SSRIs
EscitalopramEscitalopram Oxalate
Escitalopram (generic Lexapro) is an SSRI taken once a day for depression and generalised anxiety disorder. It is generic and is often chosen because it has relatively few drug interactions and is usually well tolerated.
This page is general information about a medication and how cash prices for it are set. It is not medical advice and does not replace the label, your prescriber or your pharmacist. How we handle medical information
Tablets and solution are generic.
About Escitalopram
Escitalopram is the active form of the older drug citalopram, purified so that a smaller dose achieves the same effect. Like other SSRIs it increases serotonin signalling, with the full antidepressant effect building over several weeks. It is approved for major depression in adults and adolescents and for generalised anxiety disorder in adults and children aged seven and over.
It is taken once daily, morning or evening, with or without food. Common early side effects are nausea, sleep disturbance and headache; sexual side effects can persist. Compared with citalopram it carries a lower risk of affecting heart rhythm at usual doses, but prescribers still keep doses conservative in older adults. The class-wide boxed warning about suicidal thinking in young people applies.
Escitalopram tablets are scored, and an oral solution is available. Dose changes and any taper when stopping are managed by the prescriber.
Why the cash price for Escitalopram differs from pharmacy to pharmacy
Escitalopram is a low-cost generic; the cash price you are quoted is mostly the pharmacy’s fee and mark-up. Spreads between pharmacies are wide in percentage terms.
The 20 mg tablet costs a pharmacy little more than the 10 mg tablet, so a prescription that halves a scored 20 mg tablet for a 10 mg dose uses half as many tablets. Whether that is appropriate is up to the prescriber.
Ways to pay less for Escitalopram without insurance
- Ask for a ninety-day supply once your dose is stable.
- Ask the prescriber whether a scored higher-strength tablet could be split for your dose.
- Ask whether escitalopram is on the pharmacy’s flat-price generic list.
- Compare independents and mail-order pharmacies.
- Upload your prescription to Script Unlock so licensed pharmacies can quote their cash price. You pay the pharmacy directly.
How Script Unlock gets you a cash price for Escitalopram
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 We do not publish estimated, average or "typical" prices, because none of those would be your price.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 Escitalopram 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.
Questions to ask your pharmacist about Escitalopram
- 1.How long does it usually take to work?
- 2.What should I do if I miss a dose?
- 3.Are any of my other medicines a problem with escitalopram?
- 4.Can I take it with alcohol?
- 5.How is it tapered if I stop?
Related medications
Sources
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.