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Genetic brand compared to non genetic brand tablets?

Posted , 7 users are following.

dea13
dea13

Hi All, 

I'm on 40mg of Pred a day have been for near 1 month, having blood done next week to see how it all is. PMT AND GCA , starte don 20 but put me up for a month.

My problem at the moment is I take 1 x 25mg tablet plus 3x 5mg tablets to make up the 40mg.

On Saturday I had run out of the 5mg so got more, took them. I woke on Sunday around 4am by strong pain in my knees and legs. Later in the morning I took my Preds again, same thing happen Sunday morning, strong pain, and again Monday and Tuesday. But today has also started in my arm again a little and temple headache sore scalp. My knees and legs had not been a problem before. So I look at my tablets, and found that the knew ones 5mg were different. They said PREDNISOLONE 5MG , each tablet contains PREDNISOLONE 5MG ..... ) NOT PREDNISONE)

My others and the 25mg say : PREDNISONE 25mg and 5mg ....

each tablet contains PREDNISONE 5MG AND 25mg .....

My pain is so bad I am wondering if I am having a flare up? or if it has something to do with the change of tablets as it started then. I hope to see my Dr tomorrow in case these tablets are not working for me with the Pred 25mg ones... I don't normally winge about pain, but the last 3 days I have had chronic pain and done nothing but lay in bed because of it. My mind is clear, not feeling down....

Just a thought about different brands of tablets and Genetic brands.

Thanks Dea 

0 likes, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • dea13
    dea13

    Posted

    SORRY ALL I MEANT PMR AND GCA smile

  • adette01750
    adette01750 dea13

    Posted

    I think you may have the wrong drugs take them back to the pharmacy, they will soon give you the answer.
    • dea13
      dea13 adette01750

      Posted

      I phoned the Pharmacy and they told me they were the same: But I don't think so either. I will see my Dr tomorrow :   Cheers Dea

  • EileenH
    EileenH dea13

    Posted

    They are basically the same - but if the pharmacy said they were the same, they don't know their pharmacology! 

    Prednisone has to be processed by the liver to become prednisolone, which is the active substance. It SHOULDN'T make any difference, in fact some people would say the prednisolone is better as the liver doesn't have to process it so it can work more quickly and sometimes effectively if someone has liver problems of any sort. The doses are near enough equivalent.

    However, different manufacturers use different fillers in their tablets and some people find they pose a problem. I had a similar problem years ago with enteric coated prednisolone - 5mg red pills, 2.5mg brown pills. They came in blister packs and were always from the same company. I'd been fine. Then I got a new batch - no longer in blister packs, dispensed loose in a bottle. I started taking the 5mg red ones - and promptly had a flare. I tried the same dose using old 2.5mg tablets (so needed twice as many tablets) - and was fine. Returned to the new 5mg ones - and flared. I tried the new 2.5mg pills - also fine. I called the pharmacist (no mean feat, he was in the UK, I was in Italy!) and he said there was no reason for it and no-one else had had a problem. I was then switched to methyl prednisolone as that is what is used here - supposedly more anti-inflammatory than either version of pred. It caused me nothing but trouble and it didn't work, even 20mg/day taken at night left me almost immobile until after lunch! A switch again to prednisone and I've been fine - 15mg immediately gave a better result and I reduced to below 10mg very quickly for me.

    Different people respond differently not only to different sorts of corticosteroid but also to those from different manufacturers. And the proof of the pudding - or the pill - is in the eating! If they aren't working, ask to try some of what you were using before. Collect the evidence. And if the one particular version works better - get your doctor to write the specific brand on the prescription and make sure the pharmacy sticks to it.

    • dea13
      dea13 EileenH

      Posted

      Thanks, again great information> I will make sure I do stick to the other one I was taking, I had 4 bad days on this one, but today seems better . I also had a bad cold and thought maybe the aches and pains were that, but we all know what a flare feels like with PMR AND GCA  smile  Cheers Dea

    • EileenH
      EileenH dea13

      Posted

      It could have been the cold - having an infection can often apparently cause a flare, or if not a proper flare, bring back the pain and stiffness. And if you have a cold, even activities that you can manage normally without payback can suddenly been enough to leave you feeling awful afterwards.
    • EileenH
      EileenH

      Posted

      PS, if you speak to the pharmacist - it is geneRic, not genetic, although I do appreciate that r and t are next to each other on the keyboard!
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