1. Community
  2. Brain and nerves
  3. Citalopram

Another Citalopram vs. weight gain dilemma ..

Posted , 3 users are following.

Jimbo75
Jimbo75

Hi all, this is my first post, so apologies if this has been covered a million times already!

I've been on cit for 10 months or so, and the results have been positive, all great.

About 4 months ago I was up'd to 30mg. Since then I've put on nearly 1.5 stone. I've always watched my weight, and exercise regulary. My dr recommended more walking and more salads. This has just helped to slow the weight gain slightly. 

My dilemma is that deep down I know I should stay on the 30mg, but my anxiety around my weight wants me to reduce to 20mg again, just to drop my weight down again.

Has anyone else considered or weighed up the pros & cons? It feels like I'm been torn apart a little here... I want to continue to get better, but can I deal with the side effect? I don't know...

All advice welcome wink

Jimbo

0 likes, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • katecogs
    katecogs Jimbo75

    Posted

    Hi Jimbo

    I recovered on 20mg many years ago, and continued on that dose.  Eventually I reduced it to 10mg and continued on that with continued success.

    Why did you have your dose increased to 30mg if you were having positive results though?  You could in time reduce by 5mg for a few months and see how you feel, and then perhaps reduce it by another 5mg after that, bringing you back down to 20mg.

    I've not had weight gain on this medication, but of course we are all different.

    Hope that helps xxx

     

    • Jimbo75
      Jimbo75 katecogs

      Posted

      Thanks Kate, I was increased as the 20mg wasn't quite enough to level my depression out enough. Since I've been on 30, it's been much more manageable. It just that the weight gain isn't helping my head, like a vicious circle really. My dr has warned me of reducing just to reverse the weight gain, and I totally get that. But .. I still can't get away from the fact that the weight gain is having a bad effect on my state of mind. Hope I'm making sense! Thanks for replying smile
    • katecogs
      katecogs Jimbo75

      Posted

      Yes I totally get what you're saying :-)  It's so annoying when weight becomes an issue if the meds have caused it.

      How long were you taking 20mg for?  I do often find people get their meds increased too soon before the dose they're on is given time to settle.  Most people go through a period of feeling good, then down, up, down ......... and it's when you're down you get foxed into thinking the meds aren't working and increase the dose.  This is just normal though and given time, the down times get less and eventually peter out.  Took me around 6 months before these down times (setbacks) petered out.

      We're all different of course and different doses suit different people.

      So unfair isn't it - we find help with medication and then it gives us other problems sad

       

    • kim71543
      kim71543 katecogs

      Posted

      I have gained a great deal of weight since being on 20mgs citalopram. I am going to come off it over the next coupleof weeks and am wondering if it will go off. I have read some say it never does. Do you know anyone who has lost it when they came off it.

       

    • katecogs
      katecogs kim71543

      Posted

      No I don't know anyone personally who has lost weight since coming off SSRI's.  I've read on this site that a few people have had a problem with weight - wonder if any of them have come off it.

      When I came off Citalopram I found it easier to lose a few lbs, and since restarting it last August I feel a few lbs heavier, but think that might have been due to Christmas.  Though a few lbs isn't much, it did feel different for me.

      I wonder if you might find a weight change on a reduced doseage - might be worth a try.

      K xx

       

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.