I have Rx insurance and if a generic is available I’m pretty much stuck with it. Makes me wonder if they caused some of my problems recently found. I’ll probably never know.
The drug is exactly the same.
Excipients differ.
Generally this is no problem at all.
Ibuprofen is a great example where the generic is perfectly fine.
It would be rare for there to be a difference in effect for a generic vs name brand.
I’ve found that the store brand Glucosamine supplement works better for me than any of the similar big name stuff. My joints generally feel better and lots of activity doesn’t bother me.
It is the responsibility of the patent applicant(s) to disclose in sufficient detail the knowledge a person skilled in the art of the invention to make the invention.
Are you claiming that drug patents should not be allowed because the patent disclosures are inherently insufficient?
Bioavailability often balances out over the long term since it takes over a day from food going in to it going out.
The financial press is still in a full-court propaganda press on behalf of Big Pharma, I see.
generics have from 80% to 120% of the active ingredient in their offering.
be aware.
Aspirin = acetylsalicylic acid
Bayer Aspirin = acetylsalicylic acid
Rite Aid Aspirin = acetylsalicylic acid
CVS Aspirin = acetylsalicylic acid
Walgreen’s Aspirin = acetylsalicylic acid
The Soviet Lada was a generic Fiat 124. If forced to drive one or the other, which would you choose?
You bet there’s a difference! I’ve been on Synthroid since 1992.
The generic Levythyroxin absolutely kills me.
10 years ago my then Doc INSISTED I go on generic for 6 months and I ended up losing the best job I ever had because I couldn’t think clearly and was unable to handle stress as usual. I was also unable to sleep and tired all the time.
My pharmacy has filled the generic instead of name brand a few times and I’ve tried taking it with the same results. Walking death.
My condition is Secondary Hypothyroidism after having a pituitary tumor so maybe that makes some difference, but I am not alone in my assessment of the generic being crap.
And you - Generic Defender Guy on this thread - don’t even bother.
And for you other Synthroiders, here’s an article:
WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS OF THIS STUDY?
This study demonstrates that Synthroid and generic levothyroxine are not equal in children with congenital hypothyroidism, even though the FDA states they are interchangeable.
Good article. Thanks for posting. Personally I have not noticed differences in generics which means the reverse engineering process capabilities of these companies must be pretty good.
Speaking from experience, I’d say I wasted ten years of my life struggling along with the generic for the condition I have. Paying extra for the original has been worth it. But I think that companies advertising these fakes as the same thing should pay a penalty. How hard is it to test for absorbtion? Studies need to be done so that the dosage they claim is the dosage you get.
There have been at least 2 recent recalls for American made Rx drugs, Losartan and Diovan because of tainted ingredients supplied from China.
My daughter took some forensics courses that included studying drugs and how they are absorbed into the body>
For some people, generics actually work better.
It all depends on a person’s body chemistry.
And might be superior, given lessons learned during the passage of time. (Think of all those "new and improved" products!)
ML/NJ
I quit taking ALL of them and I feel much better
I wish I could have my Veterinarian be my Dr (she has declined) but she always asks the right questions when I bring in my Dog and he gets Healthy
My Dr just lectures me and Prescribes poison
Again... I quit taking ALL of my scripts and am doing very well... just changed my diet.
My friends still believing that Drugs are going to fix what ails them are now candidates for Dialysis and Insulin Injections... and are 60lbs heavier (we started at about the same weight)... they can still eat Potatoes, Rice and Bread and only have to worry about insulin injections (that don’t FIX anything, they just lower sugar in your blood until you jack it up again)
People are So Dumb
(Waiting for the Crispy Creme Diet Guy, big tree, red, dumb)
Most people probably won’t have issues with most generics. Especially with OTC.
I have had several prescriptions that did not work out so great.
I had Medicaid from June 2010 to August 2015 so I actually went to doctors for a few years. I have had no medical visits since July 2015. I had to cancel all of my appointments including my first of what should have been 5 years of checkups every 6 months to make sure no cancer cells were left behind.
I was prescribed Cymbalta by one doctor and when the dose was doubled my primary doctor decided I didn’t need to take two of the name brand and that one generic would be better. Until then I actually had very little of the worst side effects. They started right after the switch. I also think that is why when I got sick and didn’t keep the pill I took down the withdrawal symptoms were much worse. Brain zaps are no fun. Neither was super hearing with my very noisy nieces in the house because it was Christmas. I could only eat very fatty, salty, sour or sweet foods because everything else was very bitter. This side effect still happens.
Like topamax the drug from hell I took a few years before, this also was off label use for nerve damage pain. Because they helped some people. Neither helped but both did lasting damage.
I was also on Metformin at the time. My pharmacy had been switching the generic brands every few months. Some were good, some smelled slightly fishy and the last one I filled earlier that December was so foul it would have gagged a maggot. I never even tried to take any of that bottle.