Lexapro Vs. The Generic

I think pdoc said the generic is called celexa or something like that?

Lexapro is working really, really well for me, but it is a bit on the expensive side, so I asked pdoc about the generic. He gave me a few samples of it, and told me to try it out. He said there's a bit of the difference between the two, though. So I was wondering if anyone else had any experience with the generic versus the real thing?

I was on Lexapro for almost a year before I switched to the generic for financial reasons. Lexapro and Celexa are almost the same drug and I think your pdoc is talking about the generic for Celexa, citalopram. I didn't notice ANY difference between the name brand and the generic. I'm on 60 mg per day, which is pretty high. I do know that some people don't think the generic is as effective, but it has really been great for me. I went from paying over $100/month to $6/month!!

Lexapro (U.S. name) = Cipralex (Canadian name) => contains escitalopram
http://forums.psychcentral.com/meds/lexapro.html

Celexa is something else entirely, it's the (older) sister drug of Lexapro.

Celexa (U.S. name) = Celexa (Canadian name too!) => contains citalopram
http://forums.psychcentral.com/meds/celexa.html

Best ask your doctor what drug he's switching you to.

I've heard that Celexa IS cheaper than Lexapro. It's a different dosing as far as I'm aware, on top of containing a slightly altered drug. Lexapro is more concentrated I think.

Celexa was created first, then Lexapro was created.

I have heard that one reason some people do better on Lexapro (which has no generic) than on Celexa (which does have a generic) is that Celexa makes them nauseous, whereas Lexapro is better tolerated.

I didnt know about any of this. So clelexa and lexapro are similar but not the same?
Im on lexapro for a little over 1 week and I dont feel any side effects. And I feel maybe, possibly some relief from some of the depression. Or maybe not. Not sure.

About side effects- when I am really tired I feel dizzy. When not tired I dont have any dizziness. Could it be a SE? I have heard Lexapro can make you dizzy and Im not generally dizzy but when I was very tired twice this week I got really really dizzy. After a little nap the dizziness went away.
any thoughts?
Thanks-

That's correct. Celexa and Lexapro are two different drugs--I've been on both--and Lexapro has no generic. I'm not having anything I can say is because of the Lexapro, but I have some things (fatigue) that could be because of it, but also could be because of diet or a number of other things.

Maven- Im having the same thing- dizziness Im attributing to other things. When I get sleep Im not dizzy, but have never been dizzy when tired before so not sure if its the lexapro. Still, I dont notice any other SE. Which is good thing...but not much (a little) relief from depression. Im on 10 mg for over 1 week now.

I always thought Celexa was the generic of Lexapro The way Pdoc explained it to me, Celexa is basically the "new generation" Lexapro.

No, they're different. That last sentence is backwards. Lexapro is the new generation of Celexa (but they are chemically different). The generic of Celexa (brand name) is citalopram (true chemical name). The true chemical name of Lexapro is escitalopram, and there is no generic yet. In chemistry, molecules can be either one of two forms (kind of like right and left "handedness"), so they can have the same chemical formula but be different. Sometimes the two forms (called S and R) behave quite differently from one another. Celexa/citalopram is a mixture of the two forms (called a "racemic mixture"). Lexapro/escitalopram is the pure S form of the molecule. (So Celexa does indeed contain part Lexapro.) It is the S form of the molecule that contains the property of inhibiting serotonin reuptake. Fallenangel, I'm not sure how much biochemistry pdocs really know, so your pdoc may not understand the difference between Celexa and Lexapro, or he may just have tried to give you a layman's explanation. Anyway, that's the story on these drugs, from a scientist's perspective.

Celexa is not a generic of Lexapro.... but rather its little sister
Celexa does however have a generic brand of its own..... Citalopram

That makes a LOT more sense now--thank you. Maybe I accidentally switched the concept around in my head...it's very possible that pdoc told me the correct explanation, and I messed it up in my head. Thank you again for explaining that to me.

Celexa made me so nauceous, and sick, I had to discontinue it. I would try Lexapro, if needed. Right now, I'm on Zoloft and doing well.

I just came off of Zoloft a couple months ago because it stopped working. It worked well while it lasted, though.

I have heard that this is one of the main differences in the effects of these two drugs--celexa is harder on the stomach for many people.

I know there are differences in Lexapro and Celexa but felt I really needed to make this comment.

The reason there is no generic for Lexapro is because Celexa was the new and wonderful drug from Forest Laboratories until the US patent ran out and then it became available as a generic. They took all the information from the feedback they received regarding side effects, etc. and created their new, second generation drug (drum roll) Lexapro. Lexapro is not available as a generic in the US because it currently has a US patent. You can get it as a generic in Canada.

As with all drugs, some people react better to Celexa, some people react better to Lexapro. Forest Laboratories makes much more money from Lexapro and will continue to do so until its patent expires. In the meantime, they are hot on the trail of yet another new and different SSRI.

This is nothing unusual, by the way. This is the way all drug companies work.

I think the generic name for Lexapro is
(Escitalopram).

Fallenangel- I also was on zoloft and it stopped working after 2 yrs. Same with prozac- after 2 yrs it stopped working. Im hoping for good results with lexapro.

Prozac sucked for me. It just gave me horrible mood swings. I'm expecting Lexapro to crap out on me after a while, but I hope it doesn't. We'll see.

Oh...thats too bad! I loved prozac....it was like speed...LOL! But then it crapped out on me, too
Oh, so you are on lexapro too....what dose are you on? Any side effects?

I'm on 10mg. Oh yea...insomnia (at night), drowsiness (during the day), dizziness, nausea sometimes...oh, the joy of antidepressants.

Thats what I have but not to a very noticeable degree. I am on 15 mg and I dont notice a lot of relief from depression- maybe some. I fell asleep early last night and I slept like I was DEAD! While I was asleep my 2 yo (I am told) dressed me up in jewelry! Bangle bracelets and rings. I woke up in the middle of the night and was really confused! I didnt even feel her doing that. Definitely the lexapro b/c ordinarily I would have woken up from that!

It keeps me up tossing and turning in the night, which is not good when I need to be functional during the day.

I know what you mean..but I was like that before the lexapro so I dont notice if its the drug or just me. I always woke up a lot. Is a sleeping drug usually prescribed with lexapro?

I like the bunny.....

I was prescribed Trazadone as needed as well, but I've found that it doesn't mix well with college life. I've slept past my alarm twice because of Trazadone.

Hmmmm.... interesting.....I am right now dizzy as all hell and I cant keep my eyes open. I got about 5 hours of sleep so it is no surprise I am tired, but I dont get like this when I am tired- dizzy and not able to keep my eyes open. It feels like its the middle of the night.....And then at night I will wake up a lot.

I changed my name from clk6 so its the same person posting...but I guess thats obvious