About 30 million Americans take anti-depressants,which mean that their prices greatly impact our national medicine bill. Belonging to a class known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI’s), Lexapro, Zoloft, and Prozac are among the most popular brand name antidepressants available. While all three of these medications – and other SSRI’s – are available as generics, if you’re paying out-of-pocket, finding the best price isn’t usually as simple as walking into your local pharmacy…
Generic SSRI’s At My Local Pharmacy
Zoloft and Prozac have been available as generics since 2007 and 2001, respectively. The price for the brands are incredibly high – $558 for 90 pills of Zoloft (100 mg) and $720 for 90 pills of Prozac (10 mg). Luckily, the generic prices are much lower. Generic Zoloft, known as sertraline, is $146.97 at my local pharmacy for 90 pills. Generic Prozac – called fluoxetine – is only $15.99.
The $15.99 for 90 pills (10 mg) of fluoxetine, is a great deal, but it can still be beat!In my research, the price at most brick-and-mortar pharmacies using a drug coupon was between $15 and $17.Oneeven better price was through a U.S.-based online pharmacy, where it was $9.50 for 90 pills.
The real savings comes in the search for generic Zoloft. There is absolutely no need to pay $146.97 for 90 pills (100 mg), the price mentioned above at mylocal pharmacy. A drug discount card can reduce the price to around $65. And a drug coupon can bring it down to around $15 at many pharmacies in my neighborhood.That’s an 89% savings, and just over $500 saved annually.
When a generic is first introduced, there are usually only one or two companies making the product, so the price remains high:case in point, Lexapro (escitalopram). Ninety pills (10 mg)are$351.89. Using a discount card or drug coupon reduces the price to $38.46.However, Costco crushes the competition, selling it for around $11.40. That’s an amazing97% savings, and just over $1,350 annually.
Brand Name SSRI’s
If you need the brand name SSRI, the lowest prices are found internationally. Just make sure the pharmacy is verified by a third party, such as those listed on PharmacyChecker.com. The average savings on brand name Lexapro, Prozac, and Zoloft from international pharmaciesis 82%. View the savings chart below:
Savings on Lexapro (10 mg, 90 pills)
| Pharmacy | Price | Savings |
| Local Pharmacy | $590.97 | — |
| International Online Pharmacy | $84.60 | $506.37 |
| Annual Savings:$2,025.48 | ||
Costco.com price calculated from 100 pills
Savings on Prozac (10 mg, 90 pills)
| Pharmacy | Price | Savings |
| Local Pharmacy | $720.00 | — |
| International Online Pharmacy | $188.10 | $531.90 |
| Annual Savings: $2,127.60 | ||
Savings on Zoloft (100 mg, 90 pills)
| Pharmacy | Price | Savings |
| Local Pharmacy | $558.00 | — |
| International Online Pharmacy | $60.30 | $497.70 |
| Annual Savings: $1,990.80 | ||
The bottom line here is to check all of your options before buying generic or brand name antidepressants. Your best bets for generic Zoloft, Prozac, or Lexapro are definitely drug discount cards or coupons. You may want to print out a few different coupons and discount cards available on the internet and then bring them to a few pharmacies to compare prices. If you want or need the brand, international online pharmacies offer incredibly low prices and potentially thousands of dollars in savings each year.
I can’t find a more discounted price for brand name Prozac…..unfortunately have tried the generic brand several times. The price of the generic is good.but when I’ve tried to take it but it does not work.it leaves me in a terrible situation of not being able to pay even the discount I get from ins. 90 pills are costing me close to $ 300.00 . {that s so unreal! If you know of anywhere brand names can be purchased at a reasonable price let me know.
Shay, several of the online pharmacies in the PharmacyChecker Verification Program sell brand name Prozac. You can find them here: http://www.pharmacychecker.com/brand/prozac-prices.
I take Lexapro (20) my insurance or any that I can find, will not over it. I started paying 303.89 for 30 pills. Last month July it went up to 329.79. Quite a jump. Is there no limit to what a drug company can charge, can they just keep going up until it is not affordable to anyone but D Trump. I can not take the generic, have tried it several times, but it is no help. Quality of life is important to me.
Yes, medication prices keep increasing and Americans pay some of the highest prices in the world. But if you check prices for Lexapro 20mg on PharmacyChecker.com, you’ll see that you can buy that medication for a fraction of the price at verified online pharmacies: http://www.pharmacychecker.com/brand/price-comparison/lexapro/20+mg/cpp/ If you can take the generic (Escitalopram)you can find it for less than $40 for a 90 day supply http://www.pharmacychecker.com/generic/price-comparison/escitalopram/20+mg/
Please advise source and price for brand name zoloft?
Thanks
Jimmy Cosby
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Hi Jimmy – You can compare drug prices on Zoloft among verified online pharmacies here: https://www.pharmacychecker.com/brand/zoloft-prices.
Hi, I recently ordered what I was told brand name Zoloft from PlanetDrugs in Canada. The Zoloft was made in Turkey at a Pfizer plant. I took the medicine for two weeks and it was awful!!! How can I find a pharmacy that is selling the exact same thing as in the states? I can not tolerate generics at all. Brand name Zoloft is now $300.00 a month. Any direction would be greatly appreciated. Thank you
Jolie
I’m sorry to hear that you had a bad experience. You should consult with your practitioner regarding any change in your medication or problem you experienced, but here is a little background that may be helpful.
Pharmacies in the PharmacyChecker program have been verified as selling lawfully-manufactured medications- brand name and generic- internationally to patients with a valid prescription.
If you’re in the U.S., there is a generic version, sertraline HCL. It’s generally very affordable. Despite generics being deemed equivalent to their brand-named counterparts- some patients experience differences and problems when they switch to a generic medication. The same process could happen when switching to a foreign brand version of a medication manufactured by the same company because they may have different inactive ingredients. Internationally, pharmacies in our program do offer Zoloft, manufactured by Pfizer for the Canadian market. After selecting a pharmacy, you can use the “contact us” or live chat feature to request a pharmacist consultation to ask questions about the medication and ensure it is the brand you are looking for.
Most importantly, you should consult with your practitioner regarding any change in your medication or problems you are having. Deciding whether a generic version from a local pharmacy or an international product is right for you is a decision you should make together.