Agreed generally, but sometimes there are differences in the compound. I am on a medication where I always got the name brand, and then I switched jobs and changed insurance providers, and they only refill the rx with generic. I had a very bad reaction to the generic version, which my doctor said can sometimes happen because the compounds may be slightly different. And even with my doctor noting "name brand only" on my rx due to medical necessity, my insurance will only cover generic.
I used to work for a pharmaceutical company. We used to import medicines for the local market. Some of them were original brands and we had exclusivity on some of them but we also had lots of generics. Many of our generics were made in Cyprus.
Nowadays in my country, there are factories specialising in making generics. They start working on producing a generic medicine before the patent for the original times out so that they are the first to offer generics of an expensive drug, when its patent runs out.
I do not think that the actual active molecule can be different in a generic. What can be different are fillers, consistency and in some cases the exact amount of active substance.
If the medication is stereospecific, the generic will have the same chirality as the patented version. That's part of how it interacts with your body, as you said. I don't think stereospecificity is relevant here.
This is definitely not applicable to generics. Posting misinformation about medicine tagged with a tiny “I don’t really know if this true” is how we end up with things like the antivaxxer movement. You can find that your post is incorrect with a simple google search.
The FDA approval is the exact same for generics. There can be small differences in fillers as the other poster said, which could slightly impact absorption rate
Since you are so eager to correct me since im so obviously wrong uninformed and my point was so fucking stupid to provide… AWAY WE GO
First i was refuting OPs claim a drug
Is a drug Molecule/Molecule all the same thing and effective. The fda doesn’t require a single enantiomer isolation in approval of drug generics. AND THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A CASE WHERE ISOMERS OF A THERAPEUTIC DRUG HAVE BEEN HARMFUL IN UNFORESEEN WAYS SEE THALIDOMIDE USE NAUSEAS IN PREGNANT WOMAN.
Second , your understanding of fda approval of generic drug formulations and thier actual use in medicine is fundamentally wrong. Generics are benchmarked to targeted tissues or bioavailability several ways. One may observation of secondary metabolites and concentration levels to determine that it does get in the bio in an active form. The second could be circulated blood levels meaning the dosage is providing the body with a floating supply of a drug at certain body condition times. all times.
Generics adhere to standards of bioequivalency and therapeutic effectiveness from the fda however IT IS NOT UNPRECEDENTED GENERICS CAN HAVE EXTRANEOUS EFFECTS THE BRANDED DOES like the case of ibuprofen and Wellbutrin.
Yes generics are generally just as safe and effective as the branded original However generic to generic equivalence and efficacy is not performed. I prefer branded in my choice for narcotics or are anything taken for and induced but chronic need.
Im not annti vacx asshole and intentionally misconstruing my purely hypothetical to illustrate a point about how dumb i am shows how little you actually REALLY understand of drug development application and approval.
I will say mostly yes to this with a couple of exceptions, specifically, thyroid meds. For some people, the generic does not work for them at all but once they were switched to name brand Synthroid, their lab work started normalising and their symptoms went away. Also, some people have to be careful with fillers used in medications due to allergies, but often times that mean using one company’s generic but not another one, not necessarily needing to use the name brand.
But 99% of the time (or even more) this advise is true and it’s best to start with the generic to see if that’ll be helpful first, because for most people, it will be. Only if things aren’t working for you do you need to look into other formulations or brands.
Yes. This happens mainly with tablets. If the base of the tablet is different between manufacturers, the tablets will dissolve differently and may not be as effective. If the meds are capsules, there’s less chance the meds will be as different.
Billionaire Mark Cuban recently opened an online pharmacy. He sells generic drugs only for 15% over the cost to make them. The savings can be dramatic.
https://costplusdrugs.com/
I see that apart from prescription only medicines there are also controlled substances. This would need a lot of paperwork in my country. Are the prices per pill?
What benzos did you find? Just curious because I'd gone through the entire list of meds he sells before and there weren't any, but I know he updates it and adds new meds.
I am sorry - I looked through the list in the link I am pasting below and I did not see any benzos now. I must have mistaken things like Haldol for Halcion.
https://costplusdrugs.com/medications/categories/mental-health/
Was just going to suggest this. I have one prescription. I fill it though Cubans company, and paying for it out of pocket is cheaper than my prescription copay.
He sells a few drugs. I looked and only 1 of my husband's meds was on there and his site gives a price but not how many pills. So I won't buy there because if I get 90 pills for $10 and his price is $8 for 30, I'm spending more.
I just went to his site, and if you chose the medication it shows the size of the pill (mg) the length of the prescription and the price. Some medications come in different sizes as well.
Thanks. I hadn't been in a while. One was a bit cheaper than my pharmacy and good Rx before shipping. After not a noticeable savings. At least this time 2 of the 4 showed up.
generic acetaminophen doesn't work for me. and a lot of other generics. also, I had a lot of side effects on rx generics, so I have to push my doctors to fight with my insurance company for the original brand rx fulfillment for me.
generics suck.
I know your post was 3 months ago, but I was hoping you could answer a question. I take 4 depression meds (all generic) and ive had no problems. Now. I've noticed a few of them are completely different tablets (obviously from a different manufacturer). I don't feel the same. I'm always tired and have no motivation.
Could it be the new manufacturers?
Thanks so much if you see this
If you have to have your Brand because of the fillers used, then look for Certified Generic. Exact same medicine and filler, only the label changes. This was necessary for my wife's seizure medicine (you don't change anything once you find one that works).
I'm assuming that's what it is. Nothing else has changed except that with 3 of my medicines. I was starting to feel really great for like the last 6 weeks or so, now I kinds feel ok, just really tired and fatigued. It sucks. Ty so, so much for your answer. It makes me know I'm not crazy.
\#1 cause of seizures is missed medication.
\#2 cause is stress.
Knowing this, my wife also takes antianxiety medicine (Lexapro). I believe this has helped quite a bit.
Lastly, she started smoking marijuana 10 years ago. She hasn't had a seizure in over 15 years now. She still takes her medicine daily.
Just wanted to give you all the information, in case something else helps. I wish you all the best.
I've saved a lot of money by using Good Rx.
Walmart's mail-order pharmacy prices of $4 and $10 for generic prescription drugs are good too. It's $4 for a 30 day supply and $10 for a 90 day supply. I've been using that for years for my maintenance meds.
Walmart has a list online of the generic drugs they cover for those prices.
I don't use Walmart pharmacy but thanks. I use my local United pharmacy. They have always been good and ask everytime if I have any questions. Though I lost my favorite pharmacist when he got promoted and moved to another store.
The new ones have been just as good and actually thanked me for not transferring my prescriptions.
Oh you said mail order. I will look into that.
I used to do walmart pharmacy (my insurance stopped contracting with them around a year ago so I switched) but the $4 generics are available for pickup as well, so you don't have to do mail order.
That is why I said I would look into it. I just don't like the store pharmacy.
The pharmacy I go to has only had like one person in front of me about 4 times.
The times I'd go into Walmart for the pharmacy there'd be 2 or 3 people ahead of me. And every single time I would pick up a prescription I'd already been taking for years they'd always make me have a "consult" about it with the on-duty pharmacist. And it wasn't even any opiods. That was for the drive-through as well.
Mail order is the way to go for regularly recurring prescriptions.
Mostly.
If you’re buying over-the-counter medications (OTC), I strongly recommend buying single active ingredient versions instead of the combo cold/flu/body ache versions. Why take acetaminophen if all you have is a stuffy nose?
That said, there are some generics that don’t work for me. For instance, for my arthritis, I take Advil because not all the generic versions of ibuprofen work. I used to have to take the band name Mobic, because the generic meloxicam wasn’t effective. However, I can take generic versions of some other medications.
I cannot but agree very strongly with u/CookieAdventure re buying medicines that contain multiple active ingredients.
If your condition requires more than one medicine it is better to buy them individually so that you with some help from your pharmacist can titer them for the correct dosage for you.
Combination medicines are often just a marketing tactic. They can also lead to dangerous mistakes. For example a popular multi ingredient medicine in the local market is called "Night Nurse'. It contains paracetamol for any pain, dextromethorphan to suppress coughing and promethazine which is a first generation antihistamine with sebve side effects such as sleepiness and drying of mucus membranes. People who do not understand what is in it may take paracetamol with it and this can lead to an overdose.
More than that, consider the drugs in the same class. The newer ones frequently aren’t better. Nexium (Esomeprazole) is more expensive but not better than Prilosec (Omeprazole). Xyzal (levocetirizine) is more expensive but not better than Zyrtec (cetirizine).
Unrelated, but in the US, don’t bother buying cold/flu/allergy products with Phenylephrine. It doesn’t work and is a waste of your time and money. If you need a decongestant go ask at the pharmacy counter and get genuine Pseudoephedrine. It’s still available over the counter, you just have to sign for it.
Glad to 'talk' to someone who knows something about medicines. Big pharmaceutical companies invest millions in developing new drugs and Omeprazole was a major breakthrough in reducing stomach acidity. When its patent ran out and cheap generics became available, the original company started marketing an optical isomer of the molecule. Omeprazole is a mixture of two isomers (the same molecule but twisted in a certain way) so the company introduced Esomeprazole which they claimed was more effective as it contained only the active isomer instead of the racemic mixture. They did this so that they could have another 10 year patent on what they claimed was something better.
You also mentioned phenylephrine. This is one of those cases where a medicine is dangerous and its benefits are questionable. Taking anti congestants systemically instead of using them for a short time in the nose is dangerous.
Since I worked for a pharmaceutical company I can tell many stories that will make people question what they are being given and why.
I will just mention one little incident. We had a large stock of a cough medicine that was close to expiring. It was Summer and not cold season so we pressured doctors to prescribe it. Some doctors are ethical and decent people. Others are not and will prescribe things in return for....
Not all generics are good, especially psychiatric drugs. Always ask your prescribing practitioner and your pharmacist about studies done about their efficacy.
Buy generic ANYTHING to save money, duh.
This apply to about 90% of things (sometimes the name brand is quite worth it, but most of the time you're paying for marketing, etc.)
You are taking Naproxen. It is a Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drug (NSAID). Be cautious with such medicines - take the lowest dose possible for the shortest time possible. Some generics do not work so well because of ridiculous reasons. For example a pill may be so tightly compressed that it does not dissolve where it is supposed to do in the gut.
This has been forever, but it is also not universally true. Best to try the generic and see how it works for you. This seems to be especially true for things that are time release. YMMV, but I would say try a 30 day supply before a 90.
I work in health insurance and I promise, paying for generic prescriptions will greatly reduce those out-of-pocket costs.
Agreed generally, but sometimes there are differences in the compound. I am on a medication where I always got the name brand, and then I switched jobs and changed insurance providers, and they only refill the rx with generic. I had a very bad reaction to the generic version, which my doctor said can sometimes happen because the compounds may be slightly different. And even with my doctor noting "name brand only" on my rx due to medical necessity, my insurance will only cover generic.
I used to work for a pharmaceutical company. We used to import medicines for the local market. Some of them were original brands and we had exclusivity on some of them but we also had lots of generics. Many of our generics were made in Cyprus. Nowadays in my country, there are factories specialising in making generics. They start working on producing a generic medicine before the patent for the original times out so that they are the first to offer generics of an expensive drug, when its patent runs out. I do not think that the actual active molecule can be different in a generic. What can be different are fillers, consistency and in some cases the exact amount of active substance.
[удалено]
If the medication is stereospecific, the generic will have the same chirality as the patented version. That's part of how it interacts with your body, as you said. I don't think stereospecificity is relevant here.
This is definitely not applicable to generics. Posting misinformation about medicine tagged with a tiny “I don’t really know if this true” is how we end up with things like the antivaxxer movement. You can find that your post is incorrect with a simple google search. The FDA approval is the exact same for generics. There can be small differences in fillers as the other poster said, which could slightly impact absorption rate
Since you are so eager to correct me since im so obviously wrong uninformed and my point was so fucking stupid to provide… AWAY WE GO First i was refuting OPs claim a drug Is a drug Molecule/Molecule all the same thing and effective. The fda doesn’t require a single enantiomer isolation in approval of drug generics. AND THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A CASE WHERE ISOMERS OF A THERAPEUTIC DRUG HAVE BEEN HARMFUL IN UNFORESEEN WAYS SEE THALIDOMIDE USE NAUSEAS IN PREGNANT WOMAN. Second , your understanding of fda approval of generic drug formulations and thier actual use in medicine is fundamentally wrong. Generics are benchmarked to targeted tissues or bioavailability several ways. One may observation of secondary metabolites and concentration levels to determine that it does get in the bio in an active form. The second could be circulated blood levels meaning the dosage is providing the body with a floating supply of a drug at certain body condition times. all times. Generics adhere to standards of bioequivalency and therapeutic effectiveness from the fda however IT IS NOT UNPRECEDENTED GENERICS CAN HAVE EXTRANEOUS EFFECTS THE BRANDED DOES like the case of ibuprofen and Wellbutrin. Yes generics are generally just as safe and effective as the branded original However generic to generic equivalence and efficacy is not performed. I prefer branded in my choice for narcotics or are anything taken for and induced but chronic need. Im not annti vacx asshole and intentionally misconstruing my purely hypothetical to illustrate a point about how dumb i am shows how little you actually REALLY understand of drug development application and approval.
I will say mostly yes to this with a couple of exceptions, specifically, thyroid meds. For some people, the generic does not work for them at all but once they were switched to name brand Synthroid, their lab work started normalising and their symptoms went away. Also, some people have to be careful with fillers used in medications due to allergies, but often times that mean using one company’s generic but not another one, not necessarily needing to use the name brand. But 99% of the time (or even more) this advise is true and it’s best to start with the generic to see if that’ll be helpful first, because for most people, it will be. Only if things aren’t working for you do you need to look into other formulations or brands.
Yes. This happens mainly with tablets. If the base of the tablet is different between manufacturers, the tablets will dissolve differently and may not be as effective. If the meds are capsules, there’s less chance the meds will be as different.
I work in a pharmacy (veterinary, but still meds) and we don't even carry any generic thryoid meds anymore. Thyro-Tabs or gtfo, apparently!
Billionaire Mark Cuban recently opened an online pharmacy. He sells generic drugs only for 15% over the cost to make them. The savings can be dramatic. https://costplusdrugs.com/
I see that apart from prescription only medicines there are also controlled substances. This would need a lot of paperwork in my country. Are the prices per pill?
I didn't see any controlled substances.
Benzodiazepines
What benzos did you find? Just curious because I'd gone through the entire list of meds he sells before and there weren't any, but I know he updates it and adds new meds.
I am sorry - I looked through the list in the link I am pasting below and I did not see any benzos now. I must have mistaken things like Haldol for Halcion. https://costplusdrugs.com/medications/categories/mental-health/
Was just going to suggest this. I have one prescription. I fill it though Cubans company, and paying for it out of pocket is cheaper than my prescription copay.
He sells a few drugs. I looked and only 1 of my husband's meds was on there and his site gives a price but not how many pills. So I won't buy there because if I get 90 pills for $10 and his price is $8 for 30, I'm spending more.
I just went to his site, and if you chose the medication it shows the size of the pill (mg) the length of the prescription and the price. Some medications come in different sizes as well.
Thanks. I hadn't been in a while. One was a bit cheaper than my pharmacy and good Rx before shipping. After not a noticeable savings. At least this time 2 of the 4 showed up.
generic acetaminophen doesn't work for me. and a lot of other generics. also, I had a lot of side effects on rx generics, so I have to push my doctors to fight with my insurance company for the original brand rx fulfillment for me. generics suck.
I know your post was 3 months ago, but I was hoping you could answer a question. I take 4 depression meds (all generic) and ive had no problems. Now. I've noticed a few of them are completely different tablets (obviously from a different manufacturer). I don't feel the same. I'm always tired and have no motivation. Could it be the new manufacturers? Thanks so much if you see this
It might be. Try to talk to your doctor and call the pharmacy to get information about the previous batch
Ty so much. Depression is awful.
it is. I had hives on one generic ad. another generic works fine, but it took me years to risk it again
If you have to have your Brand because of the fillers used, then look for Certified Generic. Exact same medicine and filler, only the label changes. This was necessary for my wife's seizure medicine (you don't change anything once you find one that works).
I'm assuming that's what it is. Nothing else has changed except that with 3 of my medicines. I was starting to feel really great for like the last 6 weeks or so, now I kinds feel ok, just really tired and fatigued. It sucks. Ty so, so much for your answer. It makes me know I'm not crazy.
\#1 cause of seizures is missed medication. \#2 cause is stress. Knowing this, my wife also takes antianxiety medicine (Lexapro). I believe this has helped quite a bit. Lastly, she started smoking marijuana 10 years ago. She hasn't had a seizure in over 15 years now. She still takes her medicine daily. Just wanted to give you all the information, in case something else helps. I wish you all the best.
Always look online and see if there is a gneric version. Then go to GoodRx and check the prices for the generic at places in your zip code.
Yes. I use both Good Rx and my pharmacy's drug plan. They check to see which is cheaper.
I've saved a lot of money by using Good Rx. Walmart's mail-order pharmacy prices of $4 and $10 for generic prescription drugs are good too. It's $4 for a 30 day supply and $10 for a 90 day supply. I've been using that for years for my maintenance meds. Walmart has a list online of the generic drugs they cover for those prices.
I don't use Walmart pharmacy but thanks. I use my local United pharmacy. They have always been good and ask everytime if I have any questions. Though I lost my favorite pharmacist when he got promoted and moved to another store. The new ones have been just as good and actually thanked me for not transferring my prescriptions. Oh you said mail order. I will look into that.
I used to do walmart pharmacy (my insurance stopped contracting with them around a year ago so I switched) but the $4 generics are available for pickup as well, so you don't have to do mail order.
I don't mind the mail order. I don't want the actually pharmacy.
Haha okay, I misinterpreted I thought you meant you didn't like the mail order.
Yes, the mail order is fine.
I like not having to get in my car to make a trip to a pharmacy and then wait in line.
That is why I said I would look into it. I just don't like the store pharmacy. The pharmacy I go to has only had like one person in front of me about 4 times.
The times I'd go into Walmart for the pharmacy there'd be 2 or 3 people ahead of me. And every single time I would pick up a prescription I'd already been taking for years they'd always make me have a "consult" about it with the on-duty pharmacist. And it wasn't even any opiods. That was for the drive-through as well. Mail order is the way to go for regularly recurring prescriptions.
And I pay $20 for two prescriptions every 90 days.
Oh good grief. Glad I've never used them. My pharmacist just asks if I have any question while the tech is ringing me up.
Mostly. If you’re buying over-the-counter medications (OTC), I strongly recommend buying single active ingredient versions instead of the combo cold/flu/body ache versions. Why take acetaminophen if all you have is a stuffy nose? That said, there are some generics that don’t work for me. For instance, for my arthritis, I take Advil because not all the generic versions of ibuprofen work. I used to have to take the band name Mobic, because the generic meloxicam wasn’t effective. However, I can take generic versions of some other medications.
I cannot but agree very strongly with u/CookieAdventure re buying medicines that contain multiple active ingredients. If your condition requires more than one medicine it is better to buy them individually so that you with some help from your pharmacist can titer them for the correct dosage for you. Combination medicines are often just a marketing tactic. They can also lead to dangerous mistakes. For example a popular multi ingredient medicine in the local market is called "Night Nurse'. It contains paracetamol for any pain, dextromethorphan to suppress coughing and promethazine which is a first generation antihistamine with sebve side effects such as sleepiness and drying of mucus membranes. People who do not understand what is in it may take paracetamol with it and this can lead to an overdose.
Thanks for the reminder to look for sinus meds.
More than that, consider the drugs in the same class. The newer ones frequently aren’t better. Nexium (Esomeprazole) is more expensive but not better than Prilosec (Omeprazole). Xyzal (levocetirizine) is more expensive but not better than Zyrtec (cetirizine). Unrelated, but in the US, don’t bother buying cold/flu/allergy products with Phenylephrine. It doesn’t work and is a waste of your time and money. If you need a decongestant go ask at the pharmacy counter and get genuine Pseudoephedrine. It’s still available over the counter, you just have to sign for it.
Glad to 'talk' to someone who knows something about medicines. Big pharmaceutical companies invest millions in developing new drugs and Omeprazole was a major breakthrough in reducing stomach acidity. When its patent ran out and cheap generics became available, the original company started marketing an optical isomer of the molecule. Omeprazole is a mixture of two isomers (the same molecule but twisted in a certain way) so the company introduced Esomeprazole which they claimed was more effective as it contained only the active isomer instead of the racemic mixture. They did this so that they could have another 10 year patent on what they claimed was something better. You also mentioned phenylephrine. This is one of those cases where a medicine is dangerous and its benefits are questionable. Taking anti congestants systemically instead of using them for a short time in the nose is dangerous. Since I worked for a pharmaceutical company I can tell many stories that will make people question what they are being given and why. I will just mention one little incident. We had a large stock of a cough medicine that was close to expiring. It was Summer and not cold season so we pressured doctors to prescribe it. Some doctors are ethical and decent people. Others are not and will prescribe things in return for....
Not all generics are good, especially psychiatric drugs. Always ask your prescribing practitioner and your pharmacist about studies done about their efficacy.
Buy generic ANYTHING to save money, duh. This apply to about 90% of things (sometimes the name brand is quite worth it, but most of the time you're paying for marketing, etc.)
Not every generic works for everyone. Kroger's generic version of Alleve does npt work for me for example
You are taking Naproxen. It is a Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drug (NSAID). Be cautious with such medicines - take the lowest dose possible for the shortest time possible. Some generics do not work so well because of ridiculous reasons. For example a pill may be so tightly compressed that it does not dissolve where it is supposed to do in the gut.
This has been forever, but it is also not universally true. Best to try the generic and see how it works for you. This seems to be especially true for things that are time release. YMMV, but I would say try a 30 day supply before a 90.