Antidepressants/anxiety meds and maintaining/slightly losing weight? Citalopram

breannanickerson
breannanickerson Posts: 2 Member
edited December 19 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi!
I’ve been put on a low dosage (10mg starting, then 20mg next week) of citalopram for my anxiety. I’m just starting to like where I’m getting at with my body (toning it up and maintaining a healthy weight) and I’m nervous that I’m going to lose this. What are your experience with antidepressants and weight, mainly citalopram? I am almost feeling more anxiety after reading all these articles online about this mediation.

Replies

  • Tiamarie619
    Tiamarie619 Posts: 9 Member
    breannanickerson wrote: »
    Hi!
    I’ve been put on a low dosage (10mg starting, then 20mg next week) of citalopram for my anxiety. I’m just starting to like where I’m getting at with my body (toning it up and maintaining a healthy weight) and I’m nervous that I’m going to lose this. What are your experience with antidepressants and weight, mainly citalopram? I am almost feeling more anxiety after reading all these articles online about this mediation.

    That's great you're toning up/maintaining a healthy weight! Are you worried about citalopram making you gain weight, or just your mental health affecting your weight? I've been on citalopram for years, quit cold turkey once (bad idea) and have never noticed any weight gain from it. I'm on 40mg.
  • tacticalhippie
    tacticalhippie Posts: 596 Member
    I am on 20 mg and losing pretty steadily.
    When I was on 40mg it was harder for me to lose, but I was dealing with so much more and it really was to strong of a dosage for me.

    When I talked to my dr about my weight gain at the time, she attributed it to the depression and too high dosage.

    TL; Dr
    The right dosage has helped me get back on track. So it doesn't necessarily cause weight gain.
  • savithny
    savithny Posts: 1,200 Member
    A loved one lost weight on citalopram, because when their mood improved, they moved more and got out and did things. IT's one of the drugs usually described as "weight neutral" in the literature.
    Some people gain a bit on it, some lose. It's not one of the ones that tends to result in gains for most.
  • puffbrat
    puffbrat Posts: 2,806 Member
    I have been on a different SSRI (Zoloft) for about 3 years and it has had no effect on my weight.
  • breannanickerson
    breannanickerson Posts: 2 Member
    Tiamarie619 wrote: »
    breannanickerson wrote: »
    Hi!
    I’ve been put on a low dosage (10mg starting, then 20mg next week) of citalopram for my anxiety. I’m just starting to like where I’m getting at with my body (toning it up and maintaining a healthy weight) and I’m nervous that I’m going to lose this. What are your experience with antidepressants and weight, mainly citalopram? I am almost feeling more anxiety after reading all these articles online about this mediation.

    That's great you're toning up/maintaining a healthy weight! Are you worried about citalopram making you gain weight, or just your mental health affecting your weight? I've been on citalopram for years, quit cold turkey once (bad idea) and have never noticed any weight gain from it. I'm on 40mg.

    Hi! Thanks for the reply! Im worried about the medication making me gain weight. I feel like I have a decent grip on eating with my mental health due to yoga/therapy helping me sort that out. But my anxiety in uni and such is getting overwhelming. Anyways, I’m concerned that maybe something is going to change and I’m going to have weird cravings or have a change in appetite. I’m just not sure what to expect, if anything is going to change at all physically.
  • 39flavours
    39flavours Posts: 1,494 Member
    I've been off and on SSRIs for twenty years, I've used sertraline, paroxetine, citalopram, fluoxetine. I have also struggled with gaining weight quite easily throughout this time. My experience with these drugs is that, for me, I tend to live my life at a calmer, slower pace when I am on them. I'm less energetic and also less concerned with my body image and health. There have been times when I've wondered whether my metabolism has been directly affected, particularly with the paroxetine, but I think really it's the way my behavior changes when I'm on them that has the real impact.
    My advice would be to make sure you're still logging your food as much as possible and still remaining active and busy. Don't let your NEAT go down or your calorie intake go up just because you're feeling happier and more content on the medication as it will hit you eventually and you'll have lost your progress.
    I've just weaned myself off of sertraline after taking it for two years, in which time I have gained 40lbs and my fitness has plummeted. I am finding I'm losing weight again now but at the same time feeling quite depressed and frustrated that I have done this to my body again! Good luck x
  • csplatt
    csplatt Posts: 1,206 Member
    I have been on this exact med for 10+ years and it has had zero effect on my weight.
  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,979 Member
    I've had depression/anxiety since I was a kid, I'm 44 now, and have been on multiple different SSRIs. Unfortunately, for me, it's a chemical issue and I'll always be on them. But, I've never had an issue with weight/appetite from any of them. I've been able to drop some pounds, run a couple bulk/cut cycles, and maintain while on Zoloft. I don't actually have any side effects from it.


  • must_deflate
    must_deflate Posts: 183 Member
    edited February 2019
    I was on Lexapro (escitalopram) for 10 years and gained 30 lbs. I should point out, however, that the weight didn't start packing on until after a year or so. I had never, ever before in my life had trouble maintaining a healthy weight. Eventually after NOTHING I did would enable me to lose weight and I was struggling just not to gain, I went off the Lexapro. It was a last, desperate resort. (I tapered down over a couple of weeks-- not cold turkey). I lost several pounds in the first few weeks with NO change in diet or exercise. I think that would be quite a remarkable coincidence, if a coincidence! No, I think Occam's razor would say there was a relationship between the weight gain and the Lexapro intake.

    Having said that, I would NOT advise changing antidepressants once you have started if it is working for you and you're not gaining weight. But if you do gain weight, get the doctor to change your prescription to another SSRI or perhaps Wellbutrin. Don't let him/her try to tell you SSRI's cannot cause weight gain, because in some people they can, especially if they take it a long time. And it depends on the specific drug, too. I am now on Prozac and it works for me and I am still slowly but successfully shedding the 30 lbs.

    I am a bit angry that my doctor did not suggest changing antidepressants several years earlier when I first complained of the weight gain. I think doctors figure "better fat and happy than lean and depressed". I get that, but there are other options besides those two!! Especially when the weight starts to push into unhealthy territory!
  • daniwilford
    daniwilford Posts: 1,030 Member
    Personally I have lost and gained weight on SSRI's. When they are working well and I am feeling normal, I lose weight. If they have lost their effectiveness like Paxil did for me, I gained weight. When I am depressed I don't care about my health, I don't feel like exercising, and eat for comfort. I did therapy for years but the right drug or combination of drugs is what helps me feel normal.
  • cm6269
    cm6269 Posts: 6 Member
    I’ve taken this exact medication for 4 years and it causes no weight gain.
  • rhunwelshbowman
    rhunwelshbowman Posts: 37 Member
    edited February 2019
    My Anxiety causes big spikes in my BP so I am put on Atenolol (beta blocker) and Amlodipine. These medications make me feel so bad. This all got real bad when I started the beta blocker! I do some serious DDP yoga and only take in about 1500 calories daily and the scales wont budge. Very frustrated, seeing the GP this week. I just never was meant to be this overweight. I am soldiering on though and working like crazy to lose the podge.
  • JenniferAndres
    JenniferAndres Posts: 28 Member
    I’m on Lexapro (20mg.) and Wellbutrin XL (150mg) all I can tell you is, is I am more apt to taking care of myself when on them. I don’t think it’s the drug that’s caused my weight gain(I was big and getting bigger before I was on them).
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