[kittyfaye]

I think my antidepressant I'm taking right now isn't working anymore and it is burning a hole in my bank account. It's costing me almost $200 a month because it doesn't have a generic brand. What generic brand antidepressants do you recommend and what are the side effects?

[sunrise]

What antidepressant are you taking? Is there a reason you got prescribed such an expensive one? (Have you tried others unsuccessfully?)

I take bupropion.

Good ones in generic include:
escitalopram
sertraline
fluoxetine
bupropion
venlafaxine

Cymbalts (duloxetine) just went into generic beginning January 1, so this is a new option for many people.

[kittyfaye]

Originally Posted by sunrise

What antidepressant are you taking? Is there a reason you got prescribed such an expensive one? (Have you tried others unsuccessfully?)

I take bupropion.

Good ones in generic include:
escitalopram
sertraline
fluoxetine
bupropion
venlafaxine

Cymbalts (duloxetine) just went into generic beginning January 1, so this is a new option for many people.

Sorry, I should have stated which ones I have taken. I don't know why I didn't. I started with sertraline, it gave me panic attacks. Then I tried Pristiq, which is the one I'm on now, and have been for almost three years. Its just not working anymore and too expensive. I tried venlafaxine for a week when I was in air force tech school because there was an issue getting insurance coverage for the pristiq. That was the worst week ever, I cried all the time and irritable nonstop. That's all I've tried so far.

[sunrise]

Supposedly the one with the lowest side effects is escitalopram (Lexapro). Maybe that would be a good starting place since you've had some side effect issues?

[kittyfaye]

Thanks, I'll look into switching to that one.

[krisakira]

Celexa (generic is Citalopram). It is like lexapro but less side effects. Good for anxiety and depression. It has basically kept me alive.

[ChangingMyMind]

Originally Posted by krisakira

Celexa (generic is Citalopram). It is like lexapro but less side effects. Good for anxiety and depression. It has basically kept me alive.

Celexa and Lexapro are similar drugs, according to docs I have worked with and what I've read online Lexapro is supposed to be "a cleaner version of Celexa".

I have only been on Lexapro for a total of 2 months and only 2 weeks this time around so I can't really speak to how well it will work for me but I was on Celexa for 11 years. It worked really well for 8 of those 11 years but after that I got extremely sleepy on it and to this day it makes me too tired to use it. Over all the worst side affects I had with Celexa were: fatigue, weight gain, frequent urination, dulled emotions (I hardly ever cried in 11 years).

[ChangingMyMind]

So I just got back from seeing my psychiatrist. She said that generics are not as tightly regulated like name brand drugs are so the medicine can very 10% from the original and still get approval. Something like that, I can't remember verbatim what she said but I personally feel that if I am using a drug that affects by brain I want the best and most consistent possible.

That and the fact that I am prone to have side effects has lead her to request that my medicine (Lexapro) be dispensed as written or in other words only name brand, no generics.

Personally, I am ok with the added cost for a drug that affects my brain. I am curious if this will help limit the side effects.

When I went on Celexa for the first time they didn't have a generic and I do not recall a whole lot of side effects but later on in the years (on celexa generic) I developed side effects.

Just food for thought. In case you too experience side effects, it might be worth it to look at the cost of name brand.

[MusicLover79]

I'm on buproprion and I like it. The only side effect that I have is loss of appetite but that's it so I think it's a pretty good one.

[ChangingMyMind]

Originally Posted by MusicLover79

I'm on buproprion and I like it. The only side effect that I have is loss of appetite but that's it so I think it's a pretty good one.

Agreed! Not a bad side effect to have at all. Why can't I get the good side effects? I always get increased appetite.

[kittyfaye]

Thank you all for your input, I really appreciate it. I'll ask my doc about switching meds when I can and I'll research those meds y'all told me about.