Hi, I currently take 20 mgs a day of Lexapro and really like how I feel on it, no side effects - have been really happy with it the last few years I have taken it ...however the cost of Lexapro is high ...I pay like 90.00 a month for it ...I hate that there is no generic for it ...I did see somewhere that some people take Citalopram which is similar to the Lex and SO much cheaper ...only about 7.00 per month.

I am afraid to try it if it is alot different than my Lex ...anybody have any experience with this drug and did you switch from lex to the citalopram?

Thanks,
Carri

Hi Satine!
I am actually on Citalopram right now & I recently switched over from Lexapro. My doctor said that this is a VERY common switch (mostly due to the price). I don't notice any difference except in my wallet. =)

I was taking 10mg of Lexapro & the doctor put me on 20mg of Citalopram. She said that is an equivalent dosage. I'd assume you'd go on 40mg of Citalopram in that case. I absolutely think it's worth a try! The worst that could happen is that you would go back on Lexapro. Good luck! I hope it works for you too!! =)

Meg - Thanks !! It is so great to hear from someone who has experienced it ...I will definitely look into it...thanks again

I was on lexapro for my fibromyalgia, to improve my sleep quality (at a slightly lower dose than is normally used for depression).

When I switched from a decent private insurance to medicare, I couldn't afford most of my medications. I switched to amitriptyline (a much older antidepressant that has a side effect of sleepiness).

The amitriptyline not only worked better as a sleep aid (because sleepiness was a pro, not a con), it also helped elevate my mood and outlook. It worked BETTER than the lexapro.

I've had several medications replaced with cheaper alternatives, and most have worked as well or better than the more expensive version I had been taking.

Health care and insurance costs in this country could be slashed, if doctors would just prescribe the cheapest drug that was effective (or at least offered patients the choice, to try a cheaper medication first). Instead, they prescribe what they perceive as the newest and best. And patients often don't ask about the cost, because they also think that newest and most expensive means it works better (which has NOT been my experience).

Some of the "improvements" in drugs are very small. For example I have one med that I now have to take twice a day instead of the newer version of the med which I only had to take once a day. That's the only difference between my old medication and the new one. I save more than $100, just by being willing to take two pills a day instead of one.

Maybe there are some people who consider the convenience of one pill instead of two worth the $100 per month, but shouldn't patients be informed of and given the choice?

My doctor is very willing to work with us on price. He has the Walmart and Sam's club $4 list in his blackberry and even if he prescribes a new med, he'll check there first to see if there's a med on the list that will work. For example when hubby had an ear infection, he checked the $4 list for the antibiotic.

I've only had one case of the cheaper version working not quite as well as the original, and I still haven't decided whether the difference is big enough to justify the $40 additional expense.

I switched to Citalopram from lexapro when I got kicked off my dad's insurance. It's SUCH a big price difference but works the same. I'm really pleased with it, except for the weight gain, but that's normal with ANY anti-depressant unfortunately.

Thanks again to all who responded I am definitely going to ask my doctor about switching when I see her in September ...