Is It Safe To Take Pholcodine Linctus With Citalopram?

SarahJay asked

Is it safe to take pholcodine linctus for a cough when already taking 20mg of citalopram?

Answer

SarahJay, thank you for your excellent question. It’s rare that I see a drug and get to say to myself, “What the heck is that?” The reason that I had never heard of pholcodine linctus for cough is it looks like it’s not available as an approved medication in the U.S. That’s no problem though, I was able to track down plenty of information and educate myself.

First, there is no known interaction between pholcodine linctus, a cough suppressant, and citalopram (or under the brand name Celexa). Pholcodine seems to be a relatively safe drug.

The only known drug interactions appear to be with monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) drugs, which are a class of old antidepressants that are very rarely used. Citalopram is in a class of medications called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) which have no known interaction with pholcodine.

Pholcodine linctus should be used cautiously as it may cause drowsiness.

If you do take it, make sure that you don’t drive or operate any heavy machinery as it may impair your ability to do so safely. You probably shouldn’t use it if have any sort of severe breathing disorder (COPD, severe asthma, sleep apnea), I would also avoid using it with alcohol or other drugs that cause drowsiness such as any sort of narcotic pain medication, benzodiazepine anxiety medications, or medications used to help sleep.