Lexapro, Zoloft, and Prozac: The Best Savings

by Gabriel Levitt, Vice President, PharmacyChecker.com and Sam Werbalowsky, Pharmacychecker.com | Apr 18, 2013 | Drug Prices, Prescription Drug Reports

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)

Costco.com price calculated from 100 pills

Savings on Prozac (10 mg, 90 pills)

Savings on Zoloft (100 mg, 90 pills)

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.