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The Daily Insight

Can you take Celexa while breastfeeding

Author

Rachel Hunter

Published Apr 07, 2026

Safe During Breastfeeding: Citalopram or Celexa is excreted in breast milk. The amount excreted, based on study tests, can range from 0.9% to 9% of maternal dose. There have been adverse side effects reported, including reduced feeding and weight loss, in infants breastfeeding from mothers taking Celexa.

Can I breastfeed while taking citalopram?

Citalopram and breastfeeding If your doctor or health visitor says your baby is healthy, citalopram can be used during breastfeeding. Citalopram passes into breast milk in small amounts, and has been linked with side effects in very few breastfed babies. It’s important to continue taking citalopram to keep you well.

What antidepressants are safe for breastfeeding?

Sertraline, paroxetine, nortriptyline and imipramine are the most evidence-based medications for use during breastfeeding.

Does Celexa affect milk supply?

Effects on Lactation and Breastmilk The SSRI class of drugs, including citalopram, can cause increased prolactin levels and galactorrhea in nonpregnant, nonnursing patients.

Can you have a baby on Celexa?

SSRIs are generally considered an option during pregnancy, including citalopram (Celexa) and sertraline (Zoloft). Potential complications include maternal weight changes and premature birth. Most studies show that SSRIs aren’t associated with birth defects.

What is the most common side effect of Celexa?

Common side effects of Celexa include: drowsiness, ejaculatory disorder, nausea, insomnia, and diaphoresis. Other side effects include: suicidal tendencies, agitation, diarrhea, impotence, sinusitis, anxiety, confusion, exacerbation of depression, lack of concentration, tremor, vomiting, anorexia, and xerostomia.

Can I take Paxil while breastfeeding?

There is a fair amount of information on the use of Paxil (paroxetine) in nursing women. While Paxil may be detected in the breast milk, there have been no reports of adverse events in the nursing infant.

Are Celexa and Zoloft similar?

Are Celexa and Zoloft the same? Celexa and Zoloft are both antidepressants in the same class, but they are not the same drug. They have different active ingredients, and while both are approved in the treatment of depression, each carries some unique indications for use in other mental health conditions as well.

Does citalopram help with anxiety?

Citalopram is an SSRI antidepressant, which is commonly used to treat anxiety and depression.

What can I take for anxiety while breastfeeding?
  • SSRI antidepressants e.g. sertraline, citalopram, fluoxetine, paroxetine all have anti- anxiety activity. …
  • Tri-cyclic antidepressants e.g. amitriptyline, imipramine.
  • Beta blockers e.g. propranolol act to reduce heart rate and slow the body and act very quickly.
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What is the safest antidepressant for pregnancy?

  • Fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem)
  • Citalopram (Celexa)
  • Sertraline (Zoloft)
  • Amitriptyline (Elavil)
  • Desipramine (Norpramin)
  • Nortriptyline (Pamelor)
  • Bupropion (Wellbutrin)

Can you donate breast milk if you take antidepressants?

What medications can I take and still be a milk donor? Prenatal vitamins, Tylenol, Advil, most allergy medications, several antidepressants, thyroid medications and low dose estrogen birth control pills (prefer progestin only) are acceptable to take while pumping for the Milk Bank.

Does Celexa cause weight gain?

Celexa has been associated with slight weight gain, but it’s thought that the drug itself doesn’t cause this effect. Rather, the weight increase is likely due to improved appetite from taking the drug. A better appetite can cause you to eat more, leading to increased body weight.

What category is Celexa during pregnancy?

DrugFDA pregnancy category*Citalopram (Celexa)CEscitalopram (Lexapro)CFluoxetine (Prozac)CFluvoxamine (Luvox)‡C

Is Celexa safe to take?

To date, there are no known problems associated with long term use of citalopram. It is a safe and effective medication when used as directed.

What medicine can I not take while breastfeeding?

Breastfeeding women should avoid aspirin and products containing aspirin (this includes Pepto Bismal taken for an upset stomach), as well as products containing naproxen (Aleve). In contrast, acetominophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofin (Motrin, Advil) are not known to have any negative effects on nursing babies.

What birth defects does Paxil cause?

In one of the studies with Paxil, women taking the drug had an approximately two per cent risk of having a baby with heart defects, and in the second study, women taking Paxil in the first trimester had an approximate 1.5% risk of having a baby with heart defects.

How do I stop taking Paxil while pregnant?

To avoid these Paxil withdrawal symptoms as much as possible, ask your doctor about tapering off your medication. This strategy allows your body to adjust to less and less of the medication over time while helping you avoid severe withdrawal symptoms.

What should you not take with Celexa?

Do not use citalopram with buspirone (Buspar®), fentanyl (Abstral®, Duragesic®), lithium (Eskalith®, Lithobid®), methylene blue injection, tryptophan, St John’s wort, amphetamines, or some pain or migraine medicines (eg, rizatriptan, sumatriptan, tramadol, Frova®, Imitrex®, Maxalt®, Relpax®, Ultram®, Zomig®).

Is Celexa and Xanax the same thing?

Celexa is mainly used to treat depression and it is used off-label for anxiety. Xanax is also used to treat panic attacks. Celexa and Xanax belong to different drug classes. Celexa is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) type antidepressant and Xanax is a benzodiazepine.

Does Celexa make lazy?

Serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) like escitalopram (Lexapro), citalopram (Celexa), paroxetine (Paxil), and fluoxetine (Prozac), taken for depression or anxiety, can make you feel sleepy.

Does Celexa help with obsessive thoughts?

Citalopram has an average rating of 7.4 out of 10 from a total of 35 ratings for the treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. 69% of reviewers reported a positive effect, while 20% reported a negative effect.

Can you feel Celexa the first day?

These findings demonstrate that potentially therapeutic effects begin as quickly as a few hours after the first dose of Celexa, and by extension any SSRI.

Does citalopram calm you down?

What will citalopram do? Citalopram should help you feel calm and relaxed. It could take some time for citalopram to have its full effect. This effect should reduce your behaviour problem.

Which is better Celexa or Prozac?

Is Celexa or Prozac more effective? A study compared Celexa and Prozac and found both medications to be well-tolerated. The study concluded that Celexa was as effective as Prozac to treat depression, and patients who took Celexa started to feel better faster than patients who took Prozac.

Is Celexa good for PTSD?

Citalopram, an SSRI with highly potent and selective serotonin reuptake inhibition, may be a useful agent for treating the intrusive, avoidance, and arousal symptoms that characterize PTSD.

What can I replace citalopram with?

Background: Escitalopram is a highly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). It is the therapeutically active S-enantiomer of citalopram. It has been shown, compared with placebo, to be an effective and well-tolerated treatment for major depressive disorders (MDD) in both primary and specialist care settings.

Does anxiety pass through breast milk?

The good news is no. Actually, continuing to breastfeed their babies will help their anxiety, and it’s a great bonding experience for both mom and baby. Also, by breastfeeding, they are still getting their babies all the good immune system boosters found in breast milk.

Does anxiety affect milk supply?

Feeling stressed or anxious Stress is the No. 1 killer of breastmilk supply, especially in the first few weeks after delivery. Between lack of sleep and adjusting to the baby’s schedule, rising levels of certain hormones such as cortisol can dramatically reduce your milk supply.

Can you breastfeed on Lamictal?

Breastfeeding during lamotrigine monotherapy does not appear to adversely affect infant growth or development, and breastfed infants had higher IQs and enhanced verbal abilities than nonbreastfed infants at 6 years of age in one study. [1] A safety scoring system finds lamotrigine possible to use during breastfeeding.

Is cipralex safe in pregnancy?

There are no large studies looking at the chance of birth defects when escitalopram is used during pregnancy. Since it is very similar to citalopram, escitalopram is also unlikely to increase the chance of birth defects over the background risk.