Med Question

[Jacquie802]

Hey guys,

Just curious if it's true that some Brand names work better than their generics..?? Anyone know why this is?

Jacquie

[becky]

hey Jacquie,

not sure about this one but i know that personally i have some terrble reactions if i change brands - my last pharmacy had to specially order alphapharm (sp?) brand paroxetine for me because i became a lunatic when i changed brands! so maybe the generics do work better - i think that different people have differnt reactions.

becks x x x

[jdqm]

Hey guys,

Just curious if it's true that some Brand names work better than their generics..?? Anyone know why this is?

Jacquie

the medication itself is not usually any different. it is the inactive ingrediants that are different. some Name brands of a med have more exact amounts of the active ingrediant in them.

i CANNOT take ProAmatine. i can however take the generics, and some of them work better than others.

i have an allergic reaction to one of the inactive ingrediants in it.

[the_dancer_grl]

I don't know why but it is true that off-brands aren't the same as the brand-name drug. My dad has a medication that simply wouldn't work for him in off-brand (he'd have seizures again) but an off-brand of something may work better for some than the brand-name because they're similar but different...just have to work on figureing out what works for you personally.

Heather

[Poohbear]

Brand name drugs are regulated a little differently than generic and that is why brand vs. generic can work differently.

FDA requires ALL ingredients in a brand name drug to be consistent and reliable in EACH pill however, for generic pills the FDA only requires a consistent amount of the ACTIVE ingredient in each pill. Therefore, not only are the inactive ingredients different in generic pills but each pill in the bottle may be different amounts of inactive ingredients.

(My dad's a research chemist which is how I know this)

As a GENERAL rule if the medication requires a very accurate, consistent and specific dose, you should stick with Brand name (like in birth control pills or any hormones--thyroid medicine etc) or at the very least do not switch brands in these types of drugs.

I am very reactive to different brands. For example, Tenormin (Brand name) I can take a lot less of the drug and it works well but if I take generic I have to take twice as much medication and it still does not work as well. I can't switch my brands of thyroid medication without having a few days of terrible tachycarida.

[Jacquie802]

Hey,

My EP/Cardio suggested that I try ProAmitine, because he does not think the generic, Midodrine is working as well as the brand name would...Just wondering if anyone else has had any similar problems?!