ask your pharmacist

Do other therapies interact with Celexa?

Celexa increases the amount of the chemical serotonin in the brain. Taking Celexa with certain other medications that raise serotonin levels may cause serious interactions, including fever, muscle spasms, faster heart rate, higher blood pressure, slowed breathing, or unconsciousness. Such dangerous interactions can occur between Celexa and certain migraine headache medicines like sumatriptan (brand name Imitrex), zolmitriptan (Zomig), and dihydroergotamine (Migranal); weight loss medicines like sibutramine (Meridia); and monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors including selegiline (Eldepryl), tranylcypromine (Parnate), and phenelzine (Nardil).

Taking Celexa and NSAIDs such as ibuprofen (Motrin) and naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn) may increase your risk of GI (gastrointestinal) side effects.

It’s possible that other drug interactions may also occur. If you take any medications, including herbal products such as, Gingko or St. John’s Wort or over-the-counter products that contain dextromethorphan, such as >Robitussin DM, it’s very important that you tell your doctor about them before taking Celexa.

Celexa can also interact with alcohol. The combination of Celexa and alcohol may increase the chance or severity of side effects such as drowsiness, slow reflexes, or clouded judgment for some people. This can be dangerous when driving a car or operating other machinery. Alcohol may also make you feel depressed. For this reason it is best to avoid or limit your use of alcohol while taking Celexa.

Sources:
Micromedex® Healthcare Series, Thomson Micromedex, 2006.
Edwards, J. Guy. "Systematic Review and Guide to Selection of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors," Drugs 57 (1999).
Hansten, P.D., J.R. Horn. Drug Interactions Analysis and Management. Applied Therapeutics, 1999.
Celexa Product Information, Forest Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 2006.
Drug Facts and Comparisons, Facts & Comparisons, 2006.
The Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. Pharmacists Letter Inc., 2001.

This answer prepared 7/13/2001.
This information updated 12/05/2006.

Related Links

• >Imitrex
• >zolmitriptan
• >Migranal
• >Meridia
• >selegiline
• >Eldepryl
• >Parnate
• >Nardil
• >ibuprofen
• >naproxen