Lexapro Brand Versus Generic Escitalopram (Page 3) (Top voted first)

I have taken 30mg of Lexapro for past 4 years. After the deaths of my son and his wife in a plane crash the depression and anxiety were more than I could bear. This past May I was changed to the generic escitalopram. God Forbid!!!! What a nightmare. Within three weeks I was suicidal, I was going through SSRI withdrawals which are vicious. I am now paying over $225.00 per month for Brand Lexapro as my insurance will NOT cover it even with prior auth or any other reason. My Medicare Advantage plan leaves a lot to be desired even though I pay a $152.00 per month premium. Has anyone else had problems with the generic Lexapro? My pharmacist said I am not the first.

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REPORT

Due to the ruling by the Supreme Court Justices which stated that all generic drugs and their manufacturers, some 80% of all drugs consumed in the United States, are exempt from liability for side effects, mislabeling or virtually any other negative reactions caused by their drugs. In short, the Court ruled that the FDA has ultimate authority over pharmaceuticals in the US, and if the FDA says a drug is safe, that takes precedent over actual facts, real victims and any and all adverse reactions.
In other words, if the FDA says something is safe, it does not matter if that decision is wrong or the result of misrepresentation, fraud or deception on the part of the world's pharmaceutical companies. There is no way to sue the FDA for being wrong and costing millions of unsuspecting Americans their lives. That result leaves millions of Americans unprotected from an industry responsible for innumerable preventable deaths in the US from use of these drugs and their side effects.
My husband died from taking the generic Plavix and there is no recourse. However, if he was holding a hot cup of coffee from McDonald’s, we could have litigated this! Pharmaceutical companies and our government in the eyes of the Supreme Court are putting profits before people. This decision has to be reversed.

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I would usually argue that generic medicines don't make a difference as they contain exactly the same active ingredient. BUT I have been given a different generic brand of Lexapro/Lexam made by Arrow Pharmaceuticals (I'm in Australia) and I've had withdrawal symptoms, a meltdown, and frequent crying. It's as if I've stopped taking the medication cold turkey. I've been on this medication for 10 years, have not had this problem before. Arrow Pharma has just been involved in a drug substitution scandal, and I am concerned that their quality control has a problem. I am returning to my pharmacist today with my concerns.

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I was also on a generic from Aurobindo,which seemed to be failing over a period of time. I asked my pharmacist about getting the med from another manufacturer, and he recommended Teva and Mylan. I opted for the Mylan, and withing two weeks felt almost back to normal. My pharmacist admitted that he had the same problem with his Zoloft prescription. That was a very significant piece of information to me. It is not all in our minds. All generics are not created equal.

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If I ever go back to generic Lexapro maybe I will give Mylan a shot...saw my neuro and he mentioned the sister drug to Lexapro (escitalopram) is Celexa (citalopram) just in case we had to try something else...thought this might be useful info for someone that can't afford brand Lexapro and suffering with generic Lexapro...hope it helps......

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I reported my generic lLxapro experience from Aurobindo with the FDA. Here's the link if anyone wants to inform them as well with an issue... https:/­/­www.fda.gov/­Safety/­MedWatch/­

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Re: ultraman (# 162)

I had to switch to generic Lexapro 3 years ago because my insurance didn't cover it. I struggled for 2 years, thinking I was just going crazy. I was exhausted, sad, and trying anything to cope with the depression. Then I realized all this started when I switched to the generic drug. I switched back to the name brand, but the 320.00 a month is a strain on the budget. It's worth it, though. I'm happy, interested in life again and a lot more active.

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YES..Absolutely ! I serveved 5 1/2 yrs. in the military. Upon return to the states in 1981 I was diagnosed by the VA with severe PTSD. A few years after was a literal nightmare for me. I tried several depression/ anxiety medications feeling worse than than before starting them. After appro: 6 months of this and that I took on Brand Lexapro 10mg. 1 tab daily. I found it very mellow , no side effects etc. At the time there was no True generic available . My wife was a pharmacist and dug deep to confirm this as fact ! Escitralapm Is Not the same compound formula ! And even today the INS. Companies..D.E.A. want you and will fight that there is no difference ! I am here to tell you after approx: 2 to 2 1/2 yrs. My insurance demanded I take the Escitralapm or pay and extreme Co-pay for brand Lexapro. I fought tooth and nail as my INS. stated brand will be given should there be no generic available. With the help of a few including my Dr. I have been taking brand Lexapro for over 10 yrs. ! Fight Them and Dont give in ! Lexapro is the Only ! Have to fight every year but I refuse to give in to and INS. Company who knows damn well I am right ! Go for it...Escitralapm made me a psychotic nervous out of the body monster ! Hope it works for you..It does for me..

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I did exactly. O one believed me. It was as if I was cold turkey. I talked with my husband who is a pharmacist who changed to generic when I did. No articles stated such results. One morning we got two clear glasses, put lexapro in one and generic in the other. Results were startling. Lexapro dissolves immediately and escalipram took 30 minutes to dissolve. Anybody who has absorption in the gut will not benefit from generic.

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Hi Jenna, Nice to meet you. Thanks for the information. This so frustrating!!.

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Absolutely! Doctors do not seem to understand! The VA will not pay for brand name now. After 2 weeks of escitrolapan or whatever I fell deep down the rabbit hole! Now they are using me as a guinea pig with all kinds of other meds and I have lost my job, failed night school, about to lose wife etc.etc. it is almost 300.00 /mo. Without ins. Dying!

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I took the generic Lexapro for one month and that month my depression and OCD returned. I immediately went back on the brand name and it took 6 weeks to feel better. I keep a simple log each day. I print out a monthly calendar, and rate my self 1 thru 10, 10 being the best. I write a D and O on each day twice, and rate myself in the a.m. and p.m. by putting a number next to the letter. This way I can see any changes and patterns to my condition.

Good luck to you and I hope you feel better soon. Please write back and let us know.

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It took my doctor two years to get the combination of drugs right for me. I have been taking Lexapro for six years. Ten days ago, I was given the generic. Three days ago anxiety symptoms started appearing. Today, I had a full-blown panic attack. My druggist insists they are the same, but my body knows diffferent.

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I've tried three different generics and the effects ranged from "useless" to "internal bleeding and an inability to sleep for days at a time"

I finally gave up and started trying other drugs (what a horrible and totally unneccessary experience. Brand Lexapro worked like a charm, but I can't get it without mortgaging my children or selling organs)

Cymbalta did nothing for me except give me nosebleeds and made me feel very hungry all the time (even after large meals). It did nothing for my tinnitus, anxiety or inability to sleep.

However, Celexa seems to be working. It's "different" than the Lexapro, though. On Lexapro, I didn't dream at all (or at least never remembered them, never woke from them or ever showed any side of having them). With Celexa, I'm having wild dreams, but I feel fairly "normal". The only other unfortunate side effect is that if I allow myself to, I can now fall asleep anytime, anywhere (the polar opposite of my experiences without any meds or even on Lex). I'm not tired, but if I relax, I'm out like a light and need some external stimulus to wake me.

I would have preferred my Lexapro, but at least I found something that seems to be working. Of course, with my luck, it will be dropped from the formulary next year and I'll have to find another new drug.

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Carol, hang in there and rip that doc a new one immediately!! Make him switch you back to the name brand STAT. Hang on, girl. So sorry you are going through this!

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I have had the reverse problem. In Australia the generic has been available for quite a while, so I have been on that for the last year and had great results with it (except for a 15 kilo weight gain). Anyway I live in Asia and had to go to Thailand to get additional supply as the generic had run out. Lexapro is all that is available in Thailand, no generic, so I bought the Lexapro. For the last week I have been sick with headaches, nausea and very tired, that led me here. The generic works for me but I think swapping between the two is going to cause problems, so I will stick with the Lexapro now. I am shocked at the money Americans are paying for this drug, I can get a six month supply (in Australia or Thailand) for what you pay monthly.

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Booking my flight to Australia now!

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I just switched ins., and it's a high deductible plan. I have to pay for all my meds full price, or what the insurance company has negotiated with each pharmacy. Name brand is of course not on the approved list, so I would have to pay the pharmacy's full price which is typically a lot more than the negotiated price.
I called my ins company and found out that if my Dr fills out and submits a prior authorization form, I can at least get the negotiated price, plus it will now count toward my deductible.
Call your ins company and find out if you might have some sort of "prior authorization" exception.
Also, call different pharmacies. I've been shocked at the differences they all charge for the exact same medications.
And we ALL need to be filing a report on our issues with the generic to the FDA (I posted this link here a while back). It's the only way we can hope to get our ins companies to cover it, or have the generics investigated for formulary discrepancies.

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I have ordered many drugs fron Canada Rx..they are reputable and in many cases they are the brand name drugs not generics...they usually give you the option for brand name or generic....the only negative is that the delivery time is quite long so order at least 3 weeks ahead of the time you will need the meds. The medications themselves work well and are nowhere near their expiration date... unlike many other web-based pharmacies

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I, too, was switched from Lexapro to Escitalopram. It was literally moving from something that "contained" my high anxiety to bringing it back. With my short temper and impatience reappearing, I sensed my #3 spouse was ready to pack it up. I thought the problem was psychological (in my head). But my wife convinced me to go back to Lexapro and now she is a happy woman again. Go figure!

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Not sure if anyone has tried contacting the manufacturer directly, but sometimes they are willing to pay for most or even all of your script if you tell them you are thinking of switching to cheaper competitor.
My own father-in-law was advised to try this with his $6,500 a month (yes, per month) injection for his M.S. They agreed to pay for all but $10 per month!

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