Lexapro Brand Versus Generic Escitalopram (Page 6)
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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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Did you say you are NOT back on it or was that a typo? If you ARE back on, you should start to see some improvement by two weeks. For some it is sooner, some later but it seems generally you would notice positive mood changes by two weeks.

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I also was doing well on Cipralex but was unknowingly changed to the generic version. For the past two months my anxiety symptoms have been returning and after stumbling upon this forum realised this may be the cause. I'm not back on Cipralex after begging my gp to prescribe me it. How long has it taken for people on here to see an improvement?

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Thanks Susan lol

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Sorry Steve and welcome to this depressing club, lol. :)

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Interesting I also recently changed from Cipralex to a generic and then started to notice I just did not feel right. It was like the generic was not doing the job and I was experiencing some side effects. Initially, I thought it was just in my head so to speak lol. Then I did some research and discovered some of us do not react well to generics. A little disappointed my pharmacist never informed me. So my initial joy at the relative inexpensive generic has turned to disappointment over the fact I will be paying more to return to Cipralex

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I have been taking 5 MG of name brand Lexapro for five years now. It was a wonder drug for me. It got rid of my allergies, it got rid of my back pain, it got rid of my headaches and temper, it got rid of my dreams of being paralyzed. I can go on amusement rides now without getting sick. It helps with premature emissions. I just started on Ecitalopram and it seems to do absolutely nothing. Guess I'll be paying out of pocket for the real stuff again.

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Headaches & mild depression (feeling lonely) were the 2 main side effects I had with Generic Lexapro. I would ask your doctor to change the script to read dispense as written. Many doctors are aware of this,but won't do anything unless you tell them. You might have to pay more. Lexapro 30tabs@10mg runs close to $300. w/o insurance. I pay pay $60. with insurance. You can also see my response from TEVA pharmaceuticals in this forum.

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Hi everyone,
I started taking escitalopram 10mg for a month, and it really helped with my anxiety, but it wasn't enough. Even though I was feeling better, I was really only feeling better 75% of the time. So my doctor switched me to 20mg of escitalopram. I have had the worst headaches with the 20mg, the pain in my forehead is just unbearable.
I've been reading many discussion forums and I've found that this seems to be the problem with the generic. I really do love this medicine for anxiety but these headaches have to stop. Should I ask my doctor if I can switch to the brand name, lexapro? I'm not too familiar with how to approach my doctor about what I want to take, usually I tell her my problems and she just recommends different medicines. I'm really thinking the brand name will help me with getting rid of these headaches, as that seems to be the case with most people going from generic to brand name. My doctor is very nice so maybe she will let me switch to the brand name instead of suggesting a completely different medicine. Ultimately, I love the way escitalopram has helped with my anxiety, so I think the best route for me is to switch to lexapro. Do you agree?
-Amanda

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update: December 18, 2014

Dear XX XXXXXX,

Thank you for taking the time to share your concerns regarding Escitalopram 10 mg Tablets. Your report was received by Teva Quality Assurance and will be handled according to our internal procedures. Please be assured that all of our products undergo a thorough batch record review, and all test results must conform to FDA approved specifications prior to a product’s release.

Teva Pharmaceuticals USA is committed to producing the highest quality products and welcomes all feedback that will help us monitor and improve our performance. If you have any additional questions regarding your report, please email Quality Assurance Services at [email protected] or call 1-888-838-2872 ext. 1001516. To help us provide better assistance, please be sure to reference the PR ID listed below.

Respectfully,
TEVA Pharmaceuticals
Quality Assurance Services
CC: Food and Drug Administration
call originated: 215-591-3000 & formal letter from TEVA above

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I was on Low dose of lexapro for years to treat panic disorder then it was switched to generic when it became available 2 years ago. I began having headaches, GI issues, and random suicidal ideation. I've never experienced suicidal ideation and it was incongruent with my life circumstances. I asked my doctor to switch me back to brand Lexapro and while I pay over $200 a month all of those crazy symptoms went away. I can't believe the pharm companies are allowed to make these drugs. Thank goodness I recognized my symptoms early but I've heard other doctors just continued to increase the rx not trusting client report as a side effect to the generic drug. How much is this actually costing insurance companies in psy hospitalizations? Very scary.

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After being on Lexapro for six years, my insurance company switched me without my knowledge to the generic when it became available. The symptoms I had were so much worse than my pre-Lexapro anxiety and depression. After about a month on the generic, I discovered that I was no longer taking Lexapro and immediately knew what the problem was, so immediately I went back on the Lexapro brand.

From Sept '13 until May '14, I tapered off of Lexapro and have had horrible "discontinuation" symptoms that my psychotherapist has actually identified as withdrawal. I am now wondering if what I was actually experiencing when I abruptly stopped taking Lexapro and started the generic may have actually been withdrawal from Lexapro. I am certainly not defending the generic, because my body definitely recognized it as a drug different from Lexapro, so it is clearly NOT THE SAME DRUG.

The second stage withdrawal symptoms I am experiencing are insomnia (which I have never had -- ever, stress that is unlike any stress I have experienced -- it actually induces panic attacks, which I have never had in my life and weird bouts of dizziness.

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Yes, I posted the FDA thing a while back and some of us have already filled that out but it needs to be filled out by all of us. I wish a lawyer would take our case and get this situation remedied.

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I was on Lexapro 10mgs. for several years before my insurance company switched to Generic Lexapro (TEVA) in the fall of 2013. At that time I was only paying $5.00 for the Generic. I went 11 weeks in 2013. Then backed off for the Summer thinking something was not right with this generic med. I just went on again in September 2014. I'm convinced it is not working. headaches, diarhea, crying or being sad, not wanting to socialize are all symptoms I never had when on NON-GENERIC Lexapro after 2-3 weeks that's when I called my Doctor's office. They changed my script to read(dispense as written). I also called my Insurance company Independent Health. They said they would note my concerns and finally approved the change. To my surprise the Co-pay is now $60.00. I also filed a report with the FDA. I also feel a legal suit may be coming in the future. Please take the time to do this. It may help all of us. Here is the link:

accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/medwatch/index.cfm?action=consumer.reporting1. Keep This Forum Going!!

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I have been on Lexapro 20 mg since it came out on the market. When it went generic I started taking escitalopram. All my anxiety, anger, depression came back in full force. I could not understand what was happening until my husband pointed out it all began when I switched to the generic. I now pay thru the nose for the brand, but it is a necessity for survival. I am a pharmacist and have heard from a few patients that this is the case for them too.

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The generic is just terrible. I tried it and IT IS NOT THE SAME. Now I just have to pay the high price. Screw the cheap generic maker with its subpar manufacturing process!!!

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Concerning the cost of medications: I have been using a Prescription Drug Company here Florida where I live for about 10 years. They order the generic of my prescriptions from Canada, England, Australia, New Zealand and India. Depending on the prices. I get Seroquel from New Zealand or Australia for a quantity of 120 for about $130. In the US at Walgreens it about $10 a piece with my Walgreen's prescription discount card.

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Wicked headache is RIGHT! I am suppose to take 2 pills a day ( 10 mg). Upon the drug going generic. I tried it sevearl times over a 6 month period... every time I took it. It affected me the same way. I am lost, severly depressed... WHAT DO I DO????

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Absolutely not effective as the brand Lexapro, for my husband generic is as though he has taken no Lexapro. We pay $21.75 for 3 of the brand Lexapro
Can not afford, we are seniors but necessary for him to take.

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Yes. The generic did absolutely nothing for me. When I brought it back to the pharmacy--they said a number of people had the same complaint. When I told my MD he said generics only have to be 70% the same as brand name products. Since then I have taken only brand name antidepressants / anti anxiety meds and have had no problems.

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I have had problems with TEVA myself. its is most likely the junk, u get when u make a drug. There are a lot of other stuff made. depending on the purity of the basic components, and how the steps are done, can be huge difference. The FDA does not have the funds to analyze drugs. They get a trial going and then run into huge problems, even many deaths, so the drug will not be tried again. drug companies need to pay the FDA to randomly run diagnostics, every year or so.

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