Anxiety meds and weight gain

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raven56706
raven56706 Posts: 918 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
so im on the generic version of celexa called Citalophram. It has helped me and kept me at ease. I wasnt severe or anything but my doctor gave it a shot to see if it controls my breathing habits(stop thinking about my breathing)

But since then i have gained weight and thats with following the mfp goals. Recently i injured my ankle and havent been able to workout or anything. Not blaming the ankle for the weight gain but i have been thinking of possibly getting off the meds. Reasoning being that im slowly getting depressed with the weight gain. No matter what i did, nothing would slow down the weight. I gained 20lbs and its showing in my pants.

just wondering if anyone was able to lose weight with these type of meds or this one in particular
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Replies

  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,598 Member
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    That one put 30 pounds on my butt in 3 months. It put 50 pounds on my husband. Talk to your doctor and see if s/he thinks that Escitalopram (a left handed molecule of what you're taking now) would be an appropriate substitution. It doesn't usually make people fat like Citalopram does, but it works just as well.
  • raven56706
    raven56706 Posts: 918 Member
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    gothchiq wrote: »
    That one put 30 pounds on my butt in 3 months. It put 50 pounds on my husband. Talk to your doctor and see if s/he thinks that Escitalopram (a left handed molecule of what you're taking now) would be an appropriate substitution. It doesn't usually make people fat like Citalopram does, but it works just as well.
    gothchiq wrote: »
    That one put 30 pounds on my butt in 3 months. It put 50 pounds on my husband. Talk to your doctor and see if s/he thinks that Escitalopram (a left handed molecule of what you're taking now) would be an appropriate substitution. It doesn't usually make people fat like Citalopram does, but it works just as well.

    did you end up losing the weight?
  • bellaa_x0
    bellaa_x0 Posts: 1,062 Member
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    i take Escitalopram and my weight issues have/had no direct correlation... it is likely that yours don't either. You don't have to exercise to lose weight. Are you weighing and logging ALL of your food? Many anti-axiety/anti-depression meds cause people to start over-eating due to side effects.
  • raven56706
    raven56706 Posts: 918 Member
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    bellaa_x0 wrote: »
    i take Escitalopram and my weight issues have/had no direct correlation... it is likely that yours don't either. You don't have to exercise to lose weight. Are you weighing and logging ALL of your food? Many anti-axiety/anti-depression meds cause people to start over-eating due to side effects.

    i take citalopram. And at the time of the weight gain i was but i havent since.
  • bellaa_x0
    bellaa_x0 Posts: 1,062 Member
    edited June 2016
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    raven56706 wrote: »
    bellaa_x0 wrote: »
    i take Escitalopram and my weight issues have/had no direct correlation... it is likely that yours don't either. You don't have to exercise to lose weight. Are you weighing and logging ALL of your food? Many anti-axiety/anti-depression meds cause people to start over-eating due to side effects.

    i take citalopram. And at the time of the weight gain i was but i havent since.

    Talk to your doctor then, but it looks like 1-10% of people experience weight gain/loss due to the meds.

    https://drugs.com/sfx/citalopram-side-effects.html
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    If you hurt your ankle and are moving less, not only are you not getting the calorie burn from your workouts, your NEAT has probably decreased. I may need to adjust calories.
  • bellaa_x0
    bellaa_x0 Posts: 1,062 Member
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    not sure when you stopped logging (or why), but your diary is pretty much empty since the end of April.
  • raven56706
    raven56706 Posts: 918 Member
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    yep. im about to decrease them until i go back to the gym. im in a walking boot currently.

    I gained weight ever since i took the pill. Crazy thing though, i got a physical and checked everything. All looks fine. How the f am i gaining weight? im not overeating because i checked everything to the T and still i gained weight.
  • raven56706
    raven56706 Posts: 918 Member
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    VintageFeline wrote: »
    Neither of those medications magically make your body use calories differently or change your metabolism. What they can do is increase your appetite, a known side effect of many psych meds. It just boils down to you eating too much, knowingly or unknowingly. I've been on some of the most notorious psych meds for weight gain and yes I gained weight but it was because I was eating too much.

    I know the side effects will list weight gain but it;s a simplified way of saying that it increases appetite which can lead to weight gain. If you are meticulous about your intake it will have absolutely no impact on weight loss or gain. Controlling your appetite is the thing to worry about.

    see i get that but i did follow and still didnt lose weight. Thats why im dumbfounded.


    Has anyone lost weight while on citalopram?
  • healthykaitlin
    healthykaitlin Posts: 91 Member
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    I didn't gain any weight on citalopram, however it did cause me to become very exhausted. I would just have an open convo with your doctor about trying something different.... It's not a great idea imo to tell someone "try this instead" because what works for someone else might not work for you, so ignore that & instead tell your doctor the issues you're having & they will try to find the best option for you.
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
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    Taking the medication itself doesn't cause weight gain. It does cause increased appetite, though. It happened to me, so keeping the appetite control was a way to keep the peace.
  • raven56706
    raven56706 Posts: 918 Member
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    healthykaitlin wrote: »
    I didn't gain any weight on citalopram, however it did cause me to become very exhausted. I would just have an open convo with your doctor about trying something different.... It's not a great idea imo to tell someone "try this instead" because what works for someone else might not work for you, so ignore that & instead tell your doctor the issues you're having & they will try to find the best option for you.

    yep.. thats unfortunately what i will have to do
  • raven56706
    raven56706 Posts: 918 Member
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    thanks for all the info.

    i just find it odd that when i was hardcore logging everything, there was no moving. nothing. i gained regardless
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
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    raven56706 wrote: »
    thanks for all the info.

    i just find it odd that when i was hardcore logging everything, there was no moving. nothing. i gained regardless

    Have you been weighing all your solid and semi solid food on a food scale in grams? That includes anything prepackaged into single servings, individual ingredients in recipes and sandwiches, cooking oils, and measuring all liquids ingested?
  • flcl2121
    flcl2121 Posts: 5 Member
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    the pills won't fix your anxiety issues, only mask them. Find a healthy way to overcome anxiety and stop letting big pharma poison your body
  • dlkfox
    dlkfox Posts: 463 Member
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    flcl2121 wrote: »
    the pills won't fix your anxiety issues, only mask them. Find a healthy way to overcome anxiety and stop letting big pharma poison your body

    Ignore that! Clearly written by someone who has not suffered mental illness.
  • MissusMoon
    MissusMoon Posts: 1,900 Member
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    flcl2121 wrote: »
    the pills won't fix your anxiety issues, only mask them. Find a healthy way to overcome anxiety and stop letting big pharma poison your body

    4feskv80ubpx.jpg
  • raven56706
    raven56706 Posts: 918 Member
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    flcl2121 wrote: »
    the pills won't fix your anxiety issues, only mask them. Find a healthy way to overcome anxiety and stop letting big pharma poison your body

    just curious why you think this?

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