Can medications slow the weight loss down?
You will need to stop taking any unnecessary over-the-counter medications, such as cough syrup or cough drops, antacids, sleep aids, antihistamines or laxatives. Many prescription medications also inhibit weight loss, among them birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy, steroids and anti-arthritis medications, beta-blockers and antidepressants. Talk to your doctor to see if an alternative approach can be found. You can also refer to Dr. Atkins. Vita-Nutrient Solution (Fireside, 1998) for more natural approaches to deal with your symptoms. There are also several categories of drugs that can cause adverse effects when taken while on a controlled carbohydrate eating plan. First are the diuretics, because reducing your carbohydrate intake alone can have a dramatic diuretic effect. Second, since Atkins is so effective at lowering high blood sugar, people who take insulin or oral diabetes medications that control blood sugar can end up with dangerously low blood sugar levels. You
