Anyone taking Citalopram finding it hard to lose weight?

frankbegbie

Well-Known Member
Messages
173
I've been taking Citalopram for the past few years for anxiety.
Just wondering if this is preventing me from losing weight on the HFLC diet?

Only asking because before I found out I was Type2 I've tried to lose weight before , (the conventional way),
but never had any success.

I've been on the HFLC diet for over 2 weeks but nothing seems to be happening yet.

Am I wasting my time as long as I'm taking Citalopram?
 

Zastro

Well-Known Member
Messages
53
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Anti-depressants are notorius for causing weight gain, one of the most common one that's normally blamed is Celexa aka Citalopram. There are Anti-depressants that are weight neutral, see the list below

  • escitalopram (Lexapro, Cipralex), an SSRI
  • duloxetine (Cymbalta), another SSRI
  • buproprion (Wellbutrin, Forfivo, and Aplenzin), an atypical antidepressant
  • nefazodone (Serzone), a serotonin antagonist and reuptake inhibitor
  • venlafaxine (Effexor) and venlafaxine ER (Effexor XR), which are both serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)
  • desvenlafaxine (Pristiq), an SNRI
  • levomilnacipran (Fetzima), another SNRI
  • vilazodone (Viibryd), a serotonergic antidepressant
  • vortioxetine (Trintellix), an atypical antidepressant
  • selegiline (Emsam), a newer MAOI that you apply to your skin, which may lead to fewer side effects than MAOIs taken by mouth

I've had personal experience with Duloxetine and I can confirm that it's certainly not caused any weight gain for me.
 

Prem51

Expert
Messages
7,393
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
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I've been on the HFLC diet for over 2 weeks but nothing seems to be happening yet.
It can take 3-4 weeks before LCHF kicks in and you start losing weight. That was how it happened with me, but after 4 weeks I was losing 1 - 1.5 lbs a week. I was on Fluoxetine (Prozac).
 

Polgara

Well-Known Member
Messages
692
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I started taking citralopram in May - it had no effect at all on my weight loss. I low carb, but I do also watch the amount of fat I and eating - so perhaps that makes a difference?

Sent from my HTC 10 using Diabetes.co.uk Forum mobile app
 
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Zastro

Well-Known Member
Messages
53
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
The vast majority of weight gain is caused by the anti-depressants in ways such as affecting your eating habits, suppressing the feeling of "being full" and of course direct intake of the drugs for example. Also it takes a good amount of time to find the SSRI/SNRI that works for you as an individual and I recommend you speak to your GP before making any decisions on medication
 

zand

Master
Messages
10,784
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I have taken citalopram for 3 years. I was ravenously hungry for the first few weeks but after that things settled down. I have struggled to lose weight for years but I don't think citalopram has made any difference to the problem.
 

KELI

Well-Known Member
Messages
82
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I was on citalopram for a year a few years ago. It didn't cause weight gain but I did have problems with my sight.
 

wiflib

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,966
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
What are you eating? It may be helpful for us to see what your diet has been like.