Sertraline brand change
Posted , 61 users are following.
I had been taking sertraline made by a company called aurobindo for a few months and I was doing great. Last week when I went to pick up my medication I was given a different brand made by a company called ranbaxy. I thought nothing of it and carried on with my day. I began taking the ranbaxy brand on the 28th of April 2018 and things have slowly been going downhill from there. I've been experiencing insomnia, low mood, irritability, I can't concentrate and I just want to be alone. Yesterday I called the pharmacist and asked whether they could retrieve the old brand for me. They told me that their supplier has stopped supplying them with aurobindo and that there's nothing they can do. I've called some other pharmacists and they're telling me the same thing. I appreciate that the cause of this brand being not dispensed anymore is likely due to a cost saving excersise by the pharmacy but these side effects are undesirable. I really hope they go away with time. I've had such a good experience with sertraline in the past and I hope with time things will get better. I am going to continue taking the ranbaxy brand of sertraline and report back. Has anyone reading this experienced side effects when changing brands of sertraline before?
4 likes, 98 replies
andy33926 max42697
Posted
Kellyann122 max42697
Posted
I had been taking 'Bluefish' but the pharmacy switched me to 'Accord' now which is making me feel very lifeless and a bit sleepy.
Did anyone else find Bluefish better?
GreatOutdoors max42697
Posted
Really interesting thread. I'm now in exactly the same boat - have always done fine with Aurobindo, panicked when I was recently given Milpharm until I realised they were actually Aurobindo's new brand name. Was fine on that, but this week I was given Ranbaxy. A quick google search revealed that this brand - a cheap Indian generic suggested to be part of an NHS cost saving exercise - recently went bust so I'm assuming it was stockpiled and now being used up. Having read people's bad experiences with Ranbaxy, I went to my pharmacist and asked to swap it for Milpharm - he said they dont stock it anymore and have no say on what brand they get given. I didnt realise you could ring different local pharmacies - Asda, Sainsbury's, Rowlands, independents etc - and ask what brands they stock. Just about to start a mammoth mission to track down a Milpharm - it's got to be out there somewhere!
ross23132 GreatOutdoors
Posted
been ringing all day trying to find aurobindo, just found out milpharm are the same? so hopefully can get some on monday
rajgoud max42697
Edited
all bodies react to it differently but I am sure it is just temporary and you will start to function soon, sorry I could not have been of more help! Hope you get well soon
forfor more details visit
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CandisVDH max42697
Edited
Ive got the exact same issue at the moment. I have been on the Ranbaxy brand of Setraline 50mg for nearly 12 months and my pharmacy can no longer get this brand. Does anyone have any experience of taking Lustral as this is the new brand they've prescribed me.
GreatOutdoors CandisVDH
Edited
Wow, lucky break! Lustral, as i have discovered, is the gold standard of sertraline, made by pfiezer who originally held the patent on sertraline. Apparently its rarely prescribed because it costs £35 a packet compared to £8 for Ranbazy. Lots of threads rave about it but we are all different and adapt to different brands in various ways.
CandisVDH GreatOutdoors
Posted
oh wow really? i have now been taking it for 2 weeks and in all honesty, havent felt too bad considering i was reluctant to change. only majour thing i have noticed is vivid dreams and disturbed nights sleep but im hoping that will improve with time. thanks for your response.
SerotoninSurfer max42697
Edited
Hi Max,
I've been taking 200mg Aubindo for several months and been feeling pretty good like things were starting to improve. My pharmacist switched brands to Ranbaxy and after 2 days of taking this brand i started to feel cold, anxious, reduced mood etc. Looking back now i remember having a similar episode when switching brands previously. I checked in my drawer and again, Ranbaxy was the culprit and i stopped taking them. I have a few weeks left of Aubindo so will switch back but will have to the same old argument with GP's and Pharmacists that insist that all brands have the same active ingredient so can't produce different effects. I think there is enough proof on these forums to prove otherwise. Feeling so bad i've had to take a Diazepam which i haven't taken for months.
I wish there was an indepth study on generic brands and efficacy as i think the results would surprise a lot of professionals.
Hope you are feeling better now.
max42697 SerotoninSurfer
Edited
Hi SerotoninSurfer,
Cool name! It's been a while since I've posted. I hope you're feeling well. Eventually the Ranbaxy side effects subsided and I began to feel better after about a week, but each time I visit the pharmacy I'm given a different brand (Have been given Ranbaxy today, last month was completely different again) . Just like you, I've been to the GP and Pharmacy about this brand changing issue. I've been told by both that there is nothing they can do, brands are decided by an advisory board in the UK (Can't remember the name), where cost plays a huge factor in what is supplied and what is not.
You're right, it's clear that there have been zero in depth studies between generic brands. I'm currently building up an excel sheet of the different brands I've been given and their respective ingredients. Interestingly enough, I've found that aurobindo brand and crescent brand both have the exact same ingredients. As an experiment I switched from aurobindo to crescent approximately 2 months ago and experienced zero side effects which is not a surprise. If yourself or anyone who is reading this would be interested, I can share this excel sheet and we can build up a repository of sertraline brands cross referenced with eachother via their ingredients. It's helpful because there are some brands with the same ingredients which would result in minimal side effects when switching between the two.
Cheers,
Max
SerotoninSurfer max42697
Posted
Hi Max, great idea about a reposititory. I would love to see your spreadsheet. I will message you my email in private message.
Thanks again
CandisVDH max42697
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thats a great idea. i would be happy to add to the spreadsheet.
ian42867 max42697
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Yeah, I'd be interested in this as well. Even some doctors tell me that it shouldn't make any difference but it clearly does.
rebecca73752 max42697
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OMG Honestly thank you enough,
I Thought i was going mad, ive only started taken sertraline end of feb,
and finally started to level out but after my 2nd packet my sertraline changed i started taking the new packet last week (3rd packet ) and i cant tell you, i feel like im going back wards its awful, am i over thinking this or is there defintalty some truth in it ???
I tried telling my Dr and she found it hard to believe.
need some reasurance will i start to level out again do i have to go through another 7-8 weeks before i start feeling better ???
CandisVDH ian42867
Posted
It 100% think it does. I asked the pharmacist and she said the actual tablet wont have any different ingredients but the coating could. Not sure how a coating can have such an effect but something does!!!
melanie28084 max42697
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id be interested in the spreadsheet please ive tried a few brands!!
helen92763 rebecca73752
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Hey Rebecca so good to read this. How are you getting on? Ive been on accord for a few months and been feeling really well after the initial horrible side effects and just changed to Lustral these past 4 days! Feel like i've gone backwards, feel terrible. Tired, Nausea, cant sleep and sweats. So frustrating after feeling so well. Any advice appreciated
charlotte23704 max42697
Posted
Hi Max / everyone
I'm so glad I found this thread. I started on sertraline at the beginning of March and didn't notice a difference in mood initially but had much better sleep after years of struggling and no anxiety every morning. My mood eventually started to lift after 4-5 weeks, however the last prescription was a different box. I thought nothing of it but have noticed the last couple of weeks feeling down again, and haven't slept the last 3 nights, morning anxiety back again and generally being irritable with my partner.
If you could share your spreadsheet that would be fab, I'd be happy to contribute once I've checked the brands.
Many thanks!