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Lustral v Generic (Sertraline)

Posted , 11 users are following.

Blu02
Blu02

Was reading that Lustral costs £35 per box as opposed to the generic equivalent being £8 per box. Big difference in price, does anybody know if there's a difference with the product, ie; more pure, less side effects, works better?

1 like, 36 replies

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  • jen48611
    jen48611 Blu02

    Posted

    Hi Anxious,

    Are you in the U.S.? I've never had to think about the cost of medication, such a shame to have to consider that on top of everything else...

    I was a nurse and can tell you that when we would give out meds from the drug trolley, they were never the same brand twice. The hospital would purchase whichever was cheapest at the time. Generic is no different to branded medications. Here in the UK, drug licensing laws are so strict that you couldn't sell an inferior product and call it Sertraline. I'd only ever doubt a product if I had to buy it off the internet. Go for the generic every time! All the best. X

    • Blu02
      Blu02 jen48611

      Posted

      Hi again Jen, just reading your post again and realise you're also in the UK!! Sorry
    • Pinky_Book
      Pinky_Book jen48611

      Posted

      Hi Jen, sorry but I have to disagree with you in the strongest way possible.  I speak from experience, believe me.  Many many people have suffered greatly from certain, not all, generic versions of Sertraline - I only know about Sertraline, I cannot speak for other medication.  Please take a read of this discussion https://patient.info/forums/discuss/generics-can-they-make-you-feel-this-bad--28893

      IT's really not as simple and straighforward as you think, believe me.

  • jen48611
    jen48611 Blu02

    Posted

    Just noticed you're using £.  I guess you're in the UK after all...
    • Blu02
      Blu02 jen48611

      Posted

      Hi Jen, didn't mean to mislead you. Here in the UK we don't need to worry about the price as it all comes under one prescription charge and is free for older ones.

      My concern was that because of price, like in the US, the NHS may well go for the cheapest brand they can find which may not be as good as the non generic, but you appear to have answered that question!

      There's another topic on the forum - Generics, can they make you feel this bad - (https://patient.info/forums/discuss/generics-can-they-make-you-feel-this-bad--28893) that seems to suggest different!

  • margot84030
    margot84030 Blu02

    Posted

    I am living in US and from US and the meds here are very expensive until one meets their deductibles on our insurance. That is what prevents me from buying the newer anti anxiety drugs. I would stick with an older drug that has been around for a while.and for us the costs are cheaper because of the generic brands on this drug.Prozac still works and the side effects are not as bad as the newer ones. For now I am taking xanax just for my anxiety, but need to go back on an anti depressant. It is so hard to come off the antidepressants once you are one, which I had been for 8 years. Do the benefits outweight the risks, I think so on being on them.
  • Guest
    Guest Blu02

    Posted

    Hiya.....I have had bad experiences re the generic,again,we are all different.I insisted on the brand Lustral.
    • Blu02
      Blu02 Guest

      Posted

      Hi Sally, sorry to hear you had problems.... it seems possible all generic brands are NOT the same and can cause problems!
  • margot84030
    margot84030 Blu02

    Posted

    I had been on the generic Lexapro for a long while and it worked well for me. I didnt notice a difference once the generic brand was available and cheaper. My doctor here in the US told me to try Brintellex. I dont know if you have it there, but supposedly the doctors and nurses at the psychiatric ward where she works some times are raving about how great it is for depression and anxiety. I did try it, but for me, it made my stomach feel terrible which is one of the side affects. I stopped using it and now am going to try something else. I have been off my meds for two months now and I am go up and down emotionally and am more anxious then ever. That is a side affect too of going off ones antidepressants. Brintellex because it is a new drug was too expensive for me anyway. She had given me samples to try. Good luck to you in going on this drug or being able to afford it  if you can. But if you can try a generic drug first and see how it works for you, do so. Everyone is different in how their bodies and brains react to a generic drug.
  • natalie2608
    natalie2608 Blu02

    Posted

    He I have been on lustral for 7 weeks now one week on 75mg. Still not brilliant but much better than I was. For the first 2 boxes the pharmacist gave me lustral and I knew no different. On the 3rd occasion they tried to give me generic Sertraline but as I have health anxiety I refused. They also told me about the cost implication. I went to the doctor and she said she wanted me to stay on the tablets so gave me a closed prescription for Pfizer lustral as that means the pharmacist has to give you those even if they have to order them in. I have heard that the 2 brands can make a difference. However if I had been prescribed generic in he first instance I would never have been the wiser so If lustral is so expensive why give It out in the first place. I am not sure why they is such a price difference????
    • PharmaSara
      PharmaSara natalie2608

      Posted

      Hi Natalie

      There should be no difference in effect between generic sertraline and Pfizer brand of Lustral. You would've been prescribed generic sertraline and the pharmacy can either give you generic (cheap) or brand (relatively pricey) against that prescription. It's up to them. Some pharmacies will give the brand even though they don't have to, because they have bought it in bulk so have got a discount on it - these will be the multiple pharmacies like Lloyds and boots etc, as they have buying power. If then their arrangement to supply the brand comes to an end, the next time you get cheap generic, as its not profitable to give you the brand, it's confusing to patients as what u get keeps changing! Nb: The price of Lustral is higher to allow Pfizer to recover the costs of developing their drug - they owned the patent. When the patent expires anyone can make the drug and they make it a lot cheaper, saving the nhs money! Doctors are told to only prescribe by generic name to cut costs obviously. I'm surprised u gor your gp to prescribe the brand, you're lucky there! I hope I've explained it ok - I'm a pharmacist and am always finding ppl asking about this as they're fed up with their tablets looking different each month, and they're suspicious of cheap looking generics! Hope you get on ok with the Lustral smile

  • PharmaSara
    PharmaSara Blu02

    Posted

    They will be the same drug, same strength, same side effects. It's like Kelloggs cornflakes and Tesco own make cornflakes. The box might look nicer and there will be small differences in product appearance but it's the same essentially! Using generics saves the nhs an awful lot of money. You can safely switch between different 'generic brands' of the same drug each prescription you have, for most drugs (there are only a few drugs where it is important for safety and efficacy that you stick to the same make).
    • natalie2608
      natalie2608 PharmaSara

      Posted

      Hi Sarah that all makes sense but I think with the health anxiety and not wanting to be on tablets anyway I was really worried about it and I think that's why doctor has said she will prescrine specifically lustral.  Especially as I said I was getting so fed up eith feeling rubbish I was thinking of coming off them x
    • PharmaSara
      PharmaSara Blu02

      Posted

      Hi blu02 

      sorry for the late reply. This is so interesting. I've posted a very long reply in the generics forum you directed me to. I don't have the answer to this, but hopefully patients will speak up a bit to their doctor if they suffer on generics. My problem is, I can see it from both sides, but do sympathise with those whose condition worsens on cheap generics, and we shouldn't have to put up with that when things were improving before! At the same time, the NHS can't afford for everyone to have the brand for years while there is an equivalent generic available. That would be irresponsible use of resources. However, if we all got 'more ill' on generics, it's bad economics anyway isn't it!! Take care

    • Blu02
      Blu02 PharmaSara

      Posted

      Hi Sarah, thanks for your reply. I've read your other post with great interest and I hope you don't mind but for others this is your post and link to it, reply No 32:

      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."

    • PharmaSara
      PharmaSara Blu02

      Posted

      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

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