Has Cipralex been withdrawn?

[Eggy]

Just a quick question, I was on this from August 2004-April 2010 and i was going to go back on it but last week a chemist and my GP said they wouldn't be able to give me a prescription for it as they can't get hold of it from the manufacturer?

Can anyone shed any light on this?

Thanks.

[Eggy]

Anyone? My doctor stopped prescribing this to me a while back as they said they cannot get hold of it, 2 of my local pharmacies said the same.

[annitsa]

Here in Greece we still have it! Nobody told me that it has been withdrawed!!!

[alwaysanxious]

hi well im on cipralex this is my 4th month and my doctors still prescribe them to me ..


lisa x

[suzy-sue]

There has been controversy about these recently .They arent any better than Citalopram and cost a lot more ,So my guess is thay wont perscribe because of this .Have you been perscribed Citalopram by any chance ? sue

[Eggy]

I was on Cipralex for 5 and a half years up until April this year but recently i wanted to go back on Cipralex for a while but the doctor said they cannot get hold of them anymore, the 2 local chemists said the same and i was given Citalopram but i felt awful on them after only 3 days and felt even more tired so i stopped taking them, I have 4 boxes of Cipralex at home and i'm thinking i should take them but when i run out i don't know what i would do?

[me2]

I have had the same problem, but found Boots generally have them when others don't. Apparently they get them from different sources to most chemists. Might be worth a try.

[debs71]

Eggy, I have experienced the exact same problems when trying to collect my prescription of Cipralex from Superdrug. They either don't have the two months quantity complete, or they haven't got it at all and they keep saying there is a problem with supply from the manafacturers!!!

Most annoying!!

I think next time I will try Boots as I feel they are a better bet. Hope to God it isn't phasing out as I don't relish a change of meds as I have only just restarted it again suffering all the bloody side effects!

[unspoken]

I think Cipralex is still under licence, so only one company can manufacture it, so it costs the NHS more. My sister is on it and finds it works better for her than citalopram did. The NHS can be dubious when a company's licence on a medication runs out, so they come up with a new version. 5 or 6 years ago I started suffering from hayfever and was prescribed a medication called desloratadine which was branded Neoclarityn. I stopped getting it prescribed when I turned 19 and had to pay for prescriptions and bought the shop versions instead. I recently asked my GP for a prescription for hayfever and she said they stopped doing Neoclarityn because the NHS realised it was no better and they were just being ripped off. I have heard that Cipralex is properly different from citalopram though and has benefits over it, such as fewer side effects.

[debs71]

I'm a bit confused now.....I always thought Cipralex was the same as Citalopram as they are both the drug Escitalopram,and they are just brand names, or am I wrong?

.....or is it about other content?:shrug:

[Deva]

I just phoned my pharmacy about this as reading this worried me. I'm on 10mgs and they said there had been a problem but not with 10mgs and anyway the problem has been resolved now. Phew.

[mjh74]

I've been very slowly withdrawing from mine for a year now, today went to the chemist for my 2 monthly prescription and without telling me my GP had changed me to Citalopram, not only that, they got the dose wrong so I'm going to have to go back this week. They gave me 10mg of Citalopram in place of 10mg of Escitalopram. *sigh*

[Kerry B]

Hi Cipralex are about £25.00 per pack so the GP does not like to prescribe these he generally giver Citalopram instread with are about £3.50 per pack. I was on Cipralex and was prescribed these by a Psychiatrist, my friend is a Nurse and checked in her book which tell her the cost of each medication.

[mjh74]

Wow that's quite a price, I've been taking these for about 3 and a half years, that's a lot of monies! :scared15:

[mjh74]

Well I went to see my GP today and she confirmed that every surgery here in Leicester has been instructed NOT to give prescriptions for Escitalopram due to cost. I went on to tell her that I'd been given the wrong dose of citalopram in place of it, that 10mg of Esc wasn't the strength equivalent of 10mg Cit. Great isn't it when you have to education your own doctor. :wacko: