Is Citalopram (Celexa) safe during pregnancy?
What the FDA-approved label for Citalopram (Celexa) actually states in its Pregnancy Risk Summary — not a secondhand verdict. The decision is one to make with your prescriber.
What the label’s pregnancy summary says
The label says published studies have NOT established an increased risk of major birth defects or miscarriage with citalopram use in pregnancy. However, it does name real risks: use in the month before delivery is linked to a less-than-2-fold increase in postpartum hemorrhage, and third-trimester SSRI exposure carries risks of persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN, ~1-2 per 1,000 live births) and poor neonatal adaptation (neonates may have respiratory distress, feeding difficulty, jitteriness, and other complications requiring prolonged hospitalization). The label also stresses the risk of untreated depression, noting women who stop antidepressants in pregnancy are more likely to relapse, and directs providers to weigh both. A pregnancy exposure registry for antidepressants exists (1-844-405-6185). Decisions about use or stopping should be made only with the prescriber.
Frequently asked questions
Is Citalopram safe to take during pregnancy?
The label flags a real concern for Citalopram — see the summary above. This is not a drug to start or continue in pregnancy on your own; it needs a prescriber weighing the specific risks against the reason you would take it. The one universal rule: do not start or stop a medication in pregnancy without medical advice — an untreated condition can carry its own risk to a pregnancy.
What does the FDA label say about Citalopram in pregnancy?
The summary above is transcribed from the label's Pregnancy Risk Summary (§8.1). Since 2015 FDA labels replaced the old A/B/C/D/X letter categories with a narrative that describes what human and animal data actually show, which is what you are reading here — not a single letter grade.
Is Citalopram safe while breastfeeding?
That is a separate question the label answers in a different section (§8.2, Lactation), and it does not always match the pregnancy verdict. This page covers pregnancy only. For breastfeeding, ask your prescriber or pharmacist, or check the NIH LactMed database, which summarizes the drug-in-breast-milk evidence.
More guides for Citalopram
Source
Citalopram — DailyMed FDA label (§8.1 Pregnancy; Adverse Reactions, Weight Changes) ↗
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The pregnancy information is transcribed from the drug’s FDA-approved label (§8.1) and mirrors what the label states — “insufficient data” is never rounded up to “safe.” This is general reference information, not medical advice. Whether to take any medication in pregnancy is a decision for you and your prescriber; do not start or stop a drug on your own, because an untreated condition can also carry risk.