Reported Reactions

Drugs › Serotonin reuptake inhibitor

Brand name · Citalopram

Celexa: adverse event reports filed with FDA

3,626 reports list it as a suspect or interacting product, 2004–2026. Class: Serotonin reuptake inhibitor. Also reported as Celexa /00582602/, Celexa /01400501/, Celexa Tablets.

3,626
reports as suspect product
0% of all reports · about 161 a year
61
reports, 12 months to June 2026
78 in the 12 months before
61.7%
marked serious by the reporter
83.7% across the class
8.5%
record death among outcomes, as reported
308 reports · not verified by FDA

Between January 2004 and June 2026, 3,626 adverse event reports received by FDA list the brand name Celexa (citalopram) as a suspect or interacting product. Reports that mention it only as a concomitant medication (27,901) are left out of every figure here.

In the 12 months to June 2026, 61 reports listed it, down 22% from 78 in the 12 months before. FDA releases FAERS data quarterly, so the newest months are incomplete and grow in later releases. Over its reporting history that is about 161 reports a year and 0% of the 20,646,523 reports in the database, and 1.3% of the reports for the serotonin reuptake inhibitor class. How many people take it is not in the data, so a count is not a rate of occurrence.

Reporters most often recorded drug ineffective (10.2%), depression (7.9%) and drug hypersensitivity (7.8%). A report can list several reactions, so shares add to more than 100%; 810 different terms appear across these reports. Drug ineffective is recorded in 10.2% of these reports, a larger share than in the median serotonin reuptake inhibitor drug (7.9%).

61.7% of the reports are marked serious by the reporter (83.7% across the class); 8.5% record death among the outcomes and 19.1% record hospitalisation, as reported. 43.8% of the reports came from consumers, and the largest patient age group is 18 to 44 (22.1%). FDA states that "a causal relationship cannot be established between product and reactions listed in a report" and that for any given report "there is no certainty that a suspected drug caused the event."

Reports by month, five years

02040Jul 2021: 3Aug 2021: 9Sep 2021: 40Oct 2021: 4Nov 2021: 2Dec 2021: 82022Jan 2022: 6Feb 2022: 5Mar 2022: 5Apr 2022: 3May 2022: 5Jun 2022: 8Jul 2022: 4Aug 2022: 2Sep 2022: 4Oct 2022: 5Nov 2022: 5Dec 2022: 32023Jan 2023: 6Feb 2023: 7Mar 2023: 14Apr 2023: 9May 2023: 2Jun 2023: 9Jul 2023: 4Aug 2023: 7Sep 2023: 4Oct 2023: 2Nov 2023: 3Dec 2023: 02024Jan 2024: 4Feb 2024: 6Mar 2024: 5Apr 2024: 8May 2024: 10Jun 2024: 1Jul 2024: 7Aug 2024: 7Sep 2024: 4Oct 2024: 5Nov 2024: 3Dec 2024: 142025Jan 2025: 11Feb 2025: 10Mar 2025: 4Apr 2025: 3May 2025: 7Jun 2025: 3Jul 2025: 10Aug 2025: 4Sep 2025: 4Oct 2025: 6Nov 2025: 5Dec 2025: 22026Jan 2026: 5Feb 2026: 5Mar 2026: 7Apr 2026: 8May 2026: 2Jun 2026: 3

Reports by the month FDA received them. FDA releases FAERS data quarterly, so the newest months are incomplete and grow in later releases.

By year received

01492982004: 18520042005: 1722006: 1632007: 15620072008: 1322009: 1512010: 19920102011: 1812012: 2982013: 20520132014: 2142015: 1842016: 26320162017: 2182018: 1462019: 23520192020: 1272021: 1022022: 5520222023: 672024: 742025: 6920252026: 30

2026 covers reports received through June 2026 only.

Reactions recorded in the reports

share of Celexa reports recording the termmedian drug in serotonin reuptake inhibitor

  1. Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected10.2%370
  2. Depressionlow mood7.9%286
  3. Drug hypersensitivityan allergic-type reaction to a medicine7.8%282
  4. Anxietyanxiety7.6%276
  5. Nauseafeeling sick7.1%257
  6. Dizzinesslight-headedness or unsteadiness6.4%233
  7. Suicidal ideationthoughts of suicide6%217
  8. Headachehead pain5.5%201
  9. Drug interactionan interaction between medicines5.5%199
  10. Fatiguetiredness5.3%191
  11. Insomniadifficulty sleeping4.6%168
  12. Feeling abnormalfeeling odd or not right4.4%158
  13. Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label4.4%158
  14. Tremorshaking3.9%141
  15. Diarrhoealoose or frequent stools3.8%139
  16. Vomitingbeing sick3.8%138
  17. Weight increasedweight gain3.7%135
  18. Somnolencedrowsiness3.6%132
  19. Completed suicidedeath by suicide3.4%125
  20. Agitationrestlessness3%107
  21. Confusional stateconfusion2.8%100
  22. Dyspnoeashortness of breath2.8%100
  23. Astheniaweakness or lack of energy2.6%95
  24. Falla fall2.6%95
  25. Painpain, site not specified2.4%88
  26. Suicide attempta suicide attempt2.4%88
  27. Malaisegeneral feeling of being unwell2.4%87
  28. Aggressionaggressive behaviour2.3%83
  29. Weight decreasedweight loss2.2%81
  30. Loss of consciousnesspassing out2.2%80

Top 30 of 810 MedDRA preferred terms recorded across these reports, with a plain-language gloss where one is available. One report can record several terms. The hollow bar is the median share across the 21 drugs in the serotonin reuptake inhibitor class; it describes the reports, not the patients. FDA states that adverse event reports "represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product", that "common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product", and that the data "by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic."

Outcomes recorded

Death8.5%308
Life-threatening4.5%164
Hospitalisation (initial or prolonged)19.1%693
Disability4.4%160
Congenital anomaly3.2%117
Other serious37.9%1,375
Not serious38.3%1,387

Outcome flags as the reporter set them; a report can carry several, and "other serious" is FDA's own category for serious reports outside the named outcomes. Grey bar: all 273,115 reports in the class. FDA has not verified any outcome and states that the reports "cannot be used to estimate the incidence of these events."

Patients and reporters

Patient age

Under 21.7%62
2 to 110.7%26
12 to 173.3%120
18 to 4422.1%800
45 to 6419.6%709
65 to 745.9%214
75 and over4.7%170
Age not given42.1%1,525

Patient sex

Female61.8%2,240
Male29.2%1,060
Not given9%326

Who reported

Physician19.5%707
Pharmacist5.2%190
Other health professional19.4%704
Lawyer3.3%118
Consumer or non-health professional43.8%1,589
Not given8.8%318

Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 83.9% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.

Reason for use recorded

Indication as recorded (MedDRA)ReportsShare
Depression87724.2%
Anxiety2938.1%
Major depression701.9%
Bipolar disorder310.9%
Obsessive-compulsive disorder200.6%
Panic attack180.5%

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 3,626 reports.

Drugs most often listed in the same reports

Drug (any role in the report)ReportsShare of Celexa reports
Zoloft2236.2%
Xanax2196%
Bupropion hydrochloride2075.7%
Abilify1825%
Lexapro1694.7%
Seroquel1283.5%
Aspirin1273.5%
Cymbalta1123.1%
Synthroid1052.9%
Klonopin1042.9%

Other products listed in reports where Celexa is a suspect product, whatever their own role. Co-listing means the two were recorded together; it says nothing about either product's part in the event. Only the 2,500 most-reported names are counted here.

In context

MeasureCelexaSerotonin reuptake inhibitorAll reports
Reports as suspect product3,626273,11520,646,523
Share of that pool—1.3%0%
Reports, latest 12 months61—1,332,454
Marked serious61.7%83.7%57.4%
Death recorded among outcomes, per 1,000 reports8515991
Hospitalisation recorded, per 1,000 reports191321213
Consumer-filed share43.8%30.8%45.8%
Top term, share of reportsDrug ineffective 10.2%median 7.9%6.3%

Shares are of reports, not of patients treated. The number of people taking a product is not in the data, so none of these figures is a rate, and differences between columns reflect who takes a product, who reports and how long it has been sold. FDA states that adverse event reports "represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product", that "common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product", and that the data "by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic."

Other drugs in the serotonin reuptake inhibitor class

DrugName typeReportsLatest 12 monthsMarked serious
Sertralinegeneric44,8143,71493%
Citalopramgeneric30,4141,16995.2%
Fluoxetinegeneric28,3191,73493%
Paxilbrand24,1935657%
Escitalopramgeneric24,1761,83992.5%
Zoloftbrand21,31129565.5%
Paroxetinegeneric16,2041,17093%
Prozacbrand11,54727669.5%
Sertraline hydrochloridegeneric11,0771,08085.2%
Citalopram hydrobromidegeneric10,67523496.4%
Lexaprobrand9,42431864.4%
Paroxetine hydrochloridegeneric8,93526884.2%
Sertraline hclgeneric7,592067.7%
Fluoxetine hydrochloridegeneric6,20964891.9%
Escitalopram oxalategeneric5,06339992.8%

Ordered by report count for navigation only. FDA states that adverse event reports "represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product", that "common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product", and that the data "by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic." A brand and its generic are separate rows because reporters name them separately.

Questions about Celexa reports

How many adverse event reports has FDA received for Celexa?

3,626 reports list Celexa as a suspect or interacting product in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, covering reports received through June 2026. 61 of them arrived in the latest 12 months. Another 27,901 list it only as a concomitant medication.

What reactions are recorded in Celexa reports?

drug ineffective (10.2%), depression (7.9%), drug hypersensitivity (7.8%), anxiety (7.6%) and nausea (7.1%). These are MedDRA preferred terms coded from what the reporter described; a report can list several, and a term's presence is not a finding that Celexa was responsible.

How serious are the reports?

61.7% are marked serious by the reporter. Among the outcomes recorded, 8.5% of reports include death and 19.1% include hospitalisation. FDA has not verified these outcomes and states that the reports "cannot be used to estimate the incidence" of the events.

Who files these reports?

consumer or non-health professional (43.8%), physician (19.5%) and other health professional (19.4%). Most reports reach FDA through the manufacturer, which must forward reports it receives.

Are reports for Celexa rising?

61 reports in the 12 months to June 2026, down 22% from 78 in the 12 months before. FDA releases FAERS data quarterly, so the newest months are incomplete and grow in later releases. Counts also move with how many people take a product, its time on the market and publicity.

Do these reports show that Celexa was responsible for these reactions?

No. FDA states that "a causal relationship cannot be established between product and reactions listed in a report" and that for any given report "there is no certainty that a suspected drug caused the event." The reaction may relate to the condition being treated, to other medicines, or to something else.

Is this a list of the side effects of Celexa?

No. It is a count of what was reported to FDA. The adverse reactions observed in clinical studies are printed on the FDA-approved label, which a pharmacist or clinician can go through with you.

How do I report an adverse event?

Consumers and health professionals can report to FDA through MedWatch (Form FDA 3500 online, or 1-800-FDA-1088), or to the manufacturer, which must pass reports on. See the guide on how to report.

Where this comes from. Counts are built from the openFDA Drug Adverse Event (FAERS) bulk export released 28 Sep 2026, which holds reports FDA received through 30 Jun 2026. Drug names are as reported, resolved to the brand or generic name on the FDA label where openFDA's harmonisation matched them; classes are the pharmacologic class (EPC) from the label and the National Drug Code Directory of 17 Sep 2026. A report counts here when it lists Celexa as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (27,901) are excluded. No report narrative, lot number, patient detail or reporter identity is published. See the methodology and sources; FDA's record is authoritative, and corrections are handled within five working days.

Drug data (FAERS) through 30 Jun 2026; device data (MAUDE) through 31 Aug 2026. Not medical advice.