A patient taking Sertraline 100mg film-coated tablets found a strip of another antidepressant – Citalopram 40mg film-coated tablets – inside the sealed carton
Pack of Sertraline tablets(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Health officials have recalled a batch of a commonly used antidepressant after a patient found the wrong medicine inside their pack.
A patient taking Sertraline 100mg film-coated tablets found a strip of another antidepressant – Citalopram 40mg film-coated tablets – inside the sealed carton. As a result, UK-based pharmaceutical company Amarox has issued a “precautionary recall” of a certain batch of Sertraline, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said.
Both medications are produced by the same manufacturer at the same site. The MHRA said that the manufacturing error “appears to have occurred during secondary packaging of the blister strips into the cartons”.
Box of Citalopram pills(Image: Getty Images)
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It said that patients who believe they have already taken any Citalopram 40mg tablets by mistake or are experiencing side effects, should seek medical advice immediately. The MHRA said that pharmacists should stop supplying the batch and contact any patients who may have been dispensed the impacted product – Sertraline 100mg tablets batch number V2500425.
Dr Alison Cave, the MHRA’s chief safety officer, said: “If you have been prescribed Sertraline 100mg tablets and have received batch number V2500425, please check the carton contains the right medication. You can find the batch number and expiry date printed on the side of the outer packaging.
“If the blister strips inside the carton are labelled Citalopram 40mg, please contact your pharmacy as soon as possible. If they are labelled Sertraline 100mg, no further action is needed. Patients who have accidentally taken Citalopram instead of – or as well as – Sertraline, may experience some heightened serotonergic side effects. These can include nausea, headache, sleep changes and mild anxiety.”
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
In 2019, more than 16.7 million prescriptions of Sertraline were prescribed by GPs in England, according to a study. Sertraline is an antidepressant prescibed to treat depression and other mental health conditions including OCD, panic disorder, PTSD and social anxiety disorder.
It’s an antidepressant known as an SSRI – selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. According to the NHS it works by increasing the level of serotonin, which can help people feel calmer and happier when levels become more normal.
Sertraline tablets are taken once a day at the same time, but the NHS warns that if you forget to take your dose you should skip it and take the next dose the next day as usual. The NHS warns you should not take two doses to make up for a missed dose.
Citalopram is another SSRI antidepression, commonly used to treat low mood and depression and sometimes prescribed for panic attacks. It usually takes four to six weeks for Citalopram to start fully working, though improvements are often felt after one to two weeks.
People on either Sertraline or Citalopram should never stop taking the medication suddenly. Instead, they should speak to their doctor who will help gradually reduce the dose over time to avoid withdrawal symptoms.