Citalopram - weight gain

[AKP79]

Hi

I've been prescribed Citalopram for depression and anxiety, which it has definitely been helping with, but since taking the tablets I have had an issue with weight gain - or really weight loss.

I am a couple of stone overweight and about two weeks before I started on the tablets I decided to undergo an exercise and healthy eating regime. I have a friend who is a personal trainer and she has completely taken me under her wing. I'm loving the exercise and my fitness has increased hugely. I track my eating and am sticking to a calorie limit with very healthy foods. However, over the last two and a half months I have gained 3lbs.

It's very demoralising and is really starting to get me down, I'm putting in 110% and getting nowhere. My friend/PT has spent a lot of time analysing my diet and my weekly work outs and there is no reason why I shouldn't be losing weight, which leaves us wondering if it's the antidepressants?

Has anyone else experienced anything similar? I'm calling the doctors today to see if I can get an appointment to discuss it further.

Thanks

That must be really frustrating. I've taken a few different ssri's (most recently citalopram) and unfortunately had the same experience, sorry I'm not much help. Hope you manage to find a solution that works for you

In a way it's comforting to know I'm not alone! Thanks for replying xx

I have just started on citalapram and I cant stop eating

To put it bluntly, if you are gaining weight then you are eating too much. The body can't magic fat up out of thin air, there must be excess calories being consumed.

The citalopram may be increasing your appetite though.

Are you calorie counting, weighing / measuring food, etc?

No it can't, but if you had read my original post you would see that I am calorie counting, eating healthily and exercising regularly all under the guidance of a professional nutritionalist and PT. I'm not as stupid as to think I am gaining weight out of nowhere, but I think it's very simplistic and if I may be blunt, a little arrogant, to think that I'm eating too much.

Therefore, I have been left with the conclusion that perhaps the tablets are having an impact. I had wondered if they can have an effect on metabolic rates, thyroid etc and am seeking advice on whether others had had similar experiences.

I'm seeing my doctor in a couple of weeks, so hopefully she will help.

I think it's very simplistic and if I may be blunt, a little arrogant, to think that I'm eating too much.

Except it isn't. If you are gaining weight you must have a calorie surplus. You are eating more calories than you need, it is that simple. An extreme example but if you were forced to eat absolutely noting for the next 2.5 months do you really think you would gain another 3lbs....?

The reason I mentioned weighing and measuring food is because in my experience many people who think they are following a perfect calorie controlled diet are often still under estimating portions eaten and measuring food precisely can help. Another issue can be simply over estimating the calories burned from exercise.

I'm on Citalopram and after the first few weeks it certainly stimulated my appetite. I've managed to keep my weight stable, though, by managing calorie balance (a few pounds up and down). So for me I mostly can control the appetite fluctuations, though it's not easy, and the citalopram doesn't seem to have altered my metabolism.