Citalopram Level

Celexa^®

Test Codes

EPIC: LAB751, Beaker: Citalopram, CHW: LAB751

Department

Send Outs

Specimen Collection Criteria

Collect (preferred specimen): One Gray-top tube.
Also acceptable: One plain Red-top tube.

Do not use Serum Separator Tubes.
Time of Collection: Trough, just prior to the next dose.

Physician Office/Draw Specimen Preparation

Let specimen clot 30-45 minutes then centrifuge to separate plasma or serum from cells. Transfer serum to plastic transport tube and maintain at room temperature (20-26°C or 68-78.8°F) prior to transport.

Preparation for Courier Transport

Transport: 3.0 mL plasma or serum, refrigerated at (2-8°C or 36-46°F). (Minimum: 1.0 mL)

Rejection Criteria

• Serum Separator (SST) tubes.
• Specimens not collected and processed as indicated.

In-Lab Processing

Let specimen clot 30-45 minutes then centrifuge to separate plasma or serum from cells. Transfer serum to plastic transport tube and maintain at room temperature (20-26°C or 68-78.8°F) prior to transport.

Transport: 3.0 mL plasma or serum, refrigerated at (2-8°C or 36-46°F). (Minimum: 1.0 mL)

Storage

Specimen Stability for Testing:

Room Temperature (20-26°C or 68-78.8°F): 72 hours
Refrigerated (2-8°C or 36-46°F): 7 days
Frozen (-20°C/-4°F or below): 1 year

Specimen Storage in Department Prior to Disposal: 7 days

Specimen retention time is determined by the policy of the reference laboratory. Contact the Send Outs Laboratory with any questions.

Laboratory

Sent to Corewell Health Reference Laboratory, Grand Rapids, MI.

Performed

Daily.
Results available in 1-3 days.

Reference Range

10 – 200 ng/mL

Test Methodology

Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Interpretation

By report.

Clinical Utility

Celexa^® (Citalopram HBr) is indicated for the treatment of depression. This assay is used for the therapeutic monitoring and toxicity assessment of citalopram.

CPT Codes

80332 (alternate code: G0480).

Contacts

Last Updated

4/29/2026