Does the brand matter??

Hi Dreamer,

Actually I must agree. This months prescription have come in a pack of 2 x 15 rather than 3 x 10 and they are very brightly coloured tablets. The packet is pink but i cannot remember the brand name as I'm at work.

I feel like I'm 'normal' now and perhaps could come of these (I've starting week 11) but I know that i need to be on these at least 6 months.

Anyway, I digress.... I don't feel them as much having an effect as I did with the other type, however that could be because week 11 - they could be in my system now.

I have been calm, still off the drink as a glass of Rosé took 4 hours to drink on Sunday night and I didn't really enjoy it :-(

However yesterday I made an outburst with the whole family in the car, calling an oncoming driver who wasn't patient enough while I reverse parked into a space 'Stupid Bitch'. I felt the anger flare up inside and it was just because she looked at me as if I was stupid...I just erupted! Crazy. At least I just shouted though as previously, I'd be more likely to get out the car and give her a mouthful face to face. I'm not violent, just got a big gob!!

Still feeling knackered, I'm needing at least 10 hours kip per night and still looking forward to one where I don't wake up at least 4 times for no apparent reason.

So, I'll look out for difference in manufacturers and you've made a good valid point there Dreamer.

I was actually thinking about this yesterday :shock:

Manufacturers must make their pills differently (with the same chemicals), and therefore you might get different effects?

Not 100% on this, hope someone can enlighten us here

From what I've read about previous medication certian things can vary like time release ingredients and stuff so maybe some give you it all in one blast but others release it steadily through the day?

I also remember watching a program a while ago about counterfeit goods coming from China and how even conterfeit medicines are making it on to UK shelves with even experts struggling to tell nthe difference so may be worth trying to source were your meds are from. The one I'm on now is from India.

Hey Ang, it's rotten that your not feeling as good, I must admit that since my initial period of reading every thread on this forum I haven't really been reading much now but the last time I did you and others were sounding great. May I suggest that you maybe speak to your doctor about the medication I was originally trying to get on but was told it wasn't licensed for just feeling tired. It is licensed for use in depression just I wasn't diagnosed as depressed at the time.

The drug is modafinil and works by shutting off the part of the brain that makes you want to sleep but unlike amphetamine it doesn't have the same stimulant properties and doesn't affect other parts of the brain.

I also read a report where someone brought up a debate in one of the houses (think it was lords) that modafinil should be sold over the counter as it doesn't have any known side effects and it helps improve concentration etc. It's also supplied by the MOD to the armed forces on active duty.

I feel this may be worth your while asking about there is loads of stuff on the net you can read about it. I've also checked and it is ok to be taken with fluoxetine, in fact, one study found that it reduced the time taken for fluoxetine to take effect.

Hope this might help.

Patient UK has a leaflet on Modafinil - see https://patient.info/showdoc/30002080/

Thanks for that hilary

Hi,

I have also wondered the same thing. I mean in terms of the actual 'fluoxetine' they should all contain the same amount right? E.g. the 20mg pills will have same amount of the actual working drug in no matter what type...what differs is the extra 'buffers' they add in.

At least, thats what i understand. Im no pharmacist but i gather that this is true. So in effect, it could be the extra stuff different companies add in which in turn gives everyone different experiences...i guess like they say its kind of a trial and error process of finding the right one for you.

Im on month 3 of my tablets, each month they have come in 3x10 packets but in month 2 they were diferent brand to month 1 and now im back to same ones as month 1...

The main thing that also bothered me during month 2 was that instead of being all green capsules these ones were half green and half yellow!

Now, im taking them for depression (although i think i suffer mildly from OCD symptoms) and the one thing that drove me mad was that the colours didnt all line up! in the packet!

I can't imagine how frustrating that must be for someone with OCD who is taking these tablets?!

One of my other friends said... 'If you're that bothered pop them all out and put in a pot or something!' but the one thing i appreciate about keeping them in the pack is knowing how many days of the pack ive taken...its like a record and i also tend to remember easier if i know im on an 'odd or even' day in case i get confused as to if ive taken it or not!!

Sounds odd to you perhaps?! but we're all different i guess !

Thanks for listening, feel like i rant so much on here, but it does really help!

xx

SJT your post brightened my morning! I am probably borderline OCD, although I prefer to say I'm very tidy and have got a 'tidy' mind. I have no feelings of depression or anxiety so am not bothered about it.

I know exactly where you are coming from and those who aren't tidy have no understanding of why something like colours of tablets lining up should matter do they?

I think your posting is more of a view than a rant. Why should it be 'better' to be untidy than tidy? We are all different. Why not just be aware of our own idiosyncracies and try to manage them, ie realise when tidiness is becoming an obsession and try to lighten up? I think the fact that you can see the funny side of your being bothered about the colours shows you're basically pretty sound.

So thanks for giving me a posting to smile about and relate to.

You're very welcome, glad i could make you smile... heres another tip

(baring in mind i started a brand new job last week so am still getting used to it all)

When you jump on a bus (whilst on the fone) double check which service you're on or you might not get to where you want to go!!!

thats exactly what i did yesterday afternoon! Ooopsy!!

I couldnt stop laughing at myself, but it was a good job i know the areas pretty well so could get off and walk home quite easy from another stop!

Hi everyone,

Just to update on this thread.. Im two days in to my 4th pack of fluo and again, the tablets have changed.

They are again the same as month two(...with the annoying green and yellow caplets which arent all in order!!) and i believe they are made my Neolab Ltd.

Although this could just be an off day (it certainly is), Im struggling again with slight fuzziness in my head, have an awful headache which hasnt gone away despite taking paracetamol and I had lunch a short while ago and am now experiencing some unpleasant stomach cramps.

Like i say, i dont know if this is due to the change again in the brand of the fluoxetine..but i certainly wasn't as rough as this last month and do remember in second month being similar. Am wondering whether to give my GP a call to find out if this is possible.

HAs anyone else noticed similar problems with this? I can't remember the other (all green) brand of fluo i have taken.

This is not good though when im still getting to grips with new job and unsettling symptoms are happening! grr...!

Cheers all,

SJT x

SJT - all my Fluoxetine tabs have been by NeoLabs, do you know the brand of the others you had?

Hi Ghostfreak,

Im not 100% sure (i have details at home but im currently at work).

However i do remember the name 'Tillomed' appearing somewhere...perhaps this is the other one i have had before.

How are you gettting on with the Neolabs?

SJ

Me again!

have checked from my old info sheet and the two different brands i have been taking are 'Neolabs' and 'Tillomed'.

The Tillomed (all green caplets) certainly do have less 'inactive' ingredients compared with the Neolabs... perhaps as i mentioned before it is simply one of these 'buffer/inactive' ingredients which causes me to experience different and worse side effects.

I still have a dull ache in my head that kind of got better but was just really more heavy than painful if that makes sense!?

Also, just as an interesting side point...i noticed a number of artificial colourings on the list e.g. E104,E106,E110 etc which i presume is used to colour the outer casing.... However, in recent news i have learnt that if or when new EU laws come into place food manufacturers will no longer be allowed to use such artificial colourings.

Does anyone know if this will also relate to medicines...of all types?! I remember some awfully bright 'banana' or 'strawberry'type flavoured medicines from when i was younger. Surely these, along with my annoyingly coloured Green and Yellow doctor-sweeties/happy pills (as i refer to them) will be no more!!

I wonder what colour they might become... food (or tablets) for thought if you will!!

Im in an odd mood despite headache and having had utterly rubbish day at work.

Thanks for reading (if you had patience to that is!)

SJ x

You may like to have a quick read of our Generic vs Brand Names for Medicines - https://patient.info/showdoc/23069074

Patient Admin Team

Hi all, just wanted to post a little update on this. Roughly 3 weeks ago I moved on to my second pack of flu and although things seemed fine at first, I have now come right down to the point were I had to call the doctor today to ask if I should come off and he told me to go to the surgery to be seen. He told me that it's unlikely to be the meds and more likely to be the depression with, perhaps, anxiety kicking in. I asked if it could be the change in brand but he said not to this extent and said that he may increase my dose when I go back.

I'm going back next week for my new prescription and am not giong to hand it in untill I find the brand I was on in the first month. I guess then I should know for sure one way or the other.