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What the FDA labels say about taking them together

Citalopram and methadone

Citalopram's FDA label of October 9, 2023 names methadone in its warnings and precautions section; methadone's label does not name citalopram itself but warns about its class (serotonin reuptake inhibitors).

Check it at the source: the citalopram FDA label on DailyMed (effective October 9, 2023, Allergan, Inc.); the methadone FDA label on DailyMed (effective December 8, 2025, Epic Pharma, LLC).

What does the citalopram label say about methadone?

Citalopram label, warnings and precautions

Such drugs include Class 1A (e.g., quinidine, procainamide) or Class III (e.g., amiodarone, sotalol) antiarrhythmic medications, antipsychotic medications (e.g., chlorpromazine, thioridazine), antibiotics (e.g., gatifloxacin, moxifloxacin), or any other class of medications known to prolong the QTc interval (e.g., pentamidine, levomethadyl acetate, methadone).

Source: FDA drug label (Celexa), NDA020822 (Abbvie), as published by Allergan, Inc., effective October 9, 2023 (SPL set 4259d9b1-de34-43a4-85a8-41dd214e9177), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed

What does the methadone label say about citalopram?

Methadone's label does not name citalopram itself; it warns about its class (serotonin reuptake inhibitors):

Methadone label, warnings and precautions

Syndrome with Concomitant Use of Serotonergic Drugs Cases of serotonin syndrome, a potentially life-threatening condition, have been reported during concomitant use of methadone hydrochloride tablets with serotonergic drugs. Serotonergic drugs include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), triptans, 5-HT3 receptor antagonists, drugs that affect the serotonergic neurotransmitter system (e.g., mirtazapine …

Methadone label, warnings and precautions

Syndrome with Concomitant Use of Serotonergic Drugs Cases of serotonin syndrome, a potentially life-threatening condition, have been reported during concomitant use of DISKETS with serotonergic drugs. Serotonergic drugs include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), triptans, 5-HT3 receptor antagonists, drugs that affect the serotonergic neurotransmitter system (e.g., mirtazapine, trazodone, tramadol), certain …

Source: FDA drug label (Methadone Hydrochloride), Epic Pharma, LLC, effective December 8, 2025 (SPL set 6da7501b-b881-4bc7-891a-74214a00a3ac), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed

These are the labels' own sentences. PlainMeds does not grade interactions; a pharmacist or prescriber can say what they mean for one person's medicines.

Both medicines on the record

35Citalopram generic labelers
18Methadone generic labelers
CitalopramMethadone
Labeled forDepressionPain, Opioid use disorder
Boxed warningYesYes
Pharmacy cost (NADAC)$0.026 per tablet 10 mg tablet$0.177 per tablet 10 mg tablet
Shortage nowNo current entryNo current entry

Source: FDA NDC Directory, CMS NADAC of October 7, 2026 and the FDA Drug Shortage Database (FDA files October 8, 2026)

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