Do you buy generic or brand?

[nogutsnoglory]

Brand can cost a lot more but I seem to run into problems with generics. You never know where they are manufactured, how it's handled and what fillers might be in the drug.

I was curious to hear if others have experienced issues with generic drugs and whether people try to opt for brand when possible?

 

[SarahBear]

I go for generic. But, I did have one negative experience with a generic birth control. My doctor's office gave me a sample of the name-brand version, and it worked really well for me (most b/c ends up causing some kind of an issue). It was a chewable. Well, my insurance wouldn't cover it so it would have been around $260 each month. So my doctor prescribed the chewable my insurance would cover (generic). Turns out the generic chewable birth control is just a normal birth control pill with a tiny bit of mint flavoring, whereas the name-brand one seemed to be completely different. Needless to say, it didn't work out.

 

[nogutsnoglory]

The drug is supposed to be equivalent but I have heard horror stories of people having really bad reactions to the fillers in the generic. They can use different ingredients without telling us as long as the basic drug is the same. I had one drug that made me bleed whereas I was fine on the brand.

 

[purdueCrohns]

Generics are fine

 

[2thFairy]

I use generics whenever possible.

 

[superzeeman]

I am forced to use generics by my insurance company so I have no idea what name brand medication is like.

 

[hbrekkaas]

I didn't know we even had the choice. I just hand over my prescription and take what the pharmacist gives me.....as far as things like birth control it was always brand name though, I assume it all is. My insurance covers pretty much anything that is prescribed so its never been an issue.

 

[ryansbronco]

For drugs if its OTC like advil knock off Ill use the generic
remicade no freaking way
most auto parts generics are awesome. I can say when it comes to toyota catalytic converters .....uhm nope

 

[nogutsnoglory]

It would depend on the insurance company. Some plans won't cover brand at all unless you appeal and make a case for why you need it. Others will cover it but charge a penalty so it can be more expensive.

I have seen brands as cheap as $30 and others as much as $160. I know it's expensive but if its the only thing that works, health is worth it.

 

[UnXmas]

I usually go for generic as it's cheaper. I've never noticed any signs of inferiority. When I get prescriptions I'm usually given generics, I guess the NHS has decided it's better to keep costs down.

 

[CrohnsChicago]

I try to do generic whenever I can but it honestly just depends on whether or not there is a generic available.

 

[hawkeye]

My Imuran is generic - haven't had an issue.

 

[PsychoJane]

Here, unless the medication does not exist in generic form, the government only allows us to get the generic (that is if we don't have private insurance) otherwise they won't pay for the Brand. I've never had any issues with them and they always did what they were intended too. The only annoying thing is the taste sometimes.

As far as horror story goes I have not really heard of any but I know that my mother recently told me that her pressure meds had caused her major issues recently. The generic was containing lactose filler whereas the Brand wasn't. Since it is a medication that is deliver to the whole system (vessels) it did cause her a major reaction due to her intolerance. Weird thing! The pharmacist figure it out cause they could not find out what was wrong with her.

 

[tots]

I take a generic form of WELLBUTRIN. When Walgreens changed suppliers, they changed generic brands. The new generic brand gave me horrible headaches. I had to find a new pharmacy.

Lauren

 

[nogutsnoglory]

That's my fear, you never know what you are getting with a generic and it can change at anytime. I have heard too many people having issues with a generic while fine on brand even though they are supposed to be equivalent.

 

[littlemissh]

Generics are fine for the vast majority of drugs. The only time they can cause an issue is with long acting drugs e.g.those with the drug followed by the letters MR, or LA etc.(Also in a very few cases if coatings, substrates have chemicals that patients have intolerances to e.g. lactose, certain preservatives.)

With these MR/LA etc drugs the bioavailablity and duration of action can differ from one generic to the next. This means the levels in your system may change if you swap generics and your disease control may fluctuate. For many this doesn't matter but for some it can cause problems, particularly epilepsy medication.

For this reason in the UK it is recommended that the majority of drugs are prescribed generically, but long acting drugs are prescribed by brand and the same brand should always be prescribed for that individual.

 

[nogutsnoglory]

Interesting. By long acting do you mean slow release in the body or the amount of time till the drug leaves the system?

 

[littlemissh]

Slow release in the body in some cases, time in the body for others.
So some IBD drugs are designed not to be available until the correct part of the gut that needs targeting. Often these are drugs that used to given 2-4 times per day but have had the formulation changed to allow once or twice daily dosage and reduce the number of tablets a patient has to take(and reduce number of forgotten pills)
examples of long acting drugs IBD drugs are asacol mr, mesren MR, octasa MR etc

 

[nogutsnoglory]

I'm on Cimzia and Apriso for Crohn's both of which luckily only come in brand.

 

[DustyKat]

With OTC meds I mix it up a bit but with the kids prescription meds I always go brand. Matt found the coating on the brand meds Imuran and Flagyl made them far more palatable.

This is an older study of the thiopurines that does compare the bioavailability of Imuran against the generic Azathioprine:

Results:
Disease remission was achieved in 51% (42 out of 82) of patients treated with either azathioprine or 6-mercaptopurine therapy, and correlated well with high erythrocyte 6-thioguanine levels (> 250 pmoles/8 × 108 RBCs). Patients treated with either branded azathioprine or 6-mercaptopurine achieved significantly higher erythrocyte 6-thioguanine levels than patients treated with generic azathioprine, thereby suggesting that branded azathioprine has improved oral bioavailability compared to generic azathioprine. These data are consistent with the putative immunosuppressive role of 6-thioguanine metabolites in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, and provides a basis for developing a therapeutic index of clinical efficacy based on the measurement of erythrocyte 6-thioguanine metabolite levels.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1365-2036.2000.00812.x/full

Dusty.

 

[alex_chris]

Generics are regulated the same way as the "brand" drugs. Generic drugs are identical with other brand drugs in the active ingredient, sometimes "non-active" ingredients are, however, different - in rare cases that means generic drugs are not tolerated (similarly some people may not tolerate the brand drug, but a generic alternative).

 

[Garbanzo]

I remember reading once you can complain to the FDA about inferior generics

Certain Meds are just as good as Brand, in the cases generics aren't as effective its usually the inactive ingredients that cause problems.

 

[amrycrohns]

I always used name brand, I have no reason to even try generic. If the situation arose that I needed to use a generic I wouldn't hesitate or be concerned.

You can look at this from food perspective, General mills makes cereal and they make off brands that are sold cheaper. If they made off brands just as good as their own no one would pay the higher cost.

I doubt Generic would actually be dangerous or anything though with the FDA always looming.

 

[2thFairy]

I always used name brand, I have no reason to even try generic.

You must have one hell of an insurance policy!

 

[UnXmas]

I always used name brand, I have no reason to even try generic. If the situation arose that I needed to use a generic I wouldn't hesitate or be concerned.

You can look at this from food perspective, General mills makes cereal and they make off brands that are sold cheaper. If they made off brands just as good as their own no one would pay the higher cost.

I doubt Generic would actually be dangerous or anything though with the FDA always looming.

I've always assumed that the additional cost of the brands is similar to those of designer clothes - you pay for the name, for the label. Or, I often try supermarkets' cheap versions of products (for those in the UK, this is Sainsbury's "basics" range, and Tesco's "everyday value" range). There are a couple of exceptions, but for most things I find they are not far off the quality and taste of more expensive ranges.

There are several medications where I've tried both the generics and brand versions, as the pharmacy usually provides me with generics for my prescriptions, but occasionally provides a brand version (I'm not sure why). I've never noticed a difference in the effects.

 

[Sailorluna]

I go generic whenever possible. For Welchol and Cimzia (and many others ) no generic exists yet. Would jump at the cost savings though if/when they do become available.

 

[nogutsnoglory]

As long as the fillers can be different and we have sensitivities and allergies I'm nervous around generics. I have also been told by some doctors that they only prescribe brand for some drugs. There must truly be a difference for some.

Maybe I'm being paranoid but I have too many health problems to risk it. I don't always get brand but try to for any Meds I need to be on long term.

 

[Brent]

In some cases generic and name brand will offer similar results. In some cases studies have shown that the generic does not perform as well as the name brand. The specific drug I can verify that is better in name brand form is Actonel. Studies showed the generic brand we receive in Canada for this drug was not performing at the same level as the name brand.

 

[pipmom]

If anyone has Naltrexone compounded, make sure they use an acidophilus filler.

 

[moogie]

My insurance covers Generic first. In Canada there are strict laws on medication. Generic is 100% the same or it's not allowed. So no worries here.