A review of citalopram dose restrictions in the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders in older adults

INTRODUCTION: Neuropsychiatric disorders affect millions of older adults. Despite this, there are relatively few older adults included in clinical trials evaluating treatments for psychiatric disorders. Citalopram has been evaluated in older adults with neuropsychiatric disorders and has largely been found beneficial, making the 2011 US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) safety advisory on citalopram extremely impactful. METHODS: A literature search was completed using the PubMed database. Results were limited to clinical trials conducted in older adults that were published in English. RESULTS: Review of the literature confirms the efficacy of citalopram in depression, anxiety, depression associated with Parkinson disease, and behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia. Additionally, no adverse cardiac outcomes have been described related to citalopram. DISCUSSION: The FDA's evidence for applying this safety advisory to citalopram is minimal and largely based on surrogate markers, such as the QTc interval rather than clinical and safety outcomes. Citalopram is known to increase the QTc, but this increase has not been linked to adverse cardiac outcomes. The evidence for efficacy and against adverse outcomes suggests that a reevaluation of the dosing restrictions in older adults with neuropsychiatric disorders is needed.