I take Meloxicam which is pretty similar to Naproxen, and I need to take it basically for the rest of my life. I can't say I have noticed any unexplained weight gains and I only notice bloating when I ate a lot of bread. One of the recorded side effects of Naproxen is:-
swelling or rapid weight gain, little or no urinating;
which suggests to me that it encourages water retention so why don't you treat water retention, some natural at home ways of treating it are:
1. avoid salt
2. Eat foods with diuretic properties
. There is a long list of diuretic foods and some of the more well-known foods include celery, lettuce, carrots, onion, asparagus, tomato and cucumber.
3. Consume daily vitamins that can aid in reducing fluid retention
. You can either take vitamin capsules or get the vitamins by selecting food sources known to be high in the relevant vitamins. In particular, watch for:
- Vitamin B6: This is known to reduce the effects of fluid retention, especially in mild cases such as fluid retention due to premenstrual syndrome. Large quantities of vitamin B6 can be found in foods such as red meat, salmon, tuna, bananas and brown rice.
- Vitamin B5, vitamin B1 and vitamin D: These vitamins will reduce water retention. They can be found in foods such as fresh fruits and low-fat dairy.
- Supplement minerals such as calcium, magnesium, manganese and potassium can help with water retention as well. These minerals are known to act as mild diuretics to help the body release excess water. Calcium is found in yogurt, milk and dark leafy greens like spinach. Potassium helps the body to get rid of excess fluid in the body, but also stabilizes the amount of sodium within the body. Potassium is found in fruit such as citrus and melons.
4. Avoid drinks that will dehydrate the body such as tea, coffee and alcohol
. Consuming it will only dehydrate you and worsen fluid retention.
- Switch to fruit and herbal tea and coffee varieties, such as peppermint tea, lemon tea and dandelion coffee.
- In place of alcohol, try non-alcoholic counterparts, such as non-alcoholic beer or non-alcoholic ciders.
5. Drink plenty of water.
6. Try herbal remedies.
7. Exercise more.
It sounds like you won't be on Naproxen forever so the above might help as a temporary solution. If you notice any unexplained heartburn pains then get your doctor to prescribe a PPI as long term use of NSAIDs like Napoxen can in some cases lead to stomach bleeds.
Good luck hun x