Lexapro Brand Versus Generic Escitalopram (Page 5) (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.

REPLY

REPORT

I was really scared when my mail order pharmacy, without warning sent me generic Lexapro. Within days my anxiety returned and I became agoraphobic and anxious. Luckily I had two weeks worth of brand Lexapro to get me through until I was approved for the use of the brand. My copay is outrageous but what could I do.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

When I submitted my complaint to the FDA, the person who recorded it told me unequivocally that although the actual medication in generics is the same, the fillers are NOT, and those can make all the difference.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Yes I was also taking lexapro for several years. Then in 2012 When Forest Mfg had to share there ingrediants with othere Mfg's Cambra started makeing ecitalopram a cheaper (lexapro) my doctor sugested I switch to ecitalopram I noticed after a week or so the generic lexapro known as ecitalopram was not working as well as the lexapro . I also experianced more suicidal thoughts . I switched back to lexapro and felt better . But I just found out today Forest Mfg has switched Mfg of lexapro to off shore production . cheaper production costs and a Huge tax break and cheaper ingredaints . Here we go again ?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I have been on Lexapro since 2009. As soon as a generic was available, I was switched to that. I had no change in symptoms on the first generic provided by my Cigna Rx plan, but have recently switched insurance. I am only now noticing a return of my original symptoms, accompanied by periodic and startling rages, which I first attributed to stress. Now I realize that the escitalopram I started recently is not working for me. I am in the process of investigating which companies manufacture the generics I have taken through Aetna, Cigna, and Blue Cross. I cannot condemn all generics, because one has worked for me for nearly three years. If everyone having trouble could trace the manufacturer of their generic, perhaps there would be a consensus on the ineffective ones.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Yes, the generic lexapro caused my anxiety to get to the point that I thought I would need to go to the ER. Luckily I was able to get my insurance company to override my prescription for the lexapro brand name to prevent a hospitalization.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I have to share my recent experience. I have tried to switch to the generic one other time, the result was awful. Considering the cost of the brand name, I opted to give it another shot, again the result was awful. I am on 10mg, was 5mg for a long time but regardless I have been taking the brand name since 2012. After a few days of taking the generic, I started to get a weird headache in the frontal lobe, then I started to have bad anxiety...with suicidal thoughts. It was almost like I wasn't taking any medication at all, or a very low dose with headache side effects. It also made me very moody. I thought, wait this out and see but I could no longer take the depression, anxiety and thoughts. I had my doctor call in my prescription, and I would say no longer than 5 minutes after taking my first BRAND name pill did my weird headache, zombie like state of mind disappeared. Truly amazing and unfortunate because this is so expensive but I think not being on the lexapro at all is better than feeling how I felt on the generic.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Yes, Yes, Yes to all of the above...which I have just come to realize! I am disgusted with the insurance companies (Part D) who refuse to cover Lexapro and foist on us all the generics. I took the Torrent generic when the insurance refused to support actual Lexapro. It was tolerable. Then I switched Part D company coverage. They supply Escitalopram (generic for Lexapro) by Aurobindo. I have been light headed, almost passing out on exercise machines twice and getting very light-headed at home. Escalated Blood Pressure daily. Finally suspected that it could be due to this generic form of Lexapro. Have an emergency appointment with a well established cardiologist next week. Shall tell him of my suspicions, now confirmed by these email documentations. Thank You!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I too was switched to the generic after having taken the brand name lexapro for 8 years for depression. After 6 weeks of escitalopram, I slowly developed into a quivering mass of jelly. I have always been so upbeat and enthusiastic that people couldn't believe I was the same person. I was afraid, unconfident, and couldn't sleep soundly without me jerking uncontrollably and thrashing about.

After months of doctor's appointments and convincing my insurance company that for me there was indeed a difference and they finally approved it. I want to reassure everyone that it isn't in their head but a real problem when a drug which successfully treated an illness was suddenly changed. Thanks to everyone who helped, especially my sister who continue to love and support me no matter what. I am blessed! :-)

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Yea, my generic escitalopram I believe has stopped working after 34 days. And I think I should go back to the doctor and go with with the BRAND name Lexapro. Does anyone else agree?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I was on Lexapro for several years. After going on Medicare and having to switch to generic I became very depressed and after two years of agony I realized it was the change to generic that started it. I was assured by the pharmacy that the generic was exactly the same. It's really sad that people's lives are turned upside down by something as stupid as generic drugs. I hope the generics are taken off the market. They are absoloutly useless.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Hi Kitty and welcome. As you see, you are not alone. Have you reported your experience to the FDA? The more people who come forward the greater chance they might eventually pay attention to us. Hang in there. Remain close with your doc and support system.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I posted earlier that I was having problems with my current generic, but had been on one originally that had worked for me. I have managed to identify the manufacturers of the three generic forms of Lexapro that I have taken, starting in 2012. The first generic worked fine for nearly two years. It was manufactured by MYLAN Pharmaceuticals. The second generic, which left me in rages over the course of several months, was manufactured by CAMBER. My current generic, which is also failing me, is manufactured by AUROBINDO. I have a pharmacy that is willing to work with me on finding a generic among their suppliers that is effective. They get requests from their customers for generics from TEVA, as well. I'm hoping this will be helpful to some of you that can't afford the name brand. If you can find and independent pharmacy that is willing to work WITH you, you might be able to find a generic that will work FOR you. In my case, the generic failures are not as debilitating as some of you who have posted here, so I can afford to experiment and share my results. And I will report the ineffective generics to the FDA.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

My generic lexapro from Costco was not working as I was slipping into extreme anxiety and couldn't figure out why. Fortunately I already had a general check up via phone with my Dr.
She had me read off my generic pill label from the bottle and looked up manufacturer.
She said the pills were made in China!! and most likely not strong enough. She has been getting complaints.
She is having a generic batch sent from a pharmacy in USA that she trusts who uses Israel as their source and won't deal with China.
I cannot afford the name brand.
Has anyone heard of this?
The quality depends on what country it was manufactured in.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Generic did NOT work for me! was like I was taking nothing at all!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Hi Lin,
Yes, I am having EXACTLY the same reactions and issues. The generic Lexapro does nothing for me (too much variation in the manufacturers' processes and varying amounts of active ingredient I think). The name brand works great, but it's $290 for 30 pills!!! Outrageous! My insurance only covers the worthless generic.
I'm certainly not suicidal, but I made the mistake of not refilling my prescription when the generic ran out several weeks ago, and I've crashed cold-turkey. It's like a gray pall settles over me and I just cannot muster the energy do anything but the bare minimum. I can go to work, I can do my job (barely), but there is no passion and no vigor. It's a feeling of increasing dispair and hopelessness, that nothing really matters. Life becomes joyless and you begin to question what the point is to doing anything.
This is completely 180 degrees from how I feel when I'm on the brand name Lexapro. I joke that it's my "happy pill", but really it just allows me to function normally. When I'm on it, problems are just decisions to be made, life regains purpose, and I can laugh again. The gray fog lifts, and I get back to kicking ass and taking names.

Does anyone else experience this???

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

That is exactly how I began to feel after starting on the Aurobindo manufactured generic of Lexapro. A general feeling of malaise and why-the-hell-bother. But when I requested that my Rx be filled by a generic made by Mylan or Teva, I started to feel better. Please try a different manufacturer, if generic is all you can afford. What do you have to lose? It may be a chance to feel better, and that is worth a try.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Re: mamatam (# 173)

Had the same reaction with palpitations and anxiety to my generic Lexapro made by Aurobindo Pharma (see posts from 7/4/17, 7/20/17, 8/25/17 below). Which pharma company made your generic? Had to pay up and switch to brand name $$$. I know it turns your life upside down. Try Mylan as someone in these posts had suggested or if you can afford it get the brand name. Hang in there, you will figure it out...

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Yes. I am having a terrible reaction to the generic Lexapro. Would rather deal with symptoms for which I am taking this drug. Previous generic didnt cause the side effect. Different manufacturer.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I had been Lexapro (10mg) for many years. Last summer, I was informed by Medicare & supplemental insurance that they would no longer cover it. I elected to try the generic. Big mistake! I feel it has caused a lot of physical issues for me. (Chills, constipation, pelvic pain, stomach & intestinal gas, gastritis, GERD, etc.) Even though, I switched back to brand name a couple of weeks ago (Doctor intervened, & helped me get it covered at a lower price.), I still feel terrible. I have had a lot of medical tests done, but everything has come back normal. Plus, anxiety is very high from feeling so badly. Trying to wean myself off of it altogether. Doing it very very slowly.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Oh my, so sorry for your loss! I dont think the generic works as well and I wont take it.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I don't normally visit these forums but I was interested in experience generic escitalopram versus Lexapro. I find t...

3 REPLIES

MY DR SND INSURANCE CO, SAY THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR LEXAPRO..I READ ONLINE THAT ESIPRAM OR EXIPRAM IS THE GENERIC FOR...

3 REPLIES

I was on Lexapro 20 mg. a day for years. In Aug of 2012 I changed to the generic form. After 2 days, I was having terrib...

2 REPLIES

I was on brand Lexapro for about eight years with great success. My pharmacy switched me to generic and I was happy to b...

1 REPLY

Hello. I had to take escitalopram for my bipolar disorder. The ringing in my ears started right away. I only took 20mg t...

1 REPLY

I just filled a prescription for 90 greenstone 2 milligram Alprazolam and they seem to be working just fine. As a matter...

3 REPLIES

Hi all, I was wondering about the side effects from the generic Lexapro: Escitalopram 10 mg/daily. I used to take clonaz...

7 REPLIES

Hi i took this for the 1st time on Sat and Sundax take no other meds I have been violently ill since. Extreme head and n...

2 REPLIES

I was switched from lexapro to escitalopram when my insurance stopped paying for the brand name...within the month I was...

1 REPLY

I got a prescription Metanx, it was capsules for it and they wanted $400 for 90 day supply 2x a day at Wegman's Rx, ...

6 REPLIES