A common antidepressant medication has been recalled across the UK after a patient found the wrong medicine inside their sealed packaging.
The patient had been prescribed Sertraline 100mg film-coated tablets but found a strip of Citalopram 40mg film-coated tablets, another antidepressant, within the carton instead.
UK-based pharmaceutical company Amarox initiated a “precautionary recall” of a particular batch of Sertraline, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said.
The two medications are produced by the same manufacturer at the same site, according to the agency, and the error "appears to have occurred during secondary packaging of the blister strips into the cartons".
The MHRA has advised patients who believe they have already taken any Citalopram 40mg tablets by mistake, or are experiencing side effects, to seek medical advice immediately.
They added that pharmacists should stop supplying the batch and contact any patients who may have been dispensed the impacted product – Sertraline 100mg tablets batch number V2500425 - a batch that contained 81,872 packs.
Dr Alison Cave, the MHRA’s chief safety officer, said: “If you have been prescribed Sertraline 100mg tablets and have received batch number V2500425, please check the carton contains the right medication.
“You can find the batch number and expiry date printed on the side of the outer packaging.
“If the blister strips inside the carton are labelled Citalopram 40mg, please contact your pharmacy as soon as possible. If they are labelled Sertraline 100mg, no further action is needed.
“Patients who have accidentally taken Citalopram instead of – or as well as – Sertraline, may experience some heightened serotonergic side effects.
“These can include nausea, headache, sleep changes and mild anxiety.”
More than 16.7 million prescriptions of Sertraline were prescribed by GPs in England in 2019, according to a study.
Sertraline is prescribed to treat depression and other mental health conditions including OCD, panic disorder, PTSD and social anxiety disorder.
A selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), it works by increasing the level of serotonin, which can help people feel calmer and happier when levels become more normal.
Citalopram is a different SSRI antidepressant, which is commonly used to treat low mood and depression and sometimes prescribed for panic attacks.
Any suspected adverse reactions should also be reported via the MHRA Yellow Card scheme.
