Citalopram
About Citalopram
Citalopram is an oral prescription medicine used to treat depression. It belongs to a group of drugs that help restore the balance of certain natural chemicals in the brain to improve mood and overall well-being.
For the best results, you must take Citalopram consistently every day, exactly as prescribed by your doctor. It can be taken with or without food, typically once daily in the morning or evening. Making small lifestyle adjustments, such as maintaining a regular sleep schedule and incorporating gentle daily physical activity, can also support your treatment.
While taking Citalopram, some people may experience mild side effects like dry mouth, nausea, or trouble sleeping. These often improve over a few weeks, but you should contact your doctor immediately if you notice severe mood changes, worsening depression, or suicidal thoughts.
Before starting Citalopram, tell your doctor if you have certain health conditions, especially a history of heart rhythm problems, liver disease, or seizures. Citalopram is not suitable for everyone, and those with a history of long QT syndrome must not take it.
Citalopram can interact with alcohol, which may worsen drowsiness, and certain other medications like blood thinners or other antidepressants. If you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or breastfeeding.
Uses of Citalopram
Medicinal Benefits
Citalopram helps improve mood and emotional well-being in people experiencing depression and related conditions. By supporting a more balanced emotional state, it can help restore interest in daily activities and improve overall quality of life.
Benefits may include:
• Helps reduce symptoms of depression, including persistent sadness and low mood.
• May help relieve feelings of anxiety, worry, and emotional tension.
• Supports improved interest in daily activities, hobbies, and social interactions.
• Helps promote healthier sleep patterns and improved rest.
• May improve energy levels, concentration, and day-to-day functioning.
• Supports long-term emotional stability and overall mental well-being.
Directions for Use
- Take Citalopram by mouth, typically once a day, either in the morning or in the evening.
- You can take Citalopram with or without food, but taking it at the same time every day helps keep a steady amount of the medicine in your body.
- Swallow it whole with a full glass of water. Do not chew, crush, or break it.
- Always follow your doctor's exact instructions regarding how and when to take your medication. Do not stop taking it suddenly without consulting your doctor, even if you feel better.
Storage
Side Effects of Citalopram
Common Side Effects (Usually mild):
- Nausea or mild stomach upset
- Dry mouth
- Drowsiness, tiredness, or trouble sleeping
- Increased sweating
Serious Side Effects (Call a doctor right away):
- Severe allergic reactions, such as swelling of the face, lips, or tongue, severe itching, or difficulty breathing
- Signs of a dangerously fast or irregular heartbeat, such as dizziness, fainting, or chest palpitations
- Unusual bleeding or easy bruising
- Extreme changes in mood, behavior, or sudden worsening of anxiety and suicidal thoughts
- Stiff muscles, high fever, sweating, confusion, or shivering
Medicines Containing this Salt
View AllDrug Warnings
- Do not stop treatment abruptly: Never stop taking Citalopram suddenly, as this may cause withdrawal symptoms such as irritability, dizziness, headache, tingling sensations, sleep disturbances, or anxiety. Your doctor will advise a gradual dose reduction when treatment needs to be discontinued.
- Use caution during activities requiring alertness: Citalopram may cause drowsiness, dizziness, or slower reaction times, particularly when starting treatment. Avoid driving, operating machinery, or performing hazardous tasks until you know how the medicine affects you.
- Monitor for mood and behavior changes: Pay close attention to any sudden changes in mood, thoughts, emotions, or behavior, especially during the first few weeks of treatment or after a dose adjustment. Family members or caregivers should also help monitor for these changes and report concerns to a healthcare professional.
- Consult your pharmacist before taking other medicines: Check with your doctor or pharmacist before using over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen or aspirin, as combining them with Citalopram may increase the risk of bleeding.
Drug Interactions
- Other medicines that increase serotonin (e.g., other antidepressants, migraine medicines such as triptans, tramadol): Taking these alongside Citalopram may increase the risk of serotonin syndrome, a potentially serious condition caused by excessive serotonin levels in the body.
- Blood thinners (e.g., warfarin): Combining these with Citalopram may increase the risk of bleeding and bruising.
- Aspirin and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (e.g., ibuprofen, naproxen): Taking these medicines alongside Citalopram may increase the risk of stomach bleeding and other bleeding-related complications.
- Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) (e.g., phenelzine, tranylcypromine): Do not take these medicines with Citalopram or within 14 days of stopping either treatment, as this may cause a life-threatening reaction.
- Medicines that affect heart rhythm (e.g., certain antipsychotics, antiarrhythmic medicines): Combining these with Citalopram may increase the risk of serious abnormal heart rhythms.
Drug-Drug Interactions Checker List:
Safety Advice
Alcohol
unsafeIt is not recommended to take alcohol with Citalopram to avoid unpleasant side-effects.
Pregnancy
unsafeCitalopram is not recommended in pregnancy. However, if you were already taking this medicine before becoming pregnant, do not stop taking it without consulting your doctor. It can pose a small risk of problems for an unborn baby. Your doctor might prescribe you this medicine in pregnancy depending upon your condition as it is important to stay well in pregnancy.
Breast Feeding
unsafeCitalopram passes into breast milk in minimal amounts and might cause side effects in breastfed babies. It can be prescribed if the baby is healthy. However, if after taking Citalopram, the baby isn't feeding well as usual, or is sleeping a lot than normal, please consult your doctor.
Driving
unsafeIt is not recommended to drive after taking Citalopram as it may cause drowsiness and interfere with your driving ability.
Liver
cautionCitalopram to be taken with caution, especially if you have a history of liver diseases/conditions. The dose may have to be adjusted by your doctor.
Kidney
cautionCitalopram to be taken with caution, especially if you have a history of kidney diseases/conditions as dose adjustment might be required.
Children
unsafeBefore Prescribing a Citalopram doctor should check in a child, or adolescent must balance the potential risks with the clinical need.
Habit Forming
Diet & Lifestyle Advise
- Limit or avoid alcohol: Drinking alcohol while taking Citalopram can increase drowsiness, impair coordination, and worsen symptoms of depression.
- Practice patience: This medication can take 2 to 4 weeks (or sometimes longer) before you start feeling its full benefits. Continue taking it daily as directed, even if you do not feel immediate changes.
- Maintain a consistent sleep routine: Since sleep changes can occur, try to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day, and avoid caffeine close to bedtime.
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of water throughout the day to help manage mild side effects like dry mouth.
Special Advise
- Sudden stoppage of Citalopram can lead to significant withdrawal symptoms. Always discuss with your doctor about decreasing the dosage before completely stopping its usage.
- Avoid consuming alcohol while on this medication as it can lead to dangerous side effects.
- Citalopram is unsafe for usage if you're pregnant or are planning to get pregnant. Discuss with your doctor in such situations about changing/replacing the medicine with safer alternatives.
- Do not self-medicate.
Patients Concern
Disease/Condition Glossary
Depression: It is a mood disorder that affects day to day life of a person. A person may have symptoms such as feeling sad or feeling of loss and might have mood swings.
Anxiety: It is defined as an emotion that is characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and symptoms like increased blood pressure. Anxiety disorder also includes panic disorder which is characterized by sudden feelings of terror.
Panic disorder: It is a type of anxiety disorder. It causes panic attacks, which are sudden feelings of terror when there is no real danger. You may feel as if you are losing control and also have physical symptoms such as a fast heartbeat.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): In this disorder, a person feels the need to think or perform things repeatedly.
FAQs
Citalopram is used to treat depression and other mental health conditions, including anxiety, panic disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Citalopram works by increasing the serotonin levels. Serotonin is a chemical messenger in the brain responsible for improving the mood and physical symptoms of depression. It is also responsible for relieving symptoms of anxiety, panic attacks, and obsessive-compulsive disorders.
Citalopram is not advised in cases if a person is allergic to Citalopram, has epilepsy, or are having electroconvulsive treatment as Citalopram may increase your risk of having a seizure. Citalopram should not be taken by a person having heart problems as taking Citalopram can speed up or change the heartbeat. It should not be given to a person with a low heart rate and diarrhoea and vomiting symptoms, pregnant women, trying to get pregnant, breastfeeding, and having eye problems such as glaucoma. In diabetics, it can cause difficulty in keeping stable blood sugar levels.
Citalopram should be taken as per the advice of your doctor. Once you start feeling better, you might have to continue it for several months to prevent returning symptoms. Your doctor will advise you on how much time you need to continue Citalopram depending upon your symptoms' type and severity.
Citalopram may cause withdrawal symptoms like dizziness, irritability, and sensory and flu-like symptoms. So please consult your doctor immediately.
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