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:. There are other drugs available to treat your condition.
Some may be better suited for you than others. Talk to your doctor about other drug options that may work for you. Disclaimer: Healthline has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up-to-date. However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional.
You should always consult your doctor or other healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses.
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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:. You and your doctor should talk about how long you need to take citalopram before you begin treatment with the medication.
People who have had low mood or depression more than once may need to take citalopram for a couple of years or more. This is to stop themselves experiencing depression or low mood again. You will get the best effect from citalopram if you take it regularly at the dose prescribed by your doctor.
Make sure that you know your dose. If it's not written on the label, check with your pharmacist or doctor.
You should start by taking it in the morning. This will lower the chance of it affecting your sleep. If you forget to take it for a few days, you may start getting withdrawal symptoms , which feel a bit like the flu. If you get these symptoms, see your doctor as soon as possible. If you want to stop your tablets, please speak to your doctor first as it is better if they are stopped slowly over a few weeks rather than suddenly.
When you start taking an SSRI, the brain adjusts to having a higher level of serotonin around. If you stop taking the SSRI suddenly, the levels of serotonin start to drop, and your brain can take a while to adapt to this change. You could get some symptoms from the change, which are called withdrawal symptoms. This does not mean you are addicted to the medicine - just that your brain has become used to citalopram to control the serotonin levels.
Withdrawal symptoms usually start a few days after stopping the medicine and might include:. You can stop taking citalopram safely with your doctor's help, who will show you how to reduce your dosage gradually.
If you have taken more citalopram than the dosage recommended by the doctor who prescribed it to you, you must get medical help immediately — even if you do not feel any different. As part of depression some people think about hurting themselves or taking their own lives. Taking an antidepressant may not stop this. You must get some urgent help if you are having these sorts of thoughts. Speak to someone who is looking after you or go straight to hospital with your tablets. Citalopram can sometimes also cause other serious side effects, including: allergic reactions difficulty breathing, swelling of your face or throat, itching skin lumps , and other serious symptoms that you can find here.
Go to a hospital if you get any of these symptoms, taking your medicine with you. Stopping citalopram suddenly can cause unpleasant withdrawal effects. Go to your doctor if you are thinking of stopping. Use good contraception while you are taking citalopram. It can also cause symptoms in newborn babies if you take it at the end of pregnancy.
Talk to your doctor or midwife about this. Get a friend or family member to go with you in case you feel ill on the way. If you take too much citalopram, you may be at risk of developing serotonin syndrome. Symptoms include a high fever, agitation, confusion, trembling, or weird movements of your muscles.
This is rare, but you should watch out for it. You should know that your mental health may change in unexpected ways when you take citalopram or other antidepressants even if you are an adult over 24 years of age. You may become suicidal, especially at the beginning of your treatment and any time that your dose is increased or decreased.
You, your family, or your caregiver should call your doctor right away if you experience any of the following symptoms: new or worsening depression; thinking about harming or killing yourself, or planning or trying to do so; extreme worry; agitation; panic attacks; difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep; aggressive behavior; irritability; acting without thinking; severe restlessness; and frenzied abnormal excitement.
Be sure that your family or caregiver knows which symptoms may be serious so they can call the doctor if you are unable to seek treatment on your own. Your healthcare provider will want to see you often while you are taking citalopram, especially at the beginning of your treatment. Be sure to keep all appointments for office visits with your doctor. The doctor or pharmacist will give you the manufacturer's patient information sheet Medication Guide when you begin treatment with citalopram.
Read the information carefully and ask your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions. No matter your age, before you take an antidepressant, you, your parent, or your caregiver should talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of treating your condition with an antidepressant or with other treatments. You should also talk about the risks and benefits of not treating your condition.
You should know that having depression or another mental illness greatly increases the risk that you will become suicidal. This risk is higher if you or anyone in your family has or has ever had bipolar disorder mood that changes from depressed to abnormally excited or mania frenzied, abnormally excited mood , or has thought about or attempted suicide.
Talk to your doctor about your condition, symptoms, and personal and family medical history. You and your doctor will decide what type of treatment is right for you. Citalopram is used to treat depression. Citalopram is in a class of antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors SSRIs.
It is thought to work by increasing the amount of serotonin, a natural substance in the brain that helps maintain mental balance. Citalopram comes as a tablet and a solution liquid to take by mouth. It is usually taken once a day, in the morning or in the evening, with or without food.
Take citalopram at around the same time every day. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take citalopram exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor.
All patients being treated with antidepressants for any indication should watch for and notify their health care provider for worsening symptoms, suicidality and unusual changes in behavior, especially during the first few months of treatment.
Last Updated: January This information is being provided as a community outreach effort of the College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists. This information is for educational and informational purposes only and is not medical advice. This information contains a summary of important points and is not an exhaustive review of information about the medication. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified medical professional with any questions you may have regarding medications or medical conditions.
Never delay seeking professional medical advice or disregard medical professional advice as a result of any information provided herein. The College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists disclaims any and all liability alleged as a result of the information provided herein. Search Close Menu. Sign In About Mental Illness. About Mental Illness Treatments. About Mental Illness Research. Your Journey Individuals with Mental Illness.
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