-- Posted by Daleacus at 7:10 am on Jan. 9, 2009 Say someone was taking citalopram hydrochloride and were suddenly given their next set of tablets as citalopram hydrobromide. What's the difference? Why the sudden change in the second name - one likely to be cheaper than the other or something? Reckon any side effects migth alter? -- Posted by The Fantasy at 7:11 am on Jan. 9, 2009 Nah the side effects wouldnt be any different. -- Posted by marshmellowman at 7:13 am on Jan. 9, 2009 Not much difference really. Chemicals like that are often given as salts, because this is often the easiest way to make them into powder/tablet form. Whether or not it's a bromide or a chloride or sulphide shouldn't really matter much, because that's not the part of the chemical that is pharmacologically active, the rest of it is (ie the citalopram). Just like IV injections of morphine are often found as morphine sulphate, chemicals that need to be stabilised or converted into another form for distribution can have a salt group or other group added onto it. So the side effects and the price shouldn't be affected by it. That said, sometimes the process to make a specific iteration might be cheaper, but that doesn't mean the effects of it are any less or the more expensive version is any better. -- Posted by Kitty Kiska at 7:14 am on Jan. 9, 2009 I think choloride and bromide are within the same family of chemicals arent they...so there for minor changes since the rest of the chemicals used seem to be the same. -- Posted by osmoticdespair at 7:17 am on Jan. 9, 2009 The HCl/HBr is not the active part. It just makes it a salt as marshmellowman says. The only real difference will be in weight. -- Posted by Daleacus at 7:42 am on Jan. 9, 2009 Ah, ok. Thanks people. =P Was curious. It was either ask here or bore my chemist with uneducated questions.