Avoid weight gain SSRI’s
Lots of people have had weight gain problems with Celexa (citalopram) and Cipralex/Lexapro (escitalopram). Indeed most psychotropic drugs can potentially cause weight gain.
Advice for avoiding weight gain.
Firstly let’s cover the basics: try to eat well, make sure you eat whole foods, complex carbohydrates and keep refined sugars and processed fats to a minimum. Also, take plenty of exercise. Whether you are taking an SSRI for depression, panic attacks or anxiety you are almost guaranteed to feel better to some extent just by exercising. It also of course keeps weight off.
Now the clever part: One hour or so before meals it a high carbohydrate snack. This could be some fruit, some oatcakes, even high cocoa content chocolate. Don’t eat too much, say a couple of hundred calories, and try to eat something that isn’t too refined, so your body burns it slowly.
You should then find that this carbohydrate snack has boosted the Serotonin levels in your brain and that this will limit your food cravings. (click here to understand why carbohydrates boost Serotonin levels.) Your appetite will return to more reasonable levels and you should keep/gain control of your weight. Worth a try anyway!
Also read:
Categorised as: anxiety, medication, panic, tryptophan, Uncategorized
Thank you for this information. I just started Cipralex today and I don’t want to gain weight since it is my phobia. I will try this advice and let you know if it really works for me.
I have started using cipralex 7 months ago and apparently have 7 more months to go. My issue is I think it is affecting my weight.
Yes I understand the sweets craving, but I have started on a protein diet & I’m not losing at all.
Instead I’m gianing. My issue is, is it possible to experience weight gain after 6 months. I would have expected such to at least imemediately after you’ve started on the drug.
Also I exercise regularly, but still no change. Help please!?
I have been on cipralex 10mg for a year now and I gained 10kg , my anxiety has caused me to lose weight before starting the med but as soon as I started it the weight kept going up, I tried diet and excercise and nothing is working , I am hoping the doctor will wean me off this medicine soon although it has really helped my panic attacks and I feel normal again. But the weight gain is really getting to me I had to buy two sizes bigger cause my clothes don’t fit anymore ,I have never reached that weight except while pregnant ! Any ideas how to lose the weight if I need to stay on cipralex longer ?
I have been on Cipralex for 2 years. I started gaining weight after 6 months and to date have gained about 10-12lbs. I am on a very restricted diet as is due to multiple food allergys and exercise 4-5 times a week. This is extremly frustrating and my Dr has suggested cutting my pills in half to 5mg. Hopefully this works,otherwise I will consider being weaned off of them. The effects otherwise were minimal and the Cipralex did its job well.