Citalopram and weight gain / loss

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MaryEliz10
MaryEliz10 Posts: 13
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been taking citalopram for years for anxiety / depression and I have no idea whether it has any effect on weight gain / loss but I'd love to know what other people think.

I see a lot about anti d's and how they can speed up weight gain / slow down weight loss. I take between 20-40mg per day.

Replies

  • julieannebyrom
    julieannebyrom Posts: 205 Member
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    I'm on citalpram too, I take 20mg a day. I don't think it has affected my weight, I started to gain weight 5 months after starting it but I think that was more to do with diet and lifeastyle than medication. I'd be interested to hear what others think of this as well?
  • g_warne
    g_warne Posts: 28
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    I'm on a different antidepressant but have found no effect on weight-loss or gain. I've started and stopped several over the years and never found my weight effected.
  • Munchiemooka
    Munchiemooka Posts: 176 Member
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    bump
  • FTIM2015
    FTIM2015 Posts: 460 Member
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    I'm on 20mg citalopram a day too and have found no effect on weight loss or gain (don't get me started on the depro nova contraceptive injection though!)
  • dahough79
    dahough79 Posts: 1
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    I am also on Citalopram. 40mg a day. And I myself have had some weight gain. I mentioned it to my doctor. He said that Citalopram you can gain weight and retain it. It makes it harder to lose the weight. But all in all I believe as in any medication they may affect everyone differently.
  • kezereth
    kezereth Posts: 41
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    I have been on Citalopram and didnt find it had any affect on my eating habits. However, now i am on 45mg Mirtazapine daily and have been for about 2 and a half years and i can almost say hand on heart that i have noticed an increase in appetite since taking it. Drugs are individual things, and affect different people in different ways. So it is entirely possible that this may be one of the side effects that YOU are experiencing as an individual. However, i have lost weight whilst taking Mirtazapine in the past, so i also believe that as long as you are consciously controlling your eating habits, that it can be beaten and controlled. Like most things, it takes a bit of will power.

    However, with that will power, and correct diet and exercise, i often find that this will not only help you loose weight, but help you feel good about yourself, once you get all that good seratonin released from exercise and nutrients from good food. It's good to help combat the depression. It's a win / win situation.

    Persevere :)
  • helenium
    helenium Posts: 546 Member
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    Newer SSRIs (of which citalopram is one) have fewer side effects and generally weight gain is not something major on the list. At least, when I'm prescribed my fluoxetine (another SSRI) I'm not warned about the weight gain, whereas when I'm prescribed risperidone (an antipsychotic) they tell me in advance THIS WILL MAKE YOU FATTER! (however it causes a change in appetite, not metabolism - so it is fully controllable).

    Older antidepressants, like mirtazapine (someone mentioned this one) have more side effects and weight gain is one of them. They are usually prescribed if SSRIs and other drugs fail nowadays.

    On a side note, when I took mirtazapine it didn't last more than two days - on day 2 I had terrible vertigo and was throwing up every few hours! Can't be certain it was related, but it would be odd to have my only ever attack of vertigo on the same day I try mirtazapine for the first time. Coincidences do happen though.
  • Kirsty_UK
    Kirsty_UK Posts: 964 Member
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    I took citalopram for a few years, ranging from 10-20mg dosage. I did gain weight, but that was because I was depressed, inside a lot, no exercise, and snacking like crazy. Once I had a handle on my mood, I don't think the medication effected my weight. Pretty sure it was just the depression that did that!
  • Watch_Me_Shrink
    Watch_Me_Shrink Posts: 24 Member
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    I have been taking citalopram for about 9 years now and I have not noticed it have any effect at all on my weight. Loss gain or retention. I think it's really an individual thing, everyone responds to medications differently. If weight gain is a problem, then seenif you could try something else, speak to your doctor.

    Oh and edited to add, I take 40mg a day.
    An also, stay away from seroquel if it is ever prescribed to you. It made me bloat like crazy!!! I gained 25 kilos and looked like a balloon I was so bloated!! However seroquel is a mood stabilizer not an anti depressant... But thought I'd mention it anyway :)

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