Comments on: The RIP: Brand vs Generic Drugs

By: Karla

Karla — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 00:14:55 +0000

Generics are NOT identical to the brand name drug. Why do people insist on thinking that they are getting the same quality for less? THe “dirty little secret” is there is a 25% “variance” allowed by the FDA on the manufacture of generic medications. In addition, as someone previously mentioned if your pharmacy changes the manufacturer from month to month, depending on the lowest available price there will definitely be a difference in the quality (leading to less efficacy and an increased likelyhood of side effects).
I never get generics for antibiotic treatment. My father’s cardiologist told him to never get generics for any of his cardiac medications.
The public seems to forget that pharmacys are a retail BUSINESS. They benefit from “pushing” generics..the patient does not necessarily benefit. We all need to take responsiblity to be informed about our healthcare.

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By: Patty

Patty — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 00:01:08 +0000

I wholeheartedly agree with you! Several years ago my pharmacy suddenly replaced a generic of a medication I was taking with a generic from another pharmacuetical company. Within 24 hours, i knew something was wrong – it was as if I had suddenly stopped taking it and it was a prescription med that cannot be stopped suddenly without severe side effects! I had alot of problems convincing my pharmacy that the replacement was not effective and to take the meds back so that I could locate a pharmacy that was still distributing the same form of generic that I had been taking. I had to go to another nearby town before I was able to locate it! So – they can say what they want but a generic is not a generic – is not a generic! Not when it comes to prescription medications!!!

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By: Charlie

Charlie — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 20:51:08 +0000

Just a bit of information here: If a few advil tabs work for you, what you’ve got is most likely a headache – almost certainly not a migraine. If you haven’t got significant migraine symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, phonophobia, photophobia, hot flashes, chills, dizziness, and so on, it’s definitely not a migraine.

Although migraine sufferers differ in their symptoms, it’s safe to say that the majority suffer severe pain that can’t really be safely treated with ibuprofen. In my own case, if I haven’t any triptans or opiates available, I can chase 800 mg of ibuprofen with a shot of whiskey and get partial relief from a migraine. Unfortunately this will damage my stomach lining and intestines! Even without the alcohol chaser, ibuprofen rather commonly causes colitis or ulcers if used for ongoing migraine treatment. It’s just too chemically caustic in the high doses that are required for migraine relief.

Unfortunately, and perhaps because severe headache sufferers often want to have their pains classified as migraines despite the lack of other symptoms, the line has become pretty fuzzy. This confusion has worked to the advantage of drug companies and is reflected in the pricing of over-the-counter “migraine” medicines that contain active ingredients and dosages identical to those in cheaper “headache” remedies. Read the labels.

If you’ve got migraines, don’t take Advil or Motrin or even caffeinated aspirin until you’ve had a good long conversation with at least one doctor, and read up on the subject. You will almost certainly be better served by sumatriptan or oxycontin. If not, what you’ve got probably isn’t a migraine at all.

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By: Jill Page

Jill Page — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 22:35:29 +0000

I take Atenolol 50 mg as a migraine preventative. There is most definately a difference in different makes of the drug. Some brands work very well and some are absolutely useless. I got one particular brand and I had a headache every day, the next month I had a different brand and only had one or two headaches. A few months later I had the “bad” brand again and had a headache every day.So not only is there a difference between brand and generic, but also between different brands of generic drugs.

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By: Katie

Katie — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 01:13:20 +0000

I agree with you that it is sort of unfortunate for the drug’s inventors to have patents the lengths they are. They spend all the time searching for the right chemical, only to patent it, spend 8 years testing for its safety, leaving them only 2 years to make up the profit to pay back the cost of the research behind it.

That being said, most pharmaceutical companies are in search of treatments, not cures. Finding a cure to a high-profile disease, and all the fame and world happiness sounds great, but a treatment for diabetes or arthritis that people will become dependent on for the rest of their lives ensures them a lot more money.

By: Spongiform

Spongiform — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 20:53:47 +0000

That says nothing about brand name drugs. That just says people are crazy (gotta love ‘em) and are willing to pay extra money to maintain the status quo. If they just thought about how each one, regardless of emotions or money, is exactly the same then they would be golden.

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By: dave

dave — Sun, 30 May 2010 08:37:49 +0000

It’s a consequence of being over-insured in this country. Insurance is meant to protect against catastrophic loss, not to pay for everyday expenses.

Let’s imagine that auto insurance was the same as health insurance. How often would you shop around for gas or oil changes if your insurer picked up 90% of the cost? No one would, yet this is exactly how we administer health insurance in this country.

The fix is high deductable plans that put some skin in the game for consumers so they can use their thrift to help drive down costs and increase competition.

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By: john g

john g — Sat, 29 May 2010 12:52:54 +0000

For what its worth: 20 some years ago I spoke to a pharmacist at a big hospital, he said brand x has same mg of med per dose but the “white stuff” that is 95% of the pill may not be soluble. Therefore it goes right through you without going into your body. Things may have changed.

By: PyroRay

PyroRay — Sat, 29 May 2010 03:57:51 +0000

For anyone who thinks there’s absolutely no difference in name brand vs. generic, I can tell you from first hand experience there is. I’ve been given a prescription of Ambien (the sleep medication), and have been taking the name brand. When I found out there was a generic, I was ecstatic, as my co-pay would go down by more than half. When I started taking the generic, I didn’t sleep for the majority of the month I was taking it. When I switched back to the name brand, I had absolutely no problems sleeping again.
Also, I was given a prescription for Percocet for migraines. In that case, the generic actually helped me better than name brand.
I have to agree with Philip. It’s always best to check with your doctor, and find out if there’s any difference before making a switch.

By: Robert_Richard II

Robert_Richard II — Fri, 28 May 2010 17:35:21 +0000

Protonix is a special case. In 2008, the brand manufacturer introduced a generic version as a legal and business strategy after a generic manufacturer introduced a generic version while challenging the patent awarded to the brand manufacturer. The protonix patent was set to expired in 2010.

The brand manufacturer sued the generic manufacturer for patent infringement and US tribunals sustained their case.