Lexapro Brand Versus Generic Escitalopram (Page 8) (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 also was took brand only Lexapro for years and did great. My insurance switched me with my doctors permission to generic . I did notice a big difference in the way I felt. Doctor and Pharmacist there is no difference but there is. I cannot afford to pay over $200.00 for a 30 day supply so I had my doctor switch me to Prestiq ER. It does not come in a generic yet. You can ask your doctor to try and write a letter to your insurance company about how you felt with the change to generic. If the insurance OK's it, your physician will just have to mark BRAND only on your prescription. It can be done. Physicians just hate to have to take the time to do this.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Yes, I have had terrible constipation and rectal bleeding since being switched to the generic version of Lexapro, plus the anti-depressant feature isn't working.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Yes. I am totally with you. After the death of my daughter and brother I started on 20 Lexapro. Because of the cost a I tried the same gernaric. Neither Medicare or my private would pay. I returned to close out the house and felt horrible. Wanted to end it all. Went to her local pharmacist asked what I was on and then asked way I ever changed. He had been getting lots of problems from other patients. It took over two was to feel better My other daughter took the generic. She stopped when she became very susicidel. Why do the keep the price so high when there's no choice?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

As far as the reason why these name brand medications are high is due to quite a few reasons.
1. Drug companies that manufacture these medications set the price so high because they have to make money and also, most Pharmacy Representatives that visit doctor offices and want them to use their brand offer so many incentives. They will give you free tickets to professional games and quite often they will take the doctor and his wife or significant other to dinner first. They have dinners at fancy restaurants so many times throughout the year, staff is invited also. They also will furnish food in the AM for breakfast and also lunch. These are all catered. Then you take in the fact that all drug manufacturers have so much money put aside for advertising their product. These range from pens, notepads, anything that you would associate a doctors office using. Mugs, clocks, desk calendars, wall calender's, posters. There is so much more the list is endless. Then of course you have the TV ads. Checks are given to physicians that will participate in a Pharmaceutical Drug trial. Take your patient off of his current Blood Pressure medication and use ours and receive a check for over $1000.00. This is where the high price in brand medications come from.
2. Insurance companies do not like Brand because they have to look to save money.
3. You can call several pharmacy's for price comparison and I guarantee you they will all be different in price.
The sad part is that any physician that allows a Pharmaceutical Rep in their office they usually are permitted to leave samples of their medication. There is an expiration date on each of these medications. If they are not given away to patients and they have past their expiration date they are discarded in the thrash. There are many Drug Reps out their that play "hide and seek" in the closet with their competitor. You never know where the drug you are looking for will be next.
Healthcare is no longer about the patient, it is all about making the "Big Bucks" for the Big Guy. I actually have a friend that just left a State Medical Health position because one of the perks at this doctors office was Drug Rep lunches 3 times per week.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I think it is time to sue the insurance companies and the generic manufacture about this problem with patients who get worse from generic lexapro.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I've had the same issue. Been on Lexapro for 10+ years and when switched to generic my anxiety came back. Not paying $200 a month despite my doctor stating that it is 'Medically Necessary' to take the name brand.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Well said and of course, I couldn't agree more. When on earth will the FDA take note? How many of us need to write to them?! We need a senator or congressman to help us!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I agree the generic lexapro does me the same way. Makes me have mood swings and suicidal. Then when you tell them that they look at you like your crazy. I stopped taking it and just take my clonzapam. Only thing that works for me is benzodiazepines. They prescribed me xanax when I was 13 and now I cant find a doctor who will give them back to me I was on them for 20 years and my doc retired. So now they look at me like im crazy when I tell them the xanax worked the best. Hope everthing works out prozac helped me more than lexapro. God bless hope u get the help you need with your meds.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I was close to checking myself into the ER too, instead I bought the Brand name and I feel like myself again. What a horrible experience.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Yes, I have experienced the same thing when taking the generic!!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Seems like I have the same problem.. My insurance wants me to get generic lexapro from cvs only! And 30 days supply! I noticed thst I stsrtes to have anxiety abd body aches again....

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Would you mind sharing what you switched to that is now working? I am still stuck on the brand, paying over $425/month because I am too terrified to go through that again. Always hoping for an alternative :(

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I was on Lexapro for about 8 years. I could no longer afford it and my doc put me on escitolapram. Seemed ok for awhile, but it's not working like the Lexapro. I am weak, anxious and depressed. I have anxiety all the time. Seeing a psychiatrist this week and am going to see what would happen if I discontinued gradually and tried some natural methods of panic attack control.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

So sorry Dana. Welcome to this sad club. Yes, go back on the brand and write to the FDA. The more people that bring it to their attention, the greater chance we have of getting help. Also, write to your congressman. I am thinking of getting us all together to form a petition of some sort.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I am wondering , my Effexor pooped out so I went on generic lexapro for about 4 1/2 weeks 6 years ago I had went on the real lexapro and it worked for me once I noticed this I asked for the real thing . 3 weeks ago I went on the real lexapro and i had the side effects with the change and I also still feel anxious in the morning I can't figure out if I need to up it or if I still need to wait to see - are the generic and real thing different enough that I have to wait 4-6 weeks? I hate upping but tired of this. I just want to go back on my Effexor ( not sure how long the wait is after poop out)

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

The generic did not work for me either. There is a BIG difference.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

My heart goes out to you, You are not alone I suffer from anxiety from loosing a son and my anxiety feels like death. I take Brand Lexapro because generic makes me feel spacy

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I have been prescribed Cipralex various generics by the NHS- including those made by Cipla and Milpharm have noticed no difference

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Yes, there have definitely been many of us who have reported far less effective pills from manufacturers abroad. Please write to the FDA and report this. If enough of us file complaints maybe eventually they will listen. I hope your doctor helps with the effort--that is another big problem--the doctors are so busy and don't want to bother helping us investigate this. Also, some of them are not educated themselves about the differences and are still putting out the false narrative that there is no difference between generic and brand. We have to do everything we can to get this topic out to the public for discussion. We need all the help we can get!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Yes I was on it and it did not do anything for me. I stopped it and went back on sertraline. I still feel depressed but I try to fight it. brettcourt

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