Generic Antidepressants

Generics are just as effective, only if you take them :) Even when you feel better, you need to put a note or a motivational phrase to remind you that you need them. It's more than you'd like to pay, but is the emotional toll more 'expensive'? Don't just change brands due to cost - since you've been on several and found one you liked, it might not be worth changing in the long run.
Are you eligible for assistance?
http://www.pfizer.com/health/financial_assistance_program...

Each new drug has something different from previous ones, and the drug company has to show empirical evidence of how this is different before they receive a patent. Then, only after the patent has expired, can other companies start making generics of it (this helps the drug company fund the research they put into developing the new drug).

I know the cost is a PAIN (I was on a mood stabalizer that for a long time was only available in name brand). If there is an older drug that works just as well for you, then you can go with its generic. But if what you're taking has the best results, there really won't be a substitute for it until the patent expires. Ick, I know!

If you have insurance, look into what they offer for long-term. There are some places where you can order 3 months at a time (usually through the mail), and your doctor can write a Rx specifically for that; if your insurance works with those places (and many do, because it's less expensive) it'll cost less in the long run.
If you don't have insurance, find out which company makes the drug, and go to their website. Several of the major drug manufacturers have programs where people who can't afford to pay for the meds can get them at a lower cost (it looks good for the company and helps promote their drug, but also helps people who MUST take it and can't afford it). It's income based, so that might or might not help you, but I also found discount cards from several of the companies.

(And ignore any posts that may come suggesting "natural alternatives" ... you already know that a chemical imbalance can't be ignored, some people just don't get it!)

Just because your doctor likes to prescribe newer meds does not mean that you cannot explain your unwillingness to pay top dollar for name brands (I don't mean to make that sound bad; I personally prefer generics too).

It would be exceptionally difficult for any of us to recommend a particular psychiatric drug without two things: having extensive medical training in psychiatric medicine and knowing your unique health history including the complexity of your psychiatric challenges. So, while people *might* be able to recommend something it would be a slippery slope because A) I doubt anyone on here is a psychiatrist (and if they were it probably would be unethical to chime in) and B) none of us know your situation intimately to be able to do so.

Press the issue with your physician and see what kind of input you can get on finding a generic. Be a good advocate for your health and well-being; most doctors are generally appreciative of that. Best wishes!

Honey be glad your only on one. I have to take Pristiq also and then two others, one being new and the other being generic. Like you I have taken just about everything on the market but the combination seems to work for me. As my husband puts it I don't care how much it costs, you take your meds. That might sound mean to others but the depression and mood swings are so bad. I want to raise a happy family and it is worth the cost as long as it works.

Okay so I actually have a question to your question. I take the generic brand for paxil, its only a 5$ co pay. I started having panic attacks after my daughter was born, I had a very tramatic delivery. I went off of it after a year which was absolute torture, the side effects of going off paxil are awful. So after a year or so I started back with panic attacks soo bad I could not function, wound up in the er thinking I was having a heart attack, and was going to die. So after a long talk with my dr I knew I needed to be on this med for life, this desease like yours is not going to go away. I did not want to be labeled crazy. My dr said this is not anything to do with being crazy its anxiety disorder and so many people have it. So my question is I want to get pregnant so bad, but was told you cannot take paxil when pregnant. I have tried switching to prozac and it did not work. What should I do??? What happens if I get preg on the paxil? when I was preg with my daughter I did not even take an asprin. I feel like I cannot win, and now that is making me depressed. My daughter is 7 and wants a sibling so bad. I feel like a selfish horrible mother not giving that to her. Has anyone taking meds while preg??? I take the lowest dose possible of paxil, but I need to. Especially where my daughter comes first, and I need to be the best mother for her. I do not know what to do. But an answer to your question is maybe trying paxil, bc I take the generic, I have never taken the real thing. Also see about doing the mail order meds thru med co or something, its much cheaper.

i have a mood disorder and an eating disorder and most of my doctor knew i was on a budget and would prescribe the generic of whatever drug they wanted to try, they said there was no difference

I always use the generic. I have a good relationship with my Pharmacist.
I can ask for suggestions and they will also make notes if I make comments about any of my meds..

Also do you have a Costco close by? In the Austin news they did a comparison and found that Costco Pharmacies by far have the best prices..

My insurance company tried to get me to do the meds by mail, They were way less expensive, but I hate using the phone.. so I was always forgetting to call in and reorder 2 weeks before I needed them.. ..

Your Dr gets kickbacks for suggesting new meds. Why do you think you see sales reps coming into their office all of the time? To drop off samples to promote it.

My moms uses generic and has no issues with them. I am not sure what she is on now but she also has battled depression her whole life and has never had issues with the generic brands.

I've used a generic for some years now. I don't think it does the greatest job but I tried to go off it and didn't do well. I've been able to reduce it to half dose, with my doctor's help and support, because I've added a nutritional supplement that helps me with better balance in my body, more energy, less illness, and so on. My cholesterol is lower, my sugars are good (so I don't get mood swings from that), my energy lets me work out more (so good endorphins are flowing). My doc is thrilled and wants to send me more of her patients who need the same help. The supplement is part of my grocery budget, I get it at a discount, and the company gave me phenomenal support by connecting me with others who had similar issues so I could figure out the best products to take, how much, how often, etc. That made all the difference. It didn't happen overnight but it happened. The supplement is all food, not drugs or chemicals, so it doesn't interfere with anything and it cuts my cravings for other foods - which in turn contributed to my depression. So I've been able to balance that chemical imbalance instead of just treat the symptoms. Same with all the people who helped me do it.

The new antidepressants that come out have had more studies - but those studies are generally funded by the companies that make the medication! So I question the objectivity. The doctors are visited regularly by the pharmaceutical reps who push these drugs. The companies make one small change when their patent runs out, then they apply for a new one, and they get 18 years to charge you top dollar to pay for their research and development. I don't mind paying for R&D if the product works...but if it's just treating the symptom, am I really improving things?

As for the specific generic that could help you if you take pills - I think it's very individual. I think it depends on what's going on in your body that has caused this imbalance to begin with. I am certain, from all my research, that it's based on digestion, intake of nutrients in a balanced way, absorption, and the quality of what we take in (which gets lower every year). You have already experimented with quite a few things and it's taken you a very long time and a lot of money. I pay $10 a month for my generic, and I've been able to cut it in half, so I buy 30 pills every other month. But I can only do this by supplementing nutritionally.

See if you can try the generic form of Pristiq and get it at Walmart. You can get 30-60 or 90 day supply for $4. Ask them for a list of covered meds and then bring it to the dr. they can help you switch to a more affordable pill. Good luck!

Also, call Pristiq and ask them to send you some coupons. Alot of times they will do that or send you samples with a dr.'s prescription note.

M

I took name brand Lexapro and generic lexapro and have only taken generic Effexor never name brand... those were both rediculous on my insurance. $165 for the gen Lexapro( which was actually two months bc I break them) and then $105 for the Effexor but it worked so much better that it was worth it to me. We JUST got new insurance and I am excited to see how well it pays. I don't know enough about how all of that works to know if something new is better. For me I have tried to stay on the same thing except for when the price was too high. It seems you can't go back once you change though because it doesn't work as well, I tried that with the Lexapro. I would maybe talk to the pharmasist about it, they really know their drugs and should be able to give good advice.

I use a generic form of WelbutrinXL and it works GREAT for me.

I agree with M.R. that you should press your doc for a good drug that comes in generic form. That line about new drugs treat more effectively sounds like a sales line to me.

That being said, I was on a generic for Wellbutrin for a while and wasn't happy with the side effects, so I did some research online, and found that one generic manufacturer made one size dose of the pill, and a different company made a different size dose, and for some people, the one I was on had worse side effects. (One of the companies was Watson and I can't remember the other one) The reason given was that the inactive ingredients were different in the two pills. I eventually tried both brands, as well as name-brand Wellbutrin, and had the same side effects with each, so it didn't seem to be true for me. But that may not be the case for everyone, so I thought I'd share this experience in case it helped you.

I think it depends on you and the drug. There are usually a couple of tweaks different in a generic, sometimes whatever they tweaked doesn't effect you. Sometimes whatever they tweaked works better for you. Sometimes the tweak makes it work worse for you. You just have to try them. When I used Wellbutrin, I used the XL, and that wasn't available in a generic. When it became available, I switched and I did okay on it. I would say my mood didn't improve to the level it was at under the brand, but the weight gain I experienced on the brand went away (and that improved my mood). On the other hand, the generic for Synthroid does not work at all for me (and I understand it doesn't work for a lot of people). I would research what other people say about the generics for the drugs you are taking and try them, then if it doesn't work go back to the brand.