melissaw72 Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 Was wondering if anyone finds that the different generics from separate companies affect you differently. A friend of mine's DR ruled out slowly that the generic of this one med had to be made from this particular Company; she was allergic to the other 2. She didn't get the name brand because the specific generic worked. Anyone have this problem? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kittyloaf Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 Generics have always been the same as name brand for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smurf2050 Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 (edited) Makes sense that different generics could use different "inactive ingredients," which could cause different allergies. But no, to answer your question, I've never noticed any difference between different generics. Edited April 20, 2012 by smurf2050 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tryp Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 I've definitely noticed a difference between brand and generic - I get all my psych meds brand now. It doesn't surprise me that some people notice a difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt07 Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 I've only noticed a difference with regard to Lamictal. I haven't noticed a difference with my other meds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g8orgirl Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 I've definitely noticed a difference between name brand and generic, but strangely enough only when it comes to anti-depressants. I was on Prozac for a long time and then one time the pharmacy gave me generic Prozac. After only about 4 days of taking the generic I became very psychotic and had to come off it. I almost wound up in the hospital. I haven't been on any anti depressants in several years. With anti-psychotics I don't have a problem with the generic. I am on generic Risperdal and it works fine. I've heard Seroquel is going generic soon and I'm willing to try that as it will be much cheaper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
item0 Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 I'm not 100% sure, but i think its mainly the inactive ingredients that make up the difference between name brand and generic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tryp Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 I'm not 100% sure, but i think its mainly the inactive ingredients that make up the difference between name brand and generic. It is partially the inactive ingredients, but there are also issues of dosing and release. The dose in the generic does not have to be exactly the same as what it is in brand - the bioavailability can be different by up to +/- 20% and still be called "equivalent". If a 100 mg tablet of brand drug dumps 100 mg in your blood, the generic could be giving you anywhere from 80 mg to 120 mg and still be acceptable. Furthermore, there can be differences in the speed of release or other issues related to how the drug gets into your blood. Because of these factors, although the actual molecule is the same, there can be significant differences in drug delivery. Some people are more sensitive to it than others, but the difference can be quite significant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaw72 Posted April 20, 2012 Author Share Posted April 20, 2012 I didn't realize about the 'equivalent' and bioavailability of it. Yes, definitely if you are on a dose of 100 mg, 80-120 mg other than 100 mg is not acceptable. Thank you for the info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tryp Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 That said, any given generic could be quite close to the value of the brand, and many people do find that the generic works just the same. Also, there are some drugs that are more notorious for having problems with the generic - Wellbutrin and Lamictal come to mind. SSRIs are not generally an issue for people from what I've heard. It all balances down to how much it's worth to you to be certain that you are on the exact same pill that you were on before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odetta Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 I noticed problems with lamictal. Not between brand and generic, but between generics from two different companies. One three month period was quite unstable for me. When I got the next 90 day supply, I noticed it was made by a different manufacturer than the previous one. I had no problems with the second supply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notfred Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 (edited) Most of my psyco meds are brand, though I do take a number of generics for other chronic conditions I have. My pcoc is a big proponent of brand meds. His concerns are 1) The potency can vary more than the brand 2) Mostly you can't control what manufacture you will get so the inert ingredients change, with the potency, quite often. 3) Once generics are approved there is little oversight into quality control. I found a big difference between brand and generic when I was switched to generic Wellbrutin. I quickly became depressed on the generic, it remitted on the brand. In terms of lamotrigine vs Lamictal, I would prefer to get as much Lamictal as possible from a pill and I want very steady and consistent levels. I take it for seizures and I take several meds that increase the chances of having a seizure so I don'tat want to mess with Lamictal. Edited April 21, 2012 by notfred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gringatica Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 I began to come back from the depths of depression hell with brand name prozac. Then I found I could get it as part of the social med system here in costa rica. Got the fluoxetina a lab here in costa rica makes it "Raven" Labs. Have been doing this generic for a couple weeks and it is a progressive downward slide and I am not doing well. I really wanted it to work due to the cheap almost free cost. I am bummed it isn't working. I can't believe it isn't working. Why not? I roo am back to not leaving the house, not leaving my room often. Guess I will pay the piper and get the full priced at the farmacia in town. shit. I also am trying estradiol patches and the hormone connection to my depression is very real. I do believe it is helping. But I'm ready to bust open a capsule and see if there is even anything in that effing generic pill. It may be a placebo and that is not cool. Govt. doesn't give a crap if they are providing this shit that doesn't work to depressed people. Now I have to start over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bipolar_Flower Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 The only nongeneric I have ever taken is Abilify and it doesn't even have one yet. My generics are working great for me. So why mess with a good thing lol. But I have read about people who don't seem to be as affected by them as the brands. So maybe they have a few different active or inactive ingredients or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notfred Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 So maybe they have a few different active or inactive ingredients or something. If they did not have the same active ingredients they would not be the same med. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bipolar_Flower Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 (edited) So maybe they have a few different active or inactive ingredients or something. If they did not have the same active ingredients they would not be the same med. Oh that's how it works okay. Well... idk then. lol Edit: I am just now realizing how obvious that was xD Edited April 12, 2013 by Bipolar_Flower Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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