Generic Drugs... are they as good?

This is really interesting Blu! I'm on antihistamines and it's the most expensive brand, I get them free because I can't work. A doctor changed them to different cheaper brands and they didn't work! I got him to put me back on the original ones.

Then another doctor tried to change my brand again to save the NHS money and I said no, another doctor already tried that!

Hi all, picked up some very interesting stuff re generics from a pharmacist on a couple of other threads, well worth a read:

https://patient.info/forums/discuss/generics-can-they-make-you-feel-this-bad--28893

Post by "sarah17507"

"Hi all

this is such an interesting problem. Here are a few views of a pharmacist, if it helps!

We pharmacists have a sort of standard answer when patients come back and say the cheap generic we've given them (because that's what's on their prescription) doesn't agree with them or doesn't work or gives them side effects.....we say all generic drugs have to be made to certain standards and must show 'bioequivalence' to the original product, I.e. Lustral brand in the case of sertraline, and we are unable to give you lustral due to costs, and we say this all in good faith, because in honesty, this is all true. BUT.....I for one, know that the reality is different to this, as we are all different! And all the generic copies are bound to be slightly different as other posters have said, the inactive ingredients DO contribute some activity, especially with regards to allergies to colourings.

So, I just wanted to say, I do have sympathy and wish I could give each patient exactly the brand they feel best on, but I cant! If the script says 'sertraline' I can give any brand and will be reimbursed for cheap sertraline, a set price. If the script says 'lustral' I can only give you lustral, and as such will be reimbursed the set price of this.....a lot more than generic. I have worked in loads of different pharmacies as I'm a locum, and can say that I advise you all to shop around, as different pharmacies vary in their ability to obtain your preferred generic make.....so always ask the pharmacist if it's something they can do.

your doctor will be under pressure to reduce their prescribing costs so it is unlikely they'll start prescribing you the brand of lustral, but I do know some patients seem to get lucky here, and seem to have persuaded their doctor to write lustral. Well done to them I say! Often, the hospital doctors will be used to writing the brand (effects of company drug reps are influential) so you start on lustral, then your GP takes over and of course you feel fobbed off with cheap drugs. I believe patients when they say a generic has caused their condition to worsen, but I can't do anything about it if you want the brand, only the prescriber can. But i can try and obtain a particular manufacturers generic for you.

another point is, some large pharmacy chains DO supply you with lustral even if your script says sertraline, as they have a deal with Pfizer as they buy in large quantities, so just to add even more confusion, some days you may well receive lustral when you weren't expecting it!

Ive had so many people specifically request Dr reddy brand of other drugs, eg., clopidogrel, saying it's the only one they feel works, and funnily enough, also loads of ppl saying 'never give me Dr reddys brand'......so what does this tell us!? We have so much choice in this country and our wonderful NHS gives us so much for free, we are very spoilt if we can choose the brand of our tablets. I believe Dr reddys are made in India though, and I can only imagine their GMP (good manufacturing practice) is shall we say different to the uk!

always bear in mind your condition can change, and it's very hard to prove causation, as it could always be coincidence, so don't always blame the generic drug, but that said, I do believe problems can be caused by generics and your doctor should listen to your concerns. Fakes and counterfeit drugs are a separate issue though, generics aren't fakes. They're legal and genuine and tested. Always report adverse effects via yellow card system.

sorry to have rambled on! Good luck all."

Also Sarah states in this link to a post of mine:

https://patient.info/forums/discuss/lustral-v-generic-sertraline--335591

No problem at all! Any time.

you make an interesting point about bioequivalence too, things will never be exactly the same, but they have to prove in tests that the generic reaches a certain standard in terms of drug release and peak concentrations etc etc (this stuff used to bore me a bit)...

It's also interesting to note that some medicines like anticonvulsants for epilepsy, lithium salts for bipolar, and diltiazem for the heart, must be prescribed and dispensed strictly by brand name so the patient gets the same one each time, as it is deemed important that bioequivalence is maintained for adequate control of these conditions. Why just these conditions, I say?!

I understand why these are important conditions to control, but most patients would say their condition is also important to keep on top of! To me, it is an admission that generic copies of the original branded medicine are not quite perfect. Who knows!

Of course not mentioning any names, I knew of a GP near a pharmacy I used to work at, that made sure HE was prescribed Lipitor, not generic atorvastatin for HIS cholesterol.....surprising? I think not 😜

All his patients were on generic simvastatin, the cheapest one you can get.

one rule for one...

I did also read about psychiatrists who were worried about their patients condition worsening after the Seroquel XL patent expired and they all started receiving generic quetiapine, with apparent lack of efficacy. So it is an issue (some) doctors are aware of.

All the best"

My mom was on a canadian thyroid drug, and the canadians sold it to the germans. They kept the name of the drug, and the labes and the active ingredient but yet managed to make it horrible for most people. And all that even without telling people something has changed!

Kelp, that's what I use for my Thyroid.

Hi , yes they are just as good ,you have popular brands of  tablets nuroffen annadin etc. supermarket ones are just the same read the packet for the active ingredients .You pay more for the name.The nhs has cheaper versions of drugs ,they may give a cheaper one if  the paitent had terminal illness but would still be effective.They should not do this just to save money for non terminal paitents.