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Generic Drugs

10 years ago

Why do most people prefer going for Generic drugs then Branded Ones?

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Comments (9)

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
10 years ago
Cost. And insurance....mine won't cover the cost of brand name drugs if a generic exists in the market.

Is this a trick question? Lol
emma
10 years ago
I compare prices and if there is a large difference in prices I go with the generic. A generic is the same (recipe) the branded ones use. I went to a Gessler drug store looking for tylenol, the pharmacist came to offer help. I told him what I was looking for and it was almost $10. He pointed to a generic that was $2 and something for a twin pack. Of course I chose the generic.
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Please do not buy drugs online. It's not safe and it's illegal. Online "Canadian" pharmacies are often not even located in Canada. The websites are an outright lie. And "pharmacies" located in Canada are not regulated like real pharmacies unless they actually do business in Canada with Canadian patients. If you want medications from Canada, go to a real physical pharmacy that dispenses to Canadian patients. And since drug names are different in different countries, make absolutely sure both the brand and generic name of the medication is written on the prescription as well as what it is for. That way if there are any questions, that information can be important for the pharmacist to determine if clarification is needed. For example, when Bextra was available in the US, it was a brand name anti-inflammatory medicine. In at least one European country that brand name was for blood pressure medicine, a completely different drug. Brand names are made up for recognition and marketing, while generic names are the chemical name for the medicine molecule, which can vary slightly from region to region but are pretty consistent. In addition, if he US regulations on importation and manufacturing keep our drug supply reasonably safe. We have, at least as of a few years ago, about a 2-3% counterfeit rate. Many other countries buy on the world market which has about 8-10% , or higher in some regions, rate. Drugs purchased online are even worse, as they are often completely outside the medical system of any country and completely unregulated. There was a great article in I think Health magazine if I remember correctly back about 6 or so years ago that followed an investigation of medicines purchased online. It was astounding how bad things were. And some of the "manufacturing" facilities they had pictures of I wouldn't step inside even with a whole truckload of bleach and sanitizer at my side! At the very least, any physical or online pharmacy that does not require an exam by a healthcare provider and an actual prescription should be avoided like the plague. Any online pharmacy that is not VIPPS registered should also be avoided. Please remember criminals lie, so any site claiming to be VIPPS registered should then be verified by searching the registry, not by linking through that website to verify! Working with your doctor or pharmacist for suggestions is helpful. If you use multiple pharmacies, PLEASE keep a list of ALL your medications and ask each pharmacy to enter them on your profile for screening. Paying out of pocket takes away the only screening tool the pharmacy has for seeing major interactions with meds from other places, IF your insurance company provides those alerts to them. Pharmacy shopping and paying cash puts a lot of responsibility on YOU to make sure your medications are safe, so do your best to keep everyone involved well informed. It's in your best interest.
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sunnyca_gw
10 years ago
A generic drug has the same main ingredient but no drug company is going to hand out 'recipe" for their drug to another company, they paid for the research & development of drug to start with & they aren't handing out how to make it. The generic companies can often figure out about what is in it but not always all the ingredients. Just as there are lots of white cakes they don't all taste the same as eggs-1 or 2 or more, flour, brands are different,cake flour is different, vanilla or artificial vanilla,so you will get a white cake but may not taste at all like 1 you had before. Same with drugs & since we are made up of 96 or more elements if the formula doesn't agree with our chemistry we can get mighty sick. Armour thyroid works great on me & mom took it also, but they went to all generics at hospital & 3 different times they had switched her & I took 1 look & told nurse, you switched her, where is drugs I brought from home & you OK'd, they checked & sure enough they had crossed out Armour thyroid & given her the Sythyroid & she was a zombie, just laid there not moving while night before talking & laughing & sitting in a chair, 3 times of this & finally nurse said, I'll fix this so it doesn't happen again & Sythyroid went in her allergies list so next time she was in she did get the drug Armour thyroid that we brought from home. So if you get a generic that makes you sick, drugged or woozy then you need to get that drug on your allergy list &" Brand only" may have to be brought & approved by hospital.
d0ug
10 years ago
Most doctor don't give you generic drugs and here is why. [kick back]
http://projects.propublica.org/docdollars/
eccentric
10 years ago
I agree with rhizo - cost. I am Cdn. Under our plan we have to take generic drugs if they exist - no choice. Husband's new office plan is the same - no exceptions, even with a doctor's note.

Also in many cases the brand name of the drug has ceased production - I am in that predicament right now. I can't take the generic due to allergies to the non medicinal ingredients but the brand name is no longer being manufactured. We have been trying to find a Plan B but so far have found nothing. I may have only one prescription, but not having it is going to be bad for me.

My husband can take either - but many people can't. There is a reason why many seniors are paying the difference in cost (and it is a lot) for name brand drugs - if available.
sunnyca_gw
10 years ago
If you have a compounding pharmacy in town they may be able to make up your drug for you Eccentric! They can find out what was in it probably since it is discontinued. I had to do that with my prescription drug when they took it off market. Some think Armour thyroid was taken off market but it wasn't(FDA guys wives no doubt threw a fit & told hubbies, no way you're taking my meds off market!!) But I know some people that have it made up even tho you can get it at Cost Co(I used to get it there) but local pharmacy an Independent 1 mile away is handy. I pay for it tho. No point in having part D as 2 drugs I take they don't want me to use. Rather I take much more dangerous ones. No way!
eccentric
10 years ago
Thanks, sunnyca - I will look into it!
deb_pa
10 years ago
Not all generic drugs are the same as their brand name.
Yes, you can buy Ibuprophen instead of Advil or acetaminophen instead of Tylenol but there can be other differences. Example: My mother was on Calan for years with no problem. One day when picking up her script and opening it I noticed it was a different pill. The pharmacist said it was generic and would be the same. Not so. Mom took the pill and within 20 minutes had a sick stomach. I called the pharmacist and he said the "binders" in the pill were different in the generic and dissolved faster giving Mom the sick stomach. I called the doctor and he ordered the brand name, check marking the box at the bottom of the script Brand Name Only. It wasn't a horrible side effect from the generic pill but an effect my Mom didn't need.
missingtheobvious
10 years ago
My mother has relatively-mild dementia, however, she doesn't take her pills unless someone watches her do so (we could put them out with labels for when to take them, or put them on her plate for that meal, but even so she ignored them). After my dad died, we moved Mom to the part of their retirement community which cares for folks who need more care (whether their problems are mobility, memory, or chronic medical conditions).

My father had been purchasing many of their prescription drugs from an online company (OptimRx or something like that). When we moved Mom, the management of that part of the retirement community would not accept her drugs because they lacked lot numbers.

Without lot numbers, when there's a recall, you have no way of knowing whether your pills were in the recall or not -- and the retirement community doesn't want to be sued....

Luckily the retirement community has a local vendor who will provide drugs with lot numbers. (And whether anyone gets kick-backs, I don't know.)

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