Drug & supplement interaction

Mindfulness + Citalopram

Citalopram brand name: Celexa.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 13, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Mindfulness 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. Additionally, although there is no interaction, the two are separately associated with some of the same side effects, which would make a new symptom harder to attribute to one or the other.

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Interaction report

Mindfulness 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 Mindfulness in our sources. This does not guarantee that the combination is completely free of risk — research on Mindfulness alongside specific medications may be limited.

Worth understanding: our licensed dataset holds no drug-interaction record for Mindfulness 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.

Mindfulness is a practice rather than something you take. Ask your care team whether the type and intensity you plan to practice are appropriate for your health and treatment. 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.

Mindfulness safety at a glance

Mindfulness overall Generally safe Mindfulness is generally very safe for most people and has no swallowed dose or chemical risk.
Pregnancy Generally safe Mindfulness practices are generally considered safe during pregnancy and may help with stress.
Breastfeeding Generally safe There is no known risk to breastfeeding from practicing mindfulness.

Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

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

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Mindfulness and Citalopram May Share a Side Effect

This is not an interaction. Neither one changes how your body handles the other, and nothing here says they react together. What our sources do show is that each has separately been linked to the effects below — so practicing Mindfulness while taking the medicine can make those effects more likely to turn up, and harder to pin on one or the other if they do. One of them is worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Thoughts of self-harm Worth acting on Additional detail

    Mindfulness

    “Some studies report rare cases of anger, worsening anxiety, and thoughts of self-harm in patients, but these effects could have been caused by the underlying ailment rather than practicing mindfulness.”

    Mindfulness · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in anxiety.

    3 sources cited
    1. 100273. Hilton L, Hempel S, Ewing BA, et al. Mindfulness Meditation for Chronic Pain: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Ann Behav Med. 2017;51(2):199-213. PubMed
    2. 105414. Zgierska AE, Burzinski CA, Mundt MP, et al. Mindfulness-based relapse prevention for alcohol dependence: Findings from a randomized controlled trial. J Subst Abuse Treat. 2019 May;100:8-17. PubMed
    3. 109368. Hoge EA, Bui E, Mete M, Dutton MA, Baker AW, Simon NM. Mindfulness-based stress reduction vs escitalopram for the treatment of adults with anxiety disorders: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA Psychiatry. 2022:e223679. PubMed

    Citalopram

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Citalopram. Read the label on DailyMed ›

Reported for Mindfulness but not commonly for Citalopram: anxiety or restlessness.

Effects for Citalopram come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Mindfulness come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. 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. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

Overlapping uses

What Citalopram Is Prescribed For, and What Mindfulness 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. Mindfulness is a practice: 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.

Mindfulness has been studied for:

  • Depression Natural Medicines rates the evidence for Mindfulness: Possibly Effective Read what the research shows

    Mindfulness for depression

    Most clinical research shows that mindfulness reduces symptoms 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 Mindfulness for the same health topic, tell your prescriber, especially if the medicine is being adjusted to a target.

From our Q&A

Questions About Mindfulness 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 Mindfulness 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 Mindfulness 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 Mindfulness 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 Mindfulness
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Citalopram
Top 5%

#50 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 Mindfulness reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Mindfulness and Citalopram records this page draws on were last updated July 10, 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 .
Mind-body practice

About Mindfulness

What is Mindfulness?

  • Stress reduction
  • Anxiety and depression
  • Chronic pain
  • Sleep problems
  • Improving focus and emotional well-being

Mindfulness is a mind-body practice—not a pill or herb—that involves paying attention to the present moment without judgment. Research suggests it can modestly help with stress, anxiety, depression, and chronic pain for many people, and it is generally very safe. It is best used alongside, not in place of, care from your doctor or pharmacist.

Not applicable (mind-body practice) · Guided meditation, breathing exercises, body scans, mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) programs, apps, classes

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

Mindfulness: dosing

There is no standardized "dose" for mindfulness. Many structured programs, such as MBSR, run for about eight weeks with daily home practice, but you do not need a formal program to benefit.A common starting point is a few minutes of practice per day, gradually building up as it feels comfortable. Even short, regular sessions can help.

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

Read the full Mindfulness 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 & Mindfulness

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Mindfulness — 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
2,829 No interaction
No interaction 2,829 drugs checked — show the list

We also checked Mindfulness against these medications and found no known interaction in our sources. Open any page to confirm.

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,829 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Mindfulness list.

See the full Mindfulness interactions page
See every supplement checked against Citalopram, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Mindfulness References

The 3 references that drive our Mindfulness 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. Hilton L, Hempel S, Ewing BA, et al. Mindfulness Meditation for Chronic Pain: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Ann Behav Med. 2017;51(2):199-213. PubMed
  2. Zgierska AE, Burzinski CA, Mundt MP, et al. Mindfulness-based relapse prevention for alcohol dependence: Findings from a randomized controlled trial. J Subst Abuse Treat. 2019 May;100:8-17. PubMed
  3. Hoge EA, Bui E, Mete M, Dutton MA, Baker AW, Simon NM. Mindfulness-based stress reduction vs escitalopram for the treatment of adults with anxiety disorders: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA Psychiatry. 2022:e223679. 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

Practicing Mindfulness While Taking Citalopram: Common Questions

Is it safe to practice Mindfulness while taking Citalopram?
We do not list a known interaction between Mindfulness 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.
Do Mindfulness and Citalopram have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to one of the same effects. That is not an interaction: neither changes how your body handles the other. It does mean that if one of those effects turns up, it can be harder to tell which one is behind it. They are listed on this page with the source behind each.
Are Mindfulness 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 Mindfulness 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 — Mindfulness 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

Where next

Keep Exploring

Mindfulness monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Citalopram drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Citalopram supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Citalopram, ranked by severity Supplement interaction checker Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z Every drug we’ve checked against herbs & supplements References The 3 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Citalopram and Mindfulness?

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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.