User:Mr. Ibrahem/Escitalopram

Escitalopram, sold under the brand names Cipralex and Lexapro, among others, is an antidepressant of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) class. Escitalopram is mainly used to treat major depressive disorder or generalized anxiety disorder. It is taken by mouth.

Common side effects include trouble sleeping, nausea, sexual problems, and feeling tired. More serious side effects may include suicide in people under the age of 25. It is unclear if use during pregnancy or breastfeeding is safe. Escitalopram is the (S)-stereoisomer (left-handed version) of citalopram (which is a mixture of both right and left handed), hence the name escitalopram.

Escitalopram was approved for medical use in the United States in 2002. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines as an alternative to fluoxetine. In the United States the wholesale cost is about $2.04 per month. In the United Kingdom,, generic escitalopram is around 1/20th as costly as the proprietary version. Escitalopram is sometimes replaced by twice the dose of citalopram. In 2017, it was the 20th most commonly prescribed medication in the United States with more than 25 million prescriptions.