celexa

I am also still waiting to hear if anyone has an answer to weight loss after not taking the pills. I have stopped for 6 weeks now and I am still gaining weight. I was only on it for 6 months and in that time I put on 5kg, and now that I am off it I was hoping to start losing weight but I have put on another kg!!!
Does anyone know when the weight will start to drop off??

I started six weeks ago on celexa. my doctor wanted me to start with 20mg, but i dont like meds. i went on it for four.. days of 20mg. Not a good move felt sick. so i decided to go on very slow. I took 5 for two weeks then 10 for week half then 15mg for a week now im on 20 for two days . feeling not to bad yet most side afects went away. staying on 20mg for now . stick with it ,go slow its worth it. this is the first one i have been on with less side afects good luck

sorry yes i lost weight 10 lb. i like that im not wanting junk food

Canadian Eh wrote:

I had taken Wellbutrin for several months(along with Celexa) because I was concerned about lack of libido. The doctor agreed I should try it. After about 3 months I had gained over 25 lbs, for someone my size of 160 lbs it was noticable, I always felt so fat. I stopped taking wellbutrin because I didnt notice any difference in my libido, still slow at "getting there". I lost the 25lbs in another month and I am back to normal weight.
I have a question for the guys, when sometimes I am about to "get there" it's gone! Nothing further happens, it is frustrating to my wife and I but she understands. Is it just me or have others had the same experience? I normally dont have that issue but it does happen.

Ive had this problem as well, I get very close then i lose all stimulation. I think its because the libido is so weak that it takes all focus to get off in the first place and i easily lose that focus.

Canadian Eh wrote:

I recently stopped taking Celexa (Generic) after 2 years. I have slowly weaned myself off reducing it to 1/4 pill per week. Yesterday was the first day of no meds and I have noticed a weird side effect. My brain seems to have small quick twinges which seem to affect all of me at times, I know it is my brain coming off of the meds. I have noticed over the 3 weeks my emotions have started to come out and at times anger. I have notifed my doctor that I have slowly stopped my medication and he never called me in for a follow up. This is my 3rd time on these meds over the last 7 yrs.
Has anyone else had these side affects? I am a 47 yr old male.

This is EXACTLY how I feel -- you nailed it.
I've been taking 20 mg of Celexa and 300 mg of Wellbutrin for a couple years now. I recently ran out of my prescription of Celexa and didn't think it would be a big deal to go a little bit wihtout them. So wrong! It's been about a week since I've taken Celexa and I am constantly dizzy! I get these strange jerks of dizziness, makes me feel like my heart is racing but my pulse is in the 70s. It's very strange. I didn't think I would be affected like this. This feeling is awful! I want my Celexa back!

Emm wrote:

<quoted text>
Have been on Celexa 40 mg (generic now) for five years. My weight has never been more stable in my life. I no longer binge.

Are you still on Celexa today and if so have you gained weight during time taken? I ask because was just given script for this and am very nervous about weight gain. Thanks

Are you still on celexa and if so to date have you gained weight from it? I was just given a script and am very nervous to take because of the potential weight gain I see some have had. Thanks

I have been on celexa for four weeks and life is great! I started taking it because I suffered from anxiety and seasonal depression. I am also an emotional eater but since I started taking it my symptoms have been reduced. I'm taking 10 mg. I actually losing weight and don't feel so overwhelmed. I feel calm and approach life differently now!

It's great

Can someone tell me the physiological reason why people gain weight when they wean off celexa?

I started on Citalopram (the generic version of Celexa) about a year ago, in February of 2011, for anxiety and panic attacks. My doctor started me on 20mg per day, which I am still on. For a couple of months (towards the end of last year), I stopped taking it cold turkey because I didn't feel like I needed it anymore. When I first stopped taking it, I felt fine, except I noticed I was gaining a lot of weight (I was 96 lbs, and I got up to 107 lbs: I'm only 4'11"). After a few weeks, I was out to eat with my boyfriend and I got a sudden panic attack. So we left and I started shaking on the drive home, then once we got home, I started throwing up. I was shaking very badly and just felt so sick. This continued for the next few days - where I couldn't even eat anything because I would throw up from being so anxious. I started back on the Celexa and after a few days, it went away and I started feeling much better. I also started losing weight. But ever since this happened, where my anxiety came back (what felt like ten-fold) out of nowhere, I have not been able to get it off of my mind. I'm not getting panic attacks, but I'm just constantly thinking about it. I've heard it's very common for people to have to up their dosage from 20mg to 40mg, so would it be risky to start doubling up on my Celexa for a few days to see how I feel, or should I just wait until I can get my doctor to up my dosage?

Hi,
After connecting a 40+ lbs weight gain in 1 yr from Celexa 20 mg and no success with diet, I decided ween myself off in attempts to reduce the weight. My goal was 12 lbs to normal weight (I was underweight before taking the celexa) by slowly taking lesser dosages and eventually off completly, I saw results after 5 weeks. The lbs before the 5 week mark was mininal (2 lbs) then dropped rapidly after about 5 weeks as anxiety levels increased. The weight loss was a direct result of losing all appetite from the anxiety. I dropped about 20 lbs total in what seemed like a matter of 2 weeks. Then couldn't keep the weight on - too rapid and unhealthy thin. Decided to go back on the 20 mg and appetite came back along with some weight gain. Most unwanted lbs has stayed off and I've been more concious of diet although not too much; just found I was eating and snacking moreso on the pill than normal. Would recommend 1st time celexa users to be aware of appetite increase to avoid having to go throught yo-yo of gaining. For those who gained the weight & trying to lose, just reduce the dosage and diet instead of total weening (too drastic for mental state) and be patient with timeframe. I think I could've reached goal weight without coming off completely.

Hi,
I have been suffering from anxiety and panic attacks for roughly 5 years. I have tried to maintain it through many natural forms i.e. following a healthy diet, exercise, cuttIng out caffeine, and trying herbal remedies from my local health foods store. Nothing worked and my anxiety was getting worse so I decided it was time to see a doctor. He prescribed me 10mg of Celexa and .25 mg Xanax for breakthrough panic attacks. Very low dosages but I rarely take medicine so I felt it was ok. Day one I took the celexa in the morning, had diarrhea, nausea and upset stomach for about six hours, then I felt great. Days 2-3, same thing. I did some research and saw that some people take it at night. So I started taking it after dinner, so that my stomach was full hopefully avoiding the diarrhea. I slept fine, but within 10 mins of waking I had diarrhea. I am thinking that since my body is not used to medicines that maybe the dosage is just too much. Last night I cut the pill in half, so took 5mg after dinner. This morning when I woke up, I did have to use the bathroom but it was not as loose as previous days. I also took half of a Xanax because normally my anxiety kind of manifests itself in my bowels so when I get that feeling that I have to poo, it sets my body into panic mode. Anyways after taking the Xanax I really feel great. I am going to follow this routine (5mg of celexa at night with Xanax in the morning) for maybe a week and then gradually increase to the 10mgs. Also, the nausea from the Celexa was suppressing my appetite...and I'm 5'4" 120lbs so I can't really afford to lose weight. The Xanax helps to calm my stomach so I am able to eat during the day. I used to get panicky when I had to go to the grocery store, and I went this week and did not feel panicky so for me, something is working. I will report back maybe in a few weeks to give a follow up.

Also wanted to add - I really want to stick with celexa until my next dr appt (in 5 weeks) because I already do feel calmer, less agitated, and less anxiety (when I don't have the nausea and upset stomach). Going to the store without anxiety is a huge step for me. I have read many, many threads where people experience the side effects from Celexa. I am hoping and praying that they only last a few weeks so that I can experience my life with much less anxiety! Also, with taking it at night, I sleep okay but do feel tired in the morning; however, after about two hours (and eating a good breakfast and drinking water) it wears off and I feel great. I workout around 4 p.m. and haven't noticed any decrease in energy for that. I am trying to be open minded and flexible with this medicine, so I figure it's going to be trial and error until I find the routine that works best for me.

Well it's been a few weeks since I posted. The celexa is working great for my anxiety. I feel like it is so much better controlled. I use the Xanax too but sparingly, only for breakthrough anxiety. I split my 10 mg celexa pill in half and I take one half around 8 am, after I have eaten breakfast, and the other half around 1:30 pm, after I have eaten lunch. This has worked to curb all side effects that I was having. I feel a lot better now that my anxiety is no longer ruling my life.

i am on 10mg of celexa and have terrible diarreah.... only been on it about 3 weeks....kind of getting sick of it...anyone else having this problem?? Help!

Been taking Celexa about 10 yrs now after burnout due to anxiety at small doses (20 mg and less) always helped a lot but tried to get off it a few times: always dizzy for 2 wks, slowly become cranky and frustrated until I eventually get real sad and constantly anxious..since I am anxious I lose appetite and hence weight over a period of about 4 to 8 months. Now stopped since Sept 2011, went through the same symptoms but trying to fight it with more jogging, yoga, breathing, all help but symptoms come and go but getting worst. I am getting worried I may have to go back permanently.
Anybody tried taking it seasonaly ? for instance winter months only ?