I've been on it for 9 days and have gained six pounds
Has anyone experienced rapid weight gain on Linzess?
Question posted by bloatedgirl on 5 March 2013
Last updated on 14 September 2023 by loopafied
72 Answers
loopafied
15 Sep 2023
I've been taking Linzess every day, since 2013. I maintain a consistent weight to when I first began taking the medication. It's better than the alternative.
Inactive
6 May 2023
I'm on Linzess&On Align&on metamucil you can get metamucil&Align at places like Walmart or Walgreens&Linzess is post to cause you to loose weight but each person is different if you are on Linzess for IBS&if your doctor has you on it for everyday you might be experiencing bloating&bloating is one of the symptoms of IBS& Align can stop the bloating please ask your doctor if he/or she should hv you taking the Linzess every other day&if your doctor still wants you taking the Linzess everyday ask your doctor if you should be taking Align as well&Also when I have diarrhea my doctor has me taking the Linzess every other day&when I do not have the diarrhea&when I am dealing with constipation my doctor has me taking it every day &Also metamucil can help with cholesterol&sugar levels that has helped me loose weight so please always ask your doctor about this & hope this helps! :)
sunshine1959
9 July 2021
The weight slowly comes off. Read up on the probiotic L. Gasseri. It REALLY helps adjust everything and helps manage appetite.
I don’t understand why Linezz does this but it also had a profound stimulating effect on my bowels. I did not like that but did get great relief also… Now on Zelnorm + Colon cleanse. Get relief without the bloating.
I thought I read somewhere that when you get diarrhea like Linezz induced the body senses the loss of fluid and tries to compensate for the loss of fluids by retaining fluids. About twice a month I get desperate and end of having to take Linezz and I fallow up with a diuretic. Keeps the bloating at bay. DO NOT do this without MD consult first! Otherwise you could get in serious trouble ( cardiac). Maybe an herbal diuretic would be better.
Take a deep breath, the weight WILL slowly come off.
D
BlondieGirl101
9 July 2021
Hi everyone! I just want to say how glad I am that I found this community online. In March of 2020, I got the Kyleena IUD and it caused me to suffer from TERRIBLE constipation. I started on Linzess in August 2020 on the 290 MG dose and also started taking Lactulose twice a day. I suffered from SO much bloating and gas and struggled to fight weight gain ever since then! I am not sure if it was the IUD or the medications fault, or a combination of all of them. I just got my IUD out two months ago and am working on weaning myself off of linzess to see if this helps. I am very distressed because I never had a problem with weight gain, and I feel like I don't eat over 1,600 calories for being 23 years old and 5'6. Please help! Did the weight gain come off for everyone else?
AlisaAnn
25 May 2021
I was on Linzess for several weeks. Neither my diet nor my exercise routine changed, but I gained 10 pounds! My flat tummy bulged as if I was growing a baby bump. But the worst thing about Linzess was that I pood my pants when asleep at night! Months and months later, I have lost most of the weight and my tummy is a bit flatter. It’s extremely expensive, a total waste of money!!
Linzessrevenge
25 May 2021
I was the thinnest I had ever been when I started taking linzess almost exactly 1 year ago. I took it for one month and stopped because I knew it had to be the cause of my rapid weight gain, that and it didn’t work at all and made me feel horrible and bloated. I have still not lost the weight. I’d guess it’s about 10 lbs. enraged doesn’t even begin to describe it. I’m livid. I would 100% not have tried this medication if I had known about this side effect that seems to be so common. Why isn’t it listed? Can we sue? I want them to pay for this.
Mcpeppers
16 March 2021
I've been taking Linzess on and off for 3 years now for IBS. I guess it does have that bloating and retaining fluid effect. I've gained 15 lbs since taking Linzess. Then I was diagnosed with general edema so I have to keep several sizes of clothing because of the bloating and water retention issues. I could gain up 5 to 11 pounds in 1 day. I'm currently trying the celery juice drink for a week now, so far I'm happy. My edema is going down, my digestive system feels better. Before celery juice, my belly is hard and distended. It is still hard and distended but not as much a week before and I could really feel my stomach is getting better. Like what I've said, I just started celery juicing for a week and I am getting a lot of relief from it. I can handle the detoxing effect - it's getting lesser each day.
I just feel the need to share my experience because I know there are thousands of people who are suffering like me who tried almost anything including coffee enema. You don't have to believe me, but with the relief I'm getting from celery juice slowly healing my gut and allergy problems (food and environmental) - I am very humbled and thankful with the relief I'm expecting and this is my littke way of giving back by sharing my experience and hoping to help people. It 's only been a week I'm drinking celery juice. I stopped Linzess while on this program.. I'll come back here in 3 weeks to give you an update about my IBS and celery juice drink journey.
cleo130
14 March 2021
I have been taking Linzess for years, and don't remember any weight gain or bloating. I have a torturous colon, so when I have a colonoscopy I have to do a two day prep, which involves Magnesium Citrate and Miralax the first day and the prescription prep the 2nd. Rarely do I feel emptied out. I went to Shands hospital at UCF for a 2nd opinion, and the doctor thought I had IBD rather than IBS. He wanted me to take Miralax 3 times a day since I was so constipated, and that seemed to work better for me than Linzess. I do know that 290mg is the recommended amount for IBS with constipation. I have struggled with constipation since I was born, and I wish the loop in my colon could be fixed, but I know that adhesions are possible when any abdominal surgery is performed. I have had my gallbladder removed and later on an appendectomy. The other day I was so constipated and miserable that I tried Miralax 3 times a day.
It worked great, but after the solid stool came diarrhea for 2 days. I am going to go back to taking Miralax once daily and talking with my Gastroenterologist about stopping the Linzess and maybe trying Amitiza. I am due for my colonoscopy anyway, and because my father died from colon cancer, my sisters and I are very diligent on keeping up with our tests. Oh to have normal bowel function, if there is such a thing!
Hosea1977
13 March 2021
I was on this medication approximately five years ago and I experienced severe weight gain. To the point I had to stop taking the medicine. When I first noticed it was after my first dosage. I took the dosage as prescribed and the next day literally the next day the pants always fit me no longer fitted me. I decided to continue the dosing as prescribed thinking maybe it was just a fluke. So I took the medicine I gave the next day and again the pants that I could get in the day before or now also too small. I contacted my physician and told him I think the medicine is causing me weight gain he denied it and said it wasn’t from that but I knew it worse and I quit taking it. It was hard enough trying to lose weight without medication playing a part in the gain but to then try to lose weight that was caused by medication was hard. Because now I was fighting my love for food as well as medication side effects.
AlisaAnn
2 Sep 2020
Yes!! I have been on Linzess for two months, and I have gained five pounds! My tummy, which I used to keep flat with sit-ups, is bulging! Sometimes, my tummy sticks out further than my tiny chi chi's which have also swelled! My doctor has lowered the dose twice, but the swelling and weight gain continues. Not sure what to do. The pills have cost $230.00 to $330.00 per month, and with the changes in doses, I have close to two bottles left! What happens with my poop problem if I stop? Any advice, please?!
maeverob
2 Sep 2020
Glad to hear my previous post gave you some hope! All bodies are different, and everyone's IBS is different, but from my own personal experience, I stopped Linzess by weaning myself slowly off of it over an 8-9 month period (it probably could've been done faster, but I wanted to be extra sure my bowels were okay since they'd been messed up a few years at that point). First I would only take Linzess every other day, then every 2 days, then every 3, moving on to less days with Linzess the more comfortable I felt without it. My GI doctor eventually told me to just go off of it since I was only taking Linzess once a week and having natural bowel movements without the medication. My IBS was practically cured afterwards (and I started losing weight not too long after too). I started having natural bowel movements again for the first time in years.
Occasionally, I would get a constipation flare-up every few months, but I just took a double dose of Miralax when that happened and that did the trick. I have gone 1.5 years without a flare-up now and have not used any laxatives in that time either. My bowels still sometimes slow but they start speeding up again with just normal natural remedies, like drinking lots of water, eating high fiber, exercising. Definitely consider weaning off the meds with those last few bottles and see if your body is feeling comfortable not being on the meds as much. As much as I hated gaining a bunch of weight on Linzess, the pay-off was worth it.
AlisaAnn
3 Sep 2020
Thank you so much for responding to my post! I have not been regular for months! Regardless of the dose, it was always liquidy. My doctor's response: Linzess has been reported to cause abdominal distention in 2-3% of patients. It's not our diet, it is real! He advised that I stop completely and try Miralax again, which did not work at all and made me feel worse. So I won't. I am considering Senokot Fruity Gummies! Thank you, again, for sharing your success story!
maeverob
30 June 2020
I took Linzess from July 2016-March 2018 and specifically remember looking at this thread because I was experiencing this side effect. I went from 105 to 135 lbs in the time I took Linzess (for context, I am a 5'2" female and was 17 when I began taking the medication). I had a relatively fast metabolism before taking this medication, but when on Linzess, I just could not stop gaining weight and found I could only lose the weight by practically starving myself and excessively exercising. I talked to my doctor about it, but she merely attributed it to diet. It was definitely the Linzess. Thankfully, I lost 15 lbs in the year following coming off the medication with very little effort, just my normal diet and exercise routine, and I've found my metabolism is back to normal.
(I did not shed all the weight because I was slightly underweight when I began Linzess and the weight I am at now is much healthier for me.) Linzess worked great for my IBS, and I am now practically symptom-free, but it really is a risky trade considering you will swell up like a balloon while on it.
AlisaAnn
2 Sep 2020
I greatly appreciate your post. It is encouraging to read that after you stopped taking Linzess, you lost the weight. I gained five pounds in two months. I am also petite, so five pounds is a lot for our tiny frames. My normally flat tummy is bulging! I am hopful that I will return to normal now that I have stopped taking Linzess. I don't know if my IBS is cured, but I'd rather take a laxative than look like a beached whale! Thank you for giving me hope!
Memorylapse2
13 Dec 2019
I've lost 15 lbs. I've gone from 136 to 121 and keep losing. I'm small anyway and now I'm getting worried.
SHERRI524
3 Nov 2019
I gained 10 pounds within the first 5 days I was taking it.
BodeTill
12 Sep 2019
I can't say much yet, as I just started this recently and I don't know how it will play out. What I can say is that I took it at first, for about 2 weeks, with minimal success. Then, after talking to my GYN, changed the way I was taking it. Three days in a row it's been perfect. Fingers crossed this continues. I have suffered for so many years with this. To the point where I know I was hurting myself by taking Dulcolax at least once a week... most of the time two times. She suggested taking it 10 minutes before breakfast everyday with a full glass of water. Worked like a charm. The doctor that originally prescribed it didn't suggest anything, really. Just said to take it at night or in the morning. So, if it's not working for you, try 10 minutes prior to breakfast! Hopefully this will help you too!
Staylor1982
10 April 2019
I gained 20lbs since october. I took myself off of it 3 weeks ago. And now im struggling to get it off.
Related topics
weight loss (obesity/overweight), weight, medication, linzess
Further information
- Linzess uses and safety info
- Linzess prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Linzess (detailed)
Similar questions
Search for questions
Still looking for answers? Try searching for what you seek or ask your own question.