weight gain with Celexa?

[skmorgan42]

Hi,

I've been taking Zoloft for the past year and a half for severe anxiety disorder and depression, with a 30 lb gain but level moods to show for it. When I say severe anxiety, I mean unable to drive on freeways, go to movie theatres, wait in line at the grocery store, etc. I also have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder with intrusive thoughts--don't really want to get into that but do need to know if anyone has switched SSRI's in order to curtail weight gain. From literature and my Dr's comments, Celexa is supposed to NOT cause weight gain. I've read otherwise when I did a search of this forum. Has anyone switched meds and had any success? I cannot function in a normal manner without my meds and the idea of switching (weaning off one and going on another) without any measurable difference in the weight loss division is simply not acceptable, esp. because I have a busy semester planned with work and grad classes.

Any advice would be appreciated. :)

Thanks

Susan

[Tzelish]

I've been on 40 mg Celexa a day since the Spring (Prozac before that, but it made me hyper) I've only been low-carbing since mid-September, but have lost 36 lbs. since then (and 9" from my waist). I doubt very much that I would be losing any faster without the medication. I didn't switch while on this WOE, though. Don't know if that would make a difference.

[Nems]

Hi Susan,

I know exactly what you mean by severe anxiety and OCD. Thank God mine is under control at this time. It can be a living nightmare. Zoloft worked a while for me (about 6 months) but then it quit. I'm one of those that meds quit working after about 6 months and then have to try new ones or combo thereof. If I didn't have to..believe me, I wouldn't change around my meds. I have talked to the docs many times about weight gain as a side affect and some say no and some say yes. It sucks. I even told one doc I wasn't going to take any mood stabilizers because I am sick of gaining weight. Little black mark went it my chart :D

I do believe everybody is different. What one med makes one person gain, the other person none at all. Makes no sense to me.

I currently take celexa and effexor combined with some others and there hasn't been any weight gain. Actually I held steady at 175 for about 2 years until I started Atkins and recently switched to CALP and have lost 10 pounds.

I wish I could say that I am willing to accept weight gain as long as I remain stable but it's not true. Sometimes it doesn't bother me and I think I have accepted it and other times I feel like a total fat pig. It all depends of my frame of mind for that particular day.

[lukenlarry]

I have taken celexa on and off for several years. I really do so much worse without it... But I am concerned that it helped me gain weight. I don't know for sure tho... My new doctor did not seem concerned at all about how much I weighed :confused: She said it was normal with antideppressants. I think however that my extra weight contributes to my depression. Arghhh. I wish I had some definite answers... for now I am sticking with celexa and atkins and will see if I lose weight. So far so good....

[Jaynee]

For what it is worth, I was on Celexa for 8 months for acute anxiety/depression and lost 20 pounds. Once I quit I gained most of it back. Mostly because after I quit Celexa I had such a terrible craving for sweets, mostly chocolate covered blueberries(which are also really expensive). I haven't really been able to lose that 20 pounds with exercise, since I still have such a terrible craving for sweets. I noticed with Celexa, that I didn't need to eat, I never got hungry or that awful low blood sugar level shaky thing that can happen to me.

I am going to try this Atkins diet and see what happens. My only concern is triggering my tendency towards depression/anxiety, by withdrawing from sugar.

Anyways, everyone is different with AD's, some loose lots of weight, some gain. My sister lost 60 pounds on prozac.