The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned on Wednesday that high doses of Forest Laboratories, Inc’s. anti-depressant Celexa may cause a fatal irregular heart beat in some users.
Celexa (citalopramhydrobromide) is a widely-used antidepressant drug. It is classified as a serotonin re-uptake inhibitor, or SSRI, and is also prescribed for anxiety and OCD. It restores the balance of serotonin (whichis a natural substance in the brain) in order to improve mood problems. Some previous side effects reported are loss of sex drive, drowsiness, insomnia, weight gain and nausea. In some cases hallucinations and convulsions have been reported. Some patients report suicidal thoughts after first starting an antidepressant, especially if the patient is younger than 24 years old.
Newborn babies whose mothers took Celexa during pregnancy may experience life-threatening lung problems, however, if you stop taking anti-depressant medication during pregnancy, you may experience a relapse of depression. Celexa can pass into the breast milk and harm a nursing baby. Do not give this medication to anyone under age 18. According to the FDA, “patients at particular risk for developing QT interval include those with underlying heart conditions and those who are predisposed to low levels of potassium or magnesium in the blood. Celexa can cause abnormal changes to the electrical activity of the heart.”
The FDA stated that there is no known additional benefit in the treatment of depression with doses greater than 40 mg. The labels no longer suggest that some patients may require 60 mg per day and now warns against doses larger than 40 mg per day, stating warnings of arrhythmia dangers. THE HIGHER THE CELEXA DOSE, THE GREATER THERISK TO THE HEART! Labels will be revised for both Celexa brand name as well as generic versions, not to exceed 40mg daily.
I am not sure about you, but I would rather be a little depressed and here to talk about it than dead from a cardiac arrest caused from my anti-depressant medication. You would think that if these large pharmaceutical companies were aware of the potential deadly risks associated with these medications, they would do more thorough testing before making them available to the public. What is it going to take for these companies to do the right thing? Hopefully not many lives are lost.
