wi fighter - In Canada, there is generic Celexa (citalopram). All of the different generic companies that have a version look similar in shape and colour as the brand name version; some just have different markings (ie. marked with there brand icon, etc.).

There is another way to save money buying Celexa (as well as the generic) is to buy the 40mg tablets and split them. In Canada, the 20mg tablets and 40mg tablets (both brand and generic) sell for exactly the same price (ie. one 20mg Celexa tablet costs $1.50 and one 40mg Celexa tablet costs $1.50). I know that it sounds weird, but it's true (obviously, drug companies do not advertise this fact, and many pharmacists are not even aware of it). So, just as your doctor to write for the 40mg citalopram, with the directions: "Take 1/2 tablet daily." Do ask your pharmacist if the 20mg and 40mg tablets are the same price, though. Wholesale pricing may differ between Canada and the U.S. (but I doubt it).

Also, another way to save money is to buy a 100 day supply of the drug at a time, if you can afford it, and if your doctor is willing to write for that may tablets at a time. A prescription, at least in Canada, is the cost of the drug plus a dispensing fee; so the more tablets per prescription, the fewer dispensing fees that you have to pay.

One last way to save on a prescription is to buy from a pharmacy that that discounts their dispensing fee. Some large chains will sell their prescriptions using dispensing fees that are lower than the industry standards. Check out places like Costco, or other large chain/grocery stores that also have a pharmacy. Many of these places use their pharmacies as a "loss leader", a way to get you into the door, in order to tempt you to buy other items from the store.

Phone pharmacies in your area and ask what their dispensing fees are. I don't know how dispensing fees are structured in the U.S., but in Canada every province is different. I work in a large chain warehouse-type grocery store in a small town of 3000 people that actually has 5 pharmacies (the town is surrounded by a large farming community). Our dispensing fee is $7.99/Rx (ie. Rx = prescription) across the board, where the other charge dispensing fees approx. $12.95/Rx for drug costs under $50; approx. $19.95/Rx for drug costing from $50 to $149.99; and approx. $25.95/Rx for drug costing over $150. I am not sure of the exact dispensing fees of the other stores, but they are the maximum that the stores can charge according to the fee schedule negotiated between our Pharmacy Association and Blue Cross.

As you can see, if you have no prescription coverage, you can save a lot at a store like the one where I work. For example, a drug that costs $200 for a set amount of tablets would sell at my pharmacy for $207.99, where my competitors charge $225.95. That is a significant savings when you are not being reimbursed by a third party prescription plan.

As you can see, it does pay to shop around. If you do find a cost cutter, I will give you another little suggestion. These places are always extremely busy, so always give the pharmacy a day or two to fill you prescription. If you are going to buy large quantities, give the pharmacy a day or two to get in enough tablets.

Ordering your prescription a week ahead is even better. The pharmacists will really appreciate this, as they can fill your prescription in their slower periods and won't feel rushed. Do make sure that you tell them that you will be giving them a week to fill the prescription, so that they know that they will have plenty of time to order the tablets. Also make sure to tell them that you specifically want 40mg tablets (even if the price of the 40mg tabs are not exactly the same price as the 20mg, they should not cost double the 20mg tabs. This should still save some money, and all that you have to do is break a tablet in half.

I hope that this is of some help. - Cam