# Citalopram and sperm damage



## Rachel2 (Oct 3, 2004)

Hi - after posting about the medication I am on I started researching Citalopram which dh has been taking for the last few months. When he was prescribed it he explained to the doc that we would be having fertility txt and the doc said it would be fine. However - having just researched this drug it seems that it is strongly linked to dna damage of sperm resulting in lowered fertility and birth defects. Now worried sick about this and wondering whether we should even go ahead with this cycle. I've already started stimming!Should we be worried?


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## mazv (Jul 31, 2006)

Hi Rachel,

Citalopram is widely used and is not contra-indicated in men or in couples trying to conceive. I'm not aware of strong evidence linking it to dna damage in humans (where did you find this informamtion from?)

Citalopram belongs to a class of drugs called SSRIs and these can have side effects that result in a change in sexual function in both men and women but not in actual reproductive process (at least nto that I'm aware of) Recent evidence relating to the SSRIs indicates that there may be a slight increased risk in some congenital malformations but this risk needs to be balanced against the benefit of treating the mother. I must stress that this possible increased risk is very small and only just above the natural background rate of malformation. I am also not aware of any link to defects caused when it has been the father that was exposed to these drugs.

I would suggest you talk this over with your fertility consultants to ask their advice further on this though to help put your mind at ease.

Lots of      to those growing follies 
Maz x


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## Rachel2 (Oct 3, 2004)

Thanks for your reassuring reply. The research I found when I googled citalopram and sperm was from 2009 and it looks as though there were quite a few news articles about it at the time. I'm glad you haven't heard about it anyway and so it cannot be widely known to be true. Thanks again x


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