Does Dupixent cause weight gain?
Although weight gain is not listed as a side effect of Dupixent (dupilumab) in the product information, a published case series comparing 12 people prescribed Dupixent to 8 people prescribed methotrexate reported significant weight gain in those people prescribed Dupixent (an average of 6.1kg over one year; the amount of weight gained ranged from 0.1kg to 18.0kg) compared with no weight gain or a loss of weight in those prescribed methotrexate.
The authors concluded that this was an unexpected and unexplained side effect of Dupixent and recommended that physicians monitor patients for weight gain during Dupixent treatment and inform them of this possible side effect. They could not explain why Dupixent caused patients to gain weight. Anecdotally, people posting on blog sites have also reported weight gain as a side effect.
The most common side effects reported with Dupixent in the product information include:
- Injection site reactions (such as redness, pain, swelling at the injection site) experienced by 10% of people
- Conjunctivitis (inflammation of the conjunctiva of the eye) which includes conjunctivitis due to allergic, bacterial, or viral causes, giant papillary conjunctivitis, eye irritation, and eye inflammation experienced by 10% of people
- Oral herpes (cold sores) experienced by 4% of people
- Other herpes simplex virus infections, experienced by 2% of people
- Itchy eyes, experienced by 1% of people
- Dry eye, experienced by less than 1% of people
- Blepharitis (inflammation along the edges of the eyelids) experienced by less than 1% of people
- Keratitis (an inflammation of the cornea) experienced by less than 1% of people.
References
- Dupixent Prescribing Information https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2024/761055s064lbl.pdf
- Johansson EK, Ivert LU, Bradley B, et al. Weight gain in patients with severe atopic dermatitis treated with dupilumab: a case series. BMC Dermatology. DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-18421/v1 https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-18421/v1
Read next
Why do Dupixent injections hurt so much?
Dupixent (dupilumab) injections can cause discomfort for some people. The amount of discomfort people feel from injections can depend on many factors, including the temperature of the medication and individual pain tolerance. However, there are some things you can do to reduce pain and discomfort from your Dupixent injection. Continue reading
How fast does Dupixent work?
Dupixent (generic name: dupilumab) can start to work in 2 to 4 weeks to relieve symptoms associated with inflammatory conditions like eczema, asthma, and sinus swelling due to nasal polyps. In studies, improvements were seen at 12 weeks in some patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), prurigo nodularis and chronic spontaneous urticaria; at 16 weeks with bullous pemphigoid; and at 24 weeks for eosinophilic esophagitis.
Continue reading
Why does Dupixent cause eye problems?
Dupixent is associated with several different eye problems, including conjunctivitis, blepharitis, dry eyes, itchy eyes, and keratitis. The cause of the eye problems is thought to be due to Dupixent blocking interleukin-13 (IL-13), an inflammatory protein that also stimulates the production of goblet cells. Goblet cells are responsible for creating mucus in the eye and ensuring the stability of tears. So when Dupixent blocks IL-13 it also lowers the numbers of epithelial goblet cells leading to eye inflammation and eye problems. Continue reading
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