age 6 and older who have obesity due to one of these rare inherited conditions:

• Pro-opiomelanocortin deficiency
• Proprotein subtilisin-kexin type 1 deficiency
• Leptin receptor deficiency

To take the drug, you'll need to have test results that show you have one of these conditions. Setmelanotide doesn't treat any of the gene problems that cause these conditions. But it can help you lose weight. It can lessen your appetite and make you feel fuller. And it may help you burn calories while your body is at rest.

You take setmelanotide as a daily shot. It can cause side effects such as:

• Swollen or irritated skin where the needle went in
• Patches of darker skin
• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Belly pain
• Unwanted sexual reactions
• Depression
• Suicidal thoughts

Never give setmelanotide to a child under 6 years old. It can cause newborns and babies to have dangerous reactions.

The bottom line

Weight-loss drugs aren't an easy answer to weight loss. But they may help you make the lifestyle changes that you need to practice to lose weight and improve your health.

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