Drug & supplement interaction

Mediterranean Diet + Citalopram

Citalopram brand name: Celexa.

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Mediterranean Diet and Citalopram in our sources. Absence of a documented interaction is not the same as proven safety, and does not guarantee one does not exist. Do not start, stop, or change a medication or supplement based on this page; confirm with your pharmacist or doctor first.

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Interaction report

Mediterranean Diet and Citalopram

We checked these two against our interaction database. Here is what we found.

No Known Interaction Found

We did not find a documented interaction between Citalopram and Mediterranean Diet in our sources. This does not guarantee that the combination is completely free of risk — research on Mediterranean Diet alongside specific medications may be limited.

Worth understanding: our licensed dataset holds no drug-interaction record for Mediterranean Diet at all — not against Citalopram, and not against any other medication we track. This verdict therefore rests on the absence of any recorded data, not on research that looked at this combination and found nothing. We cannot rule an interaction out.

Mediterranean Diet is an eating pattern rather than something you take. Ask your pharmacist or doctor before changing how you eat while on a prescribed medicine: some medicines are dosed around meals, and a change in diet can change how they work. Do not stop a prescribed medicine on your own.

Always talk with your pharmacist or doctor before making changes to your medications or supplements, particularly if you take several medications or have an ongoing health condition.

Mediterranean Diet safety at a glance

Mediterranean Diet overall Generally safe It is a balanced, whole-food eating pattern considered safe and healthy for most people.
Pregnancy Possibly Safe When the Mediterranean diet is used appropriately during pregnancy. However, the red wine component of the Mediterranean diet should be avoided in pregnancy. Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Generally safe A balanced Mediterranean-style diet is generally appropriate while breastfeeding.

Pregnancy & breastfeeding ratings are from Natural Medicines (Therapeutic Research Center) — the full detail is in the Special populations card below. Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Citalopram and Mediterranean Diet? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
What to actually watch for

What Citalopram’s Own FDA Label Lists

This is not an interaction — none of it involves Mediterranean Diet. These are the most notable effects listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of Citalopram’s own FDA label, for the medication by itself. Knowing the drug’s own list makes it easier to work out the likely cause if something new turns up while you follow Mediterranean Diet and take the medicine. 8 of them are worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Mania or an unusually elevated mood Worth acting on
  • Serotonin syndrome Worth acting on
  • Thoughts of self-harm Worth acting on
  • Low sodium Worth acting on
  • An irregular heartbeat Worth acting on
  • Seizures Worth acting on
  • Bleeding or bruising Worth acting on
  • An allergic reaction Worth acting on
  • Erection problems
  • Tiredness mentioned in 6.6% of FDA reports for Citalopram

From the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Citalopram. Read the label on DailyMed › Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 106,559 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Citalopram that mention that effect — a reporting proportion, not an incidence rate and not evidence the drug caused it. Mediterranean Diet’s licensed record lists no adverse effects our clinical vocabulary could match, so there is no Mediterranean Diet side to compare — that is a limit of the record, not a statement that Mediterranean Diet has no side effects.

Special populations

Mediterranean Diet in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy Possibly Safe

When the Mediterranean diet is used appropriately during pregnancy. However, the red wine component of the Mediterranean diet should be avoided in pregnancy.

DISCLAIMER: This tool is intended for informational purposes only, and should not be interpreted as specific medical advice. Patients should consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making decisions about therapies and/or health conditions.© 2026 Therapeutic Research Center

Overlapping uses

What Citalopram Is Prescribed For, and What Mediterranean Diet Has Been Studied For

These two come up together because they touch the same health topic — not because they do the same job. Citalopram is a prescription medicine with approved uses on its FDA label. Mediterranean Diet is an eating pattern: what follows is what researchers have looked at it for, and how strong that evidence is.

Citalopram is prescribed for: Citalopram — available as tablets (including brand Celexa), oral solution, and capsules — is used to treat major depressive disorder (MDD) in adults. This includes depression that causes persistent low mood, loss of interest in everyday activities, changes in sleep or appetite, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating. Citalopram capsules are specifically indicated for adults with MDD but are not intended for starting or stopping treatment — another citalopram product must be used for dose titration. All forms are indicated for adults only; citalopram tablets are not approved for use in children.

Mediterranean Diet has been studied for:

  • Depression studied, not established Mediterranean Diet has been studied for this. Natural Medicines rates the evidence: Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Read what the research shows

    Mediterranean Diet for depression

    It is unclear if the Mediterranean diet is beneficial for the treatment or prevention of depression.

Effectiveness ratings and the research summaries above are the verbatim record from the Natural Medicines database, which grades evidence from “Effective” down to “Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate”. A rating below the top of that scale means researchers have looked at it — not that it works, and never that it can stand in for a prescribed medicine. Do not stop or replace Citalopram on your own; if you are taking Mediterranean Diet for the same health topic, tell your prescriber, especially if the medicine is being adjusted to a target.

From our Q&A

Questions About Mediterranean Diet or Citalopram

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Mediterranean Diet or Citalopram, not necessarily both, but if one is close to what you were about to ask it will usually go further than a database entry can:

Not quite your question? Ask our pharmacists directly — it is free, there is no account required, and answers usually come back within 24 hours.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Citalopram

This page covers Mediterranean Diet only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Citalopram page lists 191 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Grapefruit (major), Lithium (major), St. John's Wort (major) and 5-htp (moderate).

By severity: 4 major · 144 moderate · 43 minor.

Open the Citalopram interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Mediterranean Diet and Citalopram Sit Against Everything Else

Out of every supplement and medication people look up on HelloPharmacist, here is where these two land this week — and which way each has been moving.

Supplement Mediterranean Diet
Steady interest

#947 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Citalopram
Top 5%

#51 of 2,830 medications looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today

Position among everything looked up on this site, not a measure of how commonly either one is used or how important it is. A supplement can climb this list because of a news story. It counts every request to the page, automated ones included, and nothing here identifies anyone.

Where does our data come from?
  • Source: the Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) clinical database — the evidence-graded professional reference for herb & supplement interactions.
  • Citation library: 103,510 references behind our interaction content, 65,311 of them resolved to verified PubMed/DOI sources. See every Mediterranean Diet reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Mediterranean Diet and Citalopram records this page draws on were last updated July 11, 2026.
  • What “no known interaction” means: no documented interaction in the sources above — not a guarantee of safety. Supplements are studied far less than prescription drugs, so we say exactly what the evidence supports, and nothing more.
Data structure & sourcing designed and verified by .
Eating pattern

About Mediterranean Diet

What is Mediterranean Diet?

  • Heart health
  • Weight management
  • Type 2 diabetes prevention
  • Brain and memory health
  • Reducing inflammation
  • General longevity

The Mediterranean diet is an eating pattern rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, fish, and olive oil, with limited red meat and processed foods. It has some of the strongest evidence of any diet for supporting heart health and is widely considered safe for most people. Talk to your doctor or a dietitian before making big changes, especially if you have a medical condition.

Whole-food eating pattern (not a pill or supplement)

An interaction check asks whether these two react with each other — it does not ask whether Mediterranean Diet is a good idea for someone in your situation. Here is what our Mediterranean Diet record says about it on its own.

Mediterranean Diet: dosing

There is no pill or fixed "dose" for the Mediterranean diet—it is an overall pattern. The general approach is to make vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, and olive oil the base of most meals, eat fish a couple of times per week, choose nuts and seeds for snacks, and limit red meat, processed foods, and sweets.A registered dietitian can help you tailor the pattern to your calorie needs, health conditions, and food preferences.

From our Mediterranean Diet monograph — the full record covers uses, side effects and every documented interaction.

Read the full Mediterranean Diet monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Citalopram

What Is Citalopram Used For?

Brand name: Celexa

Citalopram — available as tablets (including brand Celexa), oral solution, and capsules — is used to treat major depressive disorder (MDD) in adults. This includes depression that causes persistent low mood, loss of interest in everyday activities, changes in sleep or appetite, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating.

Citalopram capsules are specifically indicated for adults with MDD but are not intended for starting or stopping treatment — another citalopram product must be used for dose titration. All forms are indicated for adults only; citalopram tablets are not approved for use in children.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Citalopram

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (106,559 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Fatigue 6,992 reports
Nausea 6,019 reports
Headache 5,146 reports
Toxicity to various agents 5,100 reports
Diarrhea 4,832 reports
See full Citalopram drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Mediterranean Diet

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Mediterranean Diet — both the ones with a known interaction and the ones without. Select any drug for the full detail.

0Major
0Moderate
0Minor
2,829No known interaction
No interaction 2,829 drugs checked — show the list
Evidence & sources

Mediterranean Diet References

The 6 references that drive our Mediterranean Diet monograph and interaction data, from the evidence-graded Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) database. Citations with a link open the study on PubMed or the publisher’s site.

  1. Assaf-Balut C, García de la Torre N, Fuentes M, et al. A high adherence to six food targets of the Mediterranean diet in the late first trimester is associated with a reduction in the risk of materno-foetal outcomes: The St. Carlos gestational diabetes me
  2. Assaf-Balut C, García de la Torre N, Durán A, et al. A Mediterranean diet with additional extra virgin olive oil and pistachios reduces the incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM): A randomized controlled trial: The St. Carlos GDM prevention stud
  3. De Giuseppe R, Bocchi M, Maffoni S, et al. Mediterranean Diet and Lifestyle Habits during Pregnancy: Is There an Association with Small for Gestational Age Infants? An Italian Single Centre Experience. Nutrients 2021;13(6):1941. PubMed
  4. Crovetto F, Crispi F, Casas R, et al. Effects of Mediterranean Diet or Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on Prevention of Small-for-Gestational Age Birth Weights in Newborns Born to At-Risk Pregnant Individuals: The IMPACT BCN Randomized Clinical Trial. DOI
  5. Makarem N, Chau K, Miller EC, et al. Association of a Mediterranean Diet pattern with adverse pregnancy outcomes among US women. JAMA Netw Open 2022;5(12):e2248165. PubMed
  6. Yang J, Song Y, Gaskins AJ, et al. Mediterranean diet and female reproductive health over lifespan: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2023;229(6):617-631. PubMed

Medication overviews come from MedlinePlus (NIH); supplement label data from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database. Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists — see our data sources and editorial standards.

Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Following Mediterranean Diet While Taking Citalopram: Common Questions

Is it safe to follow Mediterranean Diet while taking Citalopram?
We do not list a known interaction between Mediterranean Diet and Citalopram. That does not guarantee the combination is risk-free, so confirm with your pharmacist or doctor — especially if you take other medications or have a health condition.
Are Mediterranean Diet and Citalopram used for the same thing?
They overlap in purpose, which usually means the real question is whether you need both rather than whether they are safe together. This page lists the shared uses and how strong the evidence is for Mediterranean Diet in each. That is a conversation for your prescriber, especially if Citalopram is being adjusted to a target.
Does Citalopram interact with any supplements?
Yes. Citalopram has documented interactions with 191 supplements in our database — Mediterranean Diet is not one of them. The Citalopram interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Still Have a Question About Citalopram and Mediterranean Diet?

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This information is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always check with your pharmacist or doctor before starting, stopping, or combining supplements and medications.