We do not store any personal or identifiable data. This page will give you general information about citalopram. It is not medical advice. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors SSRIs - like citalopram - are thought to work by increasing levels of serotonin in the brain.
They do this by blocking the recycling of released serotonin back into the nerve endings. Citalopram should start helping with depression within one to two weeks. It can take a little longer for you to feel the full effects of the medication. For anxiety , it can take up to four weeks for the benefits to be noticed. Scientists believe that the higher level of serotonin can cause you to feel a bit more anxious or on-edge at first, before settling down.
Some people find that they gain a little weight in the long term. This might be due in part to a return of their appetite. It is very difficult to know how citalopram will affect each person who takes it, but talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you do start to have problems with your weight while taking citalopram.
You may want to let your family and friends know you are taking citalopram so they can support you and help you look out for side effects. For guidance on this, check out our page on getting support with your medication. You can feel drowsy in the first few days of taking citalopram. This should improve within a few weeks.
You might find that alcohol makes you feel sleepier or you might lose your focus so, during the first few days, it might be best to stop drinking alcohol until you see how the medicine affects you. Cannabis and other drugs may have their own side effects on your mental health, like anxiety or psychosis. For more information, have a look at our drugs and alcohol page. Methadone can make drowsiness worse with citalopram. The citalopram could increase the concentration of methadone in your body.
The two together can also cause serious heart problems. Citalopram could raise the level of cocaine in your body, giving you a bigger reaction.
Your blood pressure could also increase to a dangerous level. Taking citalopram with cocaine, ecstasy or amfetamines could bring on serotonin syndrome. You need to go to hospital if this happens. Tell the doctor that you are taking citalopram.
Do not take citalopram if you have taken a monoamine oxidase inhibitor antidepressant MAOI like moclobemide, phenelzine, isocarboxazid or tranylcypromine in the last 14 days. Do not take citalopram if you are taking the herbal remedy St. This does not mix well with citalopram, so please tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are trying this or would like to try it. Always talk to your doctor if you are taking other medicines, and tell the pharmacist you are taking citalopram when you buy medicines from a pharmacy for common illnesses like cold or flu medicine, or topical applications for your skin.
The tablets may not be suitable for you if you have problems eating some sugars or dairy milk-based foods, as they contain lactose. Taking citalopram may affect your concentration when doing things like driving a car, riding a bike, or anything else that needs a lot of focus.
It might be best to stop doing these things for the first few days, until you know how it affects you. If you become pregnant while you are on citalopram, you should carry on taking it and go back to your doctor as soon as possible to see if you should change or stop your medicine. If you and your doctor agree that carrying on with citalopram has more benefits than risks, you should tell your midwife that you are taking it before you give birth.
If citalopram is taken in the last five months of a pregnancy, it can cause a serious condition called persistent pulmonary hypertension of the new-born PPHN.
This can make the baby breathe faster and look a bit blue in colour. This compares with a rate of two in 1, among babies born to mums who do not take SSRIs. PPHN appears in the first 24 hours after birth. You will need help from the midwife and doctors, so it is better if they are looking out for symptoms. There are some other symptoms that can occur in newborn babies if citalopram is taken in the last three months of pregnancy, so do look out for these and get help if they happen:.
Please talk to your midwife, doctor or pharmacist if you want to breastfeed while taking citalopram. These effects should pass after the first couple of weeks.
If they do not, and this is a problem for you, go back to the doctor and see what else you could try. The good effects of citalopram may, after a while, have a positive effect on your sex life as your mood lifts and you become interested in life and relationships again. Risks with citalopram in pregnancy are low but, if you are trying to get pregnant, you should talk about it with your doctor. Taking citalopram may affect your concentration when doing things like riding a bike, competitive gymnastics, or anything else that needs a lot of focus.
Taking citalopram may affect your concentration when doing things that need a lot of focus, like exams. You should talk to your doctor about any future exams if you are starting citalopram. You might decide together to delay starting it until you have done them. If they are more than a month away, however, you might find that it is better to start citalopram to lift your mood and improve your motivation to study.
You need to talk to your doctor or pharmacist before starting treatment with citalopram if you have or have ever had any of the following:.
For people with a history of seizure disorder: Citalopram can increase your risk for seizures. Talk with your doctor before using this drug if you have a history of seizures. For pregnant women: Citalopram is a category C pregnancy drug. That means two things:. This drug should be used only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus.
For women who are breastfeeding: Citalopram passes into breast milk and may cause side effects in a child who is breastfed. Talk with your doctor if you breastfeed your child. You may need to decide whether to stop breastfeeding or stop taking this medication. For children: Citalopram can cause changes in appetite or weight. Children and adolescents should have height and weight monitored during treatment. This dosage information is for citalopram oral tablet.
All possible dosages and drug forms may not be included here. Your dosage, drug form, and how often you take the drug will depend on:. Stopping citalopram too quickly can cause serious symptoms such as anxiety, irritability, high or low mood, feeling restless, changes in sleep habits, headache, sweating, nausea, dizziness, electric shock-like sensations, shaking, or confusion.
Your doctor may ask you to reduce the dose gradually instead of quickly stopping the medication if these symptoms occur. However, because drugs affect each person differently, we cannot guarantee that this list includes all possible dosages.
Always to speak with your doctor or pharmacist about dosages that are right for you. Citalopram oral tablet is used for long-term treatment. It may even get worse. For this drug to work well, a certain amount needs to be in your body at all times. If you take too much: You could have symptoms of serotonin syndrome.
These include:. What to do if you miss a dose: Take your dose as soon as you remember. But if you remember just a few hours before your next scheduled dose, take only one dose. Never try to catch up by taking two doses at once. This could result in dangerous side effects. How to tell if the drug is working: You will know that citalopram is working if you notice that your depression symptoms are less severe or happen less often.
You may not notice any change in your condition for the first several weeks that you take this drug. Sometimes it can take up to 2 months to start working. A prescription for this medication is refillable. You should not need a new prescription for this medication to be refilled. Your doctor will write the number of refills authorized on your prescription. You and your doctor should monitor certain health issues.
This can help make sure you stay safe while you take this drug. These issues include:. Do not drive or use tools or machinery if you're feeling sleepy. If this does not help, talk to your doctor. Cut down the amount of alcohol you drink as it can make you feel worse. Citalopram and pregnancy It's important for you and your baby that you stay well during your pregnancy.
Citalopram and breastfeeding If your doctor or health visitor says your baby is healthy, citalopram can be used during breastfeeding. Non-urgent advice: Tell your doctor if you're:. Tell your doctor if you're taking these medicines before you start citalopram : any medicines that affect your heartbeat — citalopram can speed up or change your heartbeat any other medicines for depression — some rarely used antidepressants can interact with citalopram to cause very high blood pressure even when they have been stopped for a few weeks Mixing citalopram with herbal remedies and supplements Do not take St John's wort, the herbal remedy for depression, while you're being treated with citalopram as this will increase your risk of side effects.
Important: Medicine safety Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you're taking any other medicines, including herbal medicines, vitamins or supplements. How does citalopram work? When will I feel better? It usually takes between 4 and 6 weeks before you feel the full benefits. Give the medicine at least 6 weeks to work.
How will it make me feel? How long will I take it for? Is it safe to take it for a long time? For most people, citalopram is safe to take for a long time. How do I come off citalopram? These include: dizziness feeling sick numbness or tingling in the hands or feet trouble sleeping feeling agitated or anxious headaches shaking Important Do not stop taking citalopram suddenly or without talking to your doctor first.
Is citalopram better than other antidepressants? Citalopram is not any better or worse than other antidepressants. Talk to your doctor if you are not feeling any better after 6 weeks. Will I gain or lose weight? Later on, you may gain a little weight as your appetite returns. Can I drive or ride a bike? Will it affect my fertility? Will it affect my contraception? Will it affect my sex life? Some of the possible negative effects include: men getting painful erections and problems getting an erection and ejaculating women having some vaginal bleeding and might not reach orgasm the same way as before a lower sex drive Sexual side effects usually pass after the first couple of weeks.
Can I drink alcohol with it? Is there any food or drink I need to avoid? There are no food or drinks you need to avoid while taking citalopram. Are there other treatments that will help? Other potential treatments include: talking therapy such as cognitive behavioural therapy exercise programmes help to get a good night's sleep Choosing a treatment that's most suitable for you depends on how long you have had depression, your symptoms, whether you have had any previous bouts of depression, whether previous treatment has worked, how likely you are to stick with your treatment, the potential side effects, and your preferences and priorities.
What's the difference between citalopram and escitalopram? They may sound similar, but they're different medicines. Differences include: citalopram doses are twice as much as those of escitalopram the type and frequency of side effects you may get are different with each medicine citalopram can be used for fewer health problems than escitalopram.
Will recreational drugs affect it? Cannabis with citalopram can give you a fast heartbeat. It can be potentially dangerous to take citalopram with: stimulants like MDMA ecstasy or cocaine hallucinogens like LSD novel psychoactive substances which used to be known as legal highs like mephedrone Important Citalopram has not been properly tested with recreational drugs.
Related conditions Clinical depression Panic disorder. It is important to discuss the risks and benefits of treatment with your doctor and caregivers. For women who take antidepressant medications during weeks 13 through the end of their pregnancy second and third trimesters , there is a risk that the baby can be born before it is fully developed before 37 weeks. This is a potentially fatal condition that is associated with use of the antidepressant in the second half of pregnancy.
However, women who discontinued antidepressant therapy were five times more likely to have a depression relapse than those who continued their antidepressant. If you are pregnant, please discuss the risks and benefits of antidepressant use with your health care provider.
Typically patients begin at a low dose of medicine and the dose is increased slowly over several weeks. The dose usually ranges from 20 mg to 40 mg once daily. For patients older than 60 years, the maximum recommended dose is 20 mg once daily. Only your health care provider can determine the correct dose for you. The liquid should be measured with a dosing spoon or oral syringe which you can get from your pharmacy. Consider using a calendar, pillbox, alarm clock, or cell phone alert to help you remember to take your medication.
You may also ask a family member or friend to remind you or check in with you to be sure you are taking your medication.
If you miss a dose of citalopram, take it as soon as you remember, unless it is closer to the time of your next dose. Discuss this with your health care provider. Do not double your next dose or take more than what is prescribed. Avoid drinking alcohol or using illegal drugs while you are taking antidepressant medications. They may decrease the benefits e. If an overdose occurs, call your doctor or You may need urgent medical care. You may also contact the poison control center at Headache, nausea, diarrhea, dry mouth, increased sweating, feeling nervous, restless, fatigue, or having trouble sleeping insomnia.
These will often improve over the first week or two as you continue to take the medication. Sexual side effects, such as problems with orgasm or ejaculatory delay often do not diminish over time. Low sodium blood levels symptoms of low sodium levels may include headache, weakness, difficulty concentrating and remembering , teeth grinding, angle closure glaucoma symptoms of angle closure glaucoma may include eye pain, changes in vision, swelling or redness in or around eye , serotonin syndrome symptoms may include shivering, diarrhea, confusion, severe muscle tightness, fever, seizures, and death , seizure.
SSRI antidepressants including citalopram may increase the risk of bleeding events. Combined use of aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs e. This may include symptoms such as gums that bleed more easily, nose bleed, or gastrointestinal bleeding.
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