FDA: High Doses of Forest Laboratories, Inc.'s Celexa Linked to Abnormal Heart Rhythms

High doses of the popular antidepressant Celexa can cause potentially fatal abnormal heart rhythms and should no longer be prescribed to patients, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday. Doses of Celexa (citalopram hydrobromide) greater than 40 milligrams a day can cause changes in the electrical activity of the heart, which can lead to abnormal heart rhythms, including a potentially deadly arrhythmia known as Torsade de Pointes, according to the agency. Patients at high risk for changes in the electrical activity of the heart include those with pre-existing heart conditions (including congestive heart failure) and those prone to low levels of potassium and magnesium in the blood, the FDA said.