What other drugs will affect citalopram (Celexa, Seropram, Cipramil)?
Answer:
- Citalopram should not be taken if the patient has taken a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) such as isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), or tranylcypromine (Parnate) during the last 2 weeks. A dangerous drug interaction can occur when citalopram is combined with any of these medications.
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Before taking citalopram, the patient should tell his/her doctor if he/she is taking any of the following medicines:
- another antidepressant such as fluoxetine (Prozac), fluvoxamine (Luvox), sertraline (Zoloft), paroxetine (Paxil), trazodone (Desyrel), or nefazodone (Serzone);
- a tricyclic antidepressant such as amitriptyline (Elavil), imipramine (Tofranil), doxepin (Sinequan), nortriptyline (Pamelor), and others;
- a seizure medication including carbamazepine (Tegretol) or felbamate (Felbatol);
- a stomach medicine such as cimetidine (Tagamet, Tagamet HB), ranitidine (Zantac, Zantac 75), or omeprazole (Prilosec);
- an antibiotic such as erythromycin (Eryc-Tab, E-Mycin, E.E.S., Erythrocin, P.C.E., others) or clarithromycin (Biaxin);
- an antifungal medication such as fluconazole (Diflucan), itraconazole (Sporanox), or ketoconazole (Nizoral);
- a migraine medication such as almotriptan (Axert), eletriptan (Relpax), frovatriptan (Frova), naratriptan (Amerge), rizatriptan (Maxalt), sumatriptan (Imitrex), or zolmitriptan (Zomig);
- the asthma medication zafirlukast (Accolate); or
- lithium (Eskalith, Lithobid, Lithonate, Lithotabs).
They may not be able to take citalopram, or they may require a dosage adjustment or special monitoring during treatment if they are taking any of the medicines listed above. - Drugs other than those listed here may also interact with citalopram. Patients should talk to their doctor and pharmacist before taking any prescription or over-the-counter medicines, including herbal products.