Is celexa and Lexapro sthe same or similiar medication

[Coopem]

I need to know if these med are the same.

[mjbrown]

They are essentially the same medication. Forest Pharmaceuticals took Celexa and removed one molecule from it so that they could create Lexapro and hold on to their patent for the drug citalopram (Lexapro is called escitalopram). Celexa has a generic. Lexapro does not, but all the non-drug company studies show that they are equally effective. However, because they drug company removed a molecule that had no effect of treating depression, Lexapro is supposed to be a "cleaner" medication - meaning less side effects. But again, non-drug company studies show no difference in the side-effects profiles between Lexapro and Celexa. However, the effects of Lexapro appear to kick in a little earlier than Celexa in some studies. But the bottom line is that they are the same drug. Forest just made Lexapro to keep the patent of citalopram going. A generic Lexapro won't be available for another few years.

[fltricia]

I hear that Celexa is more calming.....it kind of makes you feel relaxed and easy going.

If you need a kick in behind I would go for the Lexapro....but if you are suffering from anxiety I would go with the Celexa.  And start on a low dose to avoid side effects.

[pie123]

I was on lexapro, and it was working perfectly. My mom wanted to switch to celexa because it was cheeper, and celexa works just the same as lexapro. If i had to choose between lexapro and celexa it wounldn't matter because i felt no difference when i switched over.

[injeanious]

I loved how Lexapro worked for me but I got side effects. The Dr is trying me on Celexa next since he said it is similar but may not have the same side effects. Apparently Lexapro is just the newer version.

[venora]

Lexapro is the new and improved version of celexa.I still like my celexa better as I have no side effects from it.some people do better on lexapro others do better on celexa.Go to their website for more info.
Love Venora