Drug class
SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors): medications in this class
Antidepressants that increase serotonin levels in the brain.
Overview
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors increase the amount of serotonin available between nerve cells. They are the most prescribed antidepressants because they work for depression and most anxiety disorders, are safer in overdose than older drugs, and are tolerated well by most people.
Sertraline and escitalopram are the usual first choices; fluoxetine has a long half-life that makes it forgiving of missed doses; citalopram has a dose ceiling because of its effect on heart rhythm; paroxetine is more sedating and harder to stop. They differ more in side effects than in effectiveness, so the choice is individual.
They take several weeks to work. Nausea, sleep changes and sexual side effects are the common complaints, and the class carries a boxed warning about suicidal thinking in young people. Stopping needs a taper.
How the drugs in this class differ when you pay cash
All five are commodity generics and most sit on pharmacy flat-price lists; the cash price is dispensing fee and margin. Brands such as Zoloft, Lexapro and Prozac are the same drugs at a far higher price. Scored tablets at a higher strength, split, can halve the tablet count where the prescriber agrees.
Capsules and tablets of the same drug, and the oral solutions, are priced differently; fluoxetine in particular comes as capsules, tablets and a weekly delayed-release capsule, and the pharmacy can tell you which it stocks cheaply.
Paroxetine is also sold as a controlled-release tablet and sertraline as an oral concentrate; both cost more than the plain tablets. If a prescription names a brand, ask the prescriber to allow generic substitution so the pharmacy can dispense the maker it stocks.
When paying cash beats a copay, and when it does not
Cash usually wins or ties: a ninety-day fill from an independent, mail-order or flat-price pharmacy is commonly at or below a generic copay. Insurance matters only for brand prescriptions.
Conditions treated
- Depression
- Anxiety
- OCD
- PTSD
Medicines at a glance
How the medicines in this group are supplied and usually taken. Each guide has the full details.
- SertralineTablet, Oral concentrateGeneric: Yes · Once a day
- EscitalopramTablet, Oral solutionGeneric: Yes · Once a day
- FluoxetineCapsule, Tablet, Oral solutionGeneric: Yes · Once a day
- CitalopramTablet, Oral solutionGeneric: Yes · Once a day
- ParoxetineTablets, Controlled-release tablets, Oral suspensionGeneric: Yes · Once a day
| Medicine | Forms | Generic | Usually taken |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sertraline | Tablet, Oral concentrate | Yes | Once a day |
| Escitalopram | Tablet, Oral solution | Yes | Once a day |
| Fluoxetine | Capsule, Tablet, Oral solution | Yes | Once a day |
| Citalopram | Tablet, Oral solution | Yes | Once a day |
| Paroxetine | Tablets, Controlled-release tablets, Oral suspension | Yes | Once a day |
Medications
Which of these is right for a given person is a decision for the prescriber. The guides explain what each drug is, how it is supplied, and why its cash price varies between pharmacies. No page on this site shows a price; prices come from pharmacies responding to your actual prescription.
Questions worth asking
- How long before this should help, and how will we judge it?
- Which side effects are common in the first weeks?
- Is the capsule or tablet cheaper at this pharmacy?
- Is a ninety-day prescription appropriate once the dose is stable?
- How is it tapered if I stop?
How Script Unlock gets you a cash price for a SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) prescription
Prices on this site come from pharmacies responding to a real prescription. We do not publish estimated, average or "typical" prices, because none of those would be your price.
- 1You upload your prescription
A photo of your a SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) prescription prescription is enough. Nothing is sold on the site; you are asking pharmacies to quote.
- 2Licensed pharmacies respond
Pharmacies that Script Unlock has verified see the request and each can reply with its own cash price for your exact drug, strength and quantity.
- 3You choose and pay the pharmacy
You compare the responses, pick a pharmacy, and pay that pharmacy directly when you collect. Script Unlock never takes a patient payment and never sets the price.
Sources
- National Institute of Mental Health
- MedlinePlus drug information (National Library of Medicine)
- FDA Orange Book (approved generics and therapeutic equivalence)
Written by the Script Unlock editorial team from the sources above. Not yet reviewed by an independent pharmacist. Last checked 2026-10-03.
Script Unlock is a marketplace that lets licensed pharmacies quote a cash price on your prescription. It does not prescribe, dispense or sell medication, does not process patient payments, and does not give medical advice. Always follow the instructions of your prescriber and pharmacist and read the medication guide supplied with your medicine.