Citalopram chemical structure
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Celexa

Citalopram or nitalapram is an antidepressant drug used to treat depression associated with mood disorders. It is also used on occasion in the treatment of body dysmorphic disorder and anxiety. more...

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Citalopram belongs to a class of drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). It is sold under the brand-names Celexa™ (U.S., Forest Laboratories, Inc.), Cipramil™ (Europe and Australia) and Talohexane (Australia).

Citalopram was originally created by the pharmaceutical company Lundbeck although the patent for it expired in 2003, allowing other companies to legally produce generic versions.

Lundbeck has recently released a new SSRI drug called escitalopram oxalate (also known as Cipralex or Lexapro) derived from the citalopram molecule.

Reported side effects

Over 10% of patients

  • Feeling sick or tired
  • Drowsiness
  • Dry mouth
  • Sweating
  • Trembling
  • Headache
  • Dizziness
  • Difficulty sleeping
  • Feeling agitated or nervous
  • Constipation or diarrhoea
  • Blurred vision
  • Missed heartbeats
  • Feeling of weakness
  • Difficulty ejaculating

Over 1% of patients

  • Itchiness
  • Rashes
  • Migraine
  • Strange dreams
  • Changes in taste
  • Decreased libido or impotence
  • Failure to orgasm
  • Painful menstruation
  • Tingling in fingers or toes
  • Loss of memory or concentration
  • Changes in appetite (increase or lack of)
  • Mood changes
  • Anxiety
  • Confusion
  • Yawning
  • Indigestion
  • Vomiting
  • Stomach ache
  • Flatulence
  • Increased saliva
  • Change in weight
  • Dizziness on standing up
  • Fast heartbeat
  • Changes in blood pressure
  • Runny nose
  • Sinusitis
  • Changes in passing urine

Rare (under 1% of patients)

  • Muscle pain
  • Convulsions
  • Increased libido
  • Coughing
  • Abnormal movement of the face or body
  • Ringing in the ears
  • Mood changes
  • Slowing of the heartbeat
  • Photosensitivity
  • Allergic reactions
  • Fainting
  • Suicidal ideation

Other side effects

Occasionally, panic attacks, thoughts of suicide or self-harm may occur or increase in the first few weeks, before the antidepressant effect starts.

Other occasional effects include leaking of milk from the breasts, changes in heart rhythm, swelling of the skin, joint pain or severe allergic reactions.

Overdose

Citalopram is considered relatively safe in overdose; although coma at a dosage of 400mg has been observed. It is important to seek medical attention if an overdose of this medication has occurred.

Read more at Wikipedia.org


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Fat pharms: weight gain is the dreaded side effect of some psychotropics
From Psychology Today, 5/1/05 by Brenda Goodman

THE STRESS OF working at a turbulent office finally dragged 37-year-old Maggie Little * under. For the second time in her life, she recognized the smothering symptoms of depression--slowness, a bleak outlook and lack of interest in fun. Her doctor prescribed Lexapro, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, or SSRI.

The pill quickly kicked in. It was "a miracle," she says. Six months later, Little still loves Lexapro, but she's desperate to switch to another drug. Like many people using SSRIs, she gained a significant amount of weight--40 pounds.

Weight gain has long been a bane of psychotropic drug treatment. Mood stabilizers such as lithium and clozapine are among the worst offenders, causing up to 50 percent of all long-term users to become obese. Patients on older tricyclic antidepressants can expect a steady gain of one to three pounds per month. But the medical community was caught off guard when patients on newer antidepressants complained the pounds were piling on.

If anything, says Charles Raison, a psychiatrist with Emory University in Atlanta, drugs such as Prozac and Zoloft were believed to cause weight loss. indeed, many antidepressants seem to be associated with an initial small loss, but new studies show that over months, patients not only regain what they lose, but add to it--sometimes dramatically. "It's not always the fault of the drug," says Raison. "Depression can be, all by itself, an incredible diet. When [patients] start to feel better again, their appetite increases."

The metabolic pathway at work is a mystery, although current theories include resistance to the hormones insulin and leptin. One study found that those most vulnerable to antidepressant-induced weight gain are women and patients who were already overweight. On the bright side, gaining some extra padding is usually linked to the drug's efficacy. "A few extra pounds usually means the drug is doing something," says Raison. But he says many of his patients would rather be sad than fat.

Exercise and diet can help, of course. The drug orlistat, or Xenical, which blocks the body's ability to absorb dietary fat, also shows promise. Switching drugs may also provide some relief.

* name has been changed

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COPYRIGHT 2005 Sussex Publishers, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group

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