Wow, me too! Cause I have much experience with both Celexa and Lexapro. They're both known to cause weight gain. At least in the real world with people taking it and documenting anecdotal evidence. For the record: Celexa is the 'parent' drug of Lexapro. They say that Lex has less side effects as a result of splitting the Celexa isomer. That's true for some and not for others.

All SSRI's must be stopped slowly. That is, one must wean off of SSRI's. And that time frame varies for each person just as the sides that a person may or may not experience is very individual.

As far as permanent damage...I don't know that for a fact. I do know that one can find any info to support any statement if they look hard enough. But is it reputable information?