March 26, 2007 - 1:18pm
| I recently moved to a different area and was given a different generic for temazepam. I was taking Mylan which worked just fine. This brand is called Geneva and doesn't do one thing. There is no bitter taste when I opened the capsule whereas the mylan powder did have a bitter taste to the powder. My specialist is insistant that I sleep well and this brand sure doesn't do the trick! Anyone had a similar experience with all the generics out there? It happened to me with gabapentin also. |
March 26, 2007 - 3:51pm
#2
WELL, I SURE HOPE....
Well, I sure hope nobody attacks you PHISHER as your post seemed to cover everything... from the fact that people are dif and may claim dif experiences using dif generics...to the fact that they are letting psychological power effect them if they claim they feel nothing as (per your post) the same active ingredients are in there. So in my opinion, you pretty much covered the bases...even though we can start the count down 'til the next post about "ARE GENERICS THE SAME...?"
March 27, 2007 - 6:22am
#3
if i had to answer the
if i had to answer the question "are generics the same" in one word, i guess i would have to say "no". if i had to answer are they close enough, i would probably say "yes".
i really dont want anyone to think that i am trying to say that it (the difference in brand) is all in ones head, because that isnt what i think. i guess what i am/was trying to convey is that while they can slightly differ in some respects, the mental expectations can cause a large variable in the way that one might feel about the drug. that is, if someone goes into it expecting it is going to not be as effective for sleep/pain/anxiety then the pyschological effect can make a small or moderate difference seem like a huge difference.
i myself have percieved differences in some brands, so i dont want to come across the wrong way. i just dont want to lead someone into the expectations that something wont work for them.
i hope this makes sense, but i have a feeling that it doesnt.
all thoughts and opinions expressed are those of my own and should not be mistaken for medical advice. i am not a doctor nor a pharmacist. all medical questions should be answered by a licensed pharmacist, doctor, or primary care manager.
March 27, 2007 - 9:08am
#4
NO, THAT MAKES SENSE...
That is what I meant as well, that once a patient feels the med is any less powerful, they start to add that to the fact that it is a dif brand and the mind takes off with that info... I didn't mean to infer you were saying they were crazy- The mind is very powerful (as has been shown with placebo's) so I think you have covered it.
if you have pain med and it is switched to generic, it is wrong to think it is "doing nothing" yet, it is possible that this generic is slightly less effective or quick to act than the brand.
Bottom line, the active ingredients are present, so there must be pain relief at work here.
It is probably similar to people's prevalence in liquors and how dif ones work differently on dif people.
We could beat this to death, ...I think your post covers it- letting them know there can be slight variances, but that basically they are still receiving the medicine.
March 27, 2007 - 9:24am
#5
Just to try to spin this
Just to try to spin this topic a little bit, and to approach it from a different point of view, consider the following:
Someone is prescribed (let's go for one we hardly ever talk about) Vicodin, and gets the substituted generic made by Watson. This patient, who has never been on this med before, starts to get a rash and just generally feel worse than before taking the medicine. The patient assumes that they are allergic to all generics of hydrocodone products. However, a year or so goes by, and the same patient is prescribed the same drug, hydrocodone 5/500. This time, it is filled with Mallinckrodt's generic version of the drug. The patient vaguely remembers that this drug caused a side effect in the past, but can not remember what it was. After taking the Mallinckrodt version of the drug, the patient has no noticeable side effects. So, is it possible that a person who thinks they are allergic to a certain drug, such as hydrocodone where the allergic potential is relatively low, is actually allergic to the fillers used in one companies generic and not the active ingredients themselves??
Just something to think about. I'm just trying to breathe some fresh air into a dead horse.
Gtrplayer
March 27, 2007 - 10:31am
#6
yes, that certainly is
yes, that certainly is possible. i have seen a case of a close family member where they were allergic to one of the inactive ingredients in claratin (i think it was the dye they use to make the pill pink). so, w/ that being said, while it is somewhat uncommon it is still w/in the realm of possibility that someone could have either an adverse reaction or an allergic reaction to a filler. not that likely but possible.
In regards to Cptterrys post, i am glad that you understand that i wasnt trying to make it out like it is all in peoples head, nor am i saying that there is no difference in generics b/c there is. I think we see it pretty much the same way. I think for people like you and i (and many of the other posters on this site) that have been on a large amount of different medicines over the years, we realize that there are some differences but we shouldnt write off anything before we have given it a decent chance.
note: isnt it ironic that someone had an allergy to an allergy medicine? additionally, it may not have been claratin, but it was definitley an allergey medicine in that family which had a dye that caused the reaction.
all thoughts and opinions expressed are those of my own and should not be mistaken for medical advice. i am not a doctor nor a pharmacist. all medical questions should be answered by a licensed pharmacist, doctor, or primary care manager.
March 27, 2007 - 11:36am
#7
Yes, Odd Indeed...
Yes, Odd Indeed...very ironic. Yeah, I think we see it the same way to PHISHER , and agree that anyone reading these constant posts bashing generics MUST give their med a try, a fair try, as everyone reacts different, and the main med is in there! As for GTRPLAYER and what he said...very accurate, and also very necessary for inexperienced people to read, good job. On that - I was told (not sure if it is true) that the ingredients in oxycontin extended release and oxycodone IR were the same except for the sealing agent that causes a slow release in the oxycontin...well, I had horrible reactions to oxycontin (the brand name product) my eyes hurt bad, flu like symptoms, etc....YETI now take Watson brand of oxycodone 10/325 and have no reactions..? So, if in fact the ingredients (active) are the same, as i was told...then i am allergic to a filler, or the sealing agent. Just thought i would mention a real case of what you put forth GTRPLAYERas it was bad enough that i was worried about trying the oxycodone, yet as PHISHERpoints out, I didn't write it off prior to giving it a chance...thank God, cause it works great and seems very similar to my norco-
this topic has came up several times in the past (if you want to see them type brand verses generic in the search engine).
basically, yes, generics do vary a small bit from time to time. the active ingredients are required by law to be the same, however, the inactive ingredients do vary up to 20%. while 20% may sound like a lot, theoretically if it is in the inactive ingredients it really shouldnt make that much of a difference however, it can effect the rate and the manner in which the body metabolizes the drug.
some people will swear up and down that there is huge differences, personally i disagree. i have noticed small differences in the duration of drugs, or perhaps the onset of action but all in all, i believe that most of them are fairly comparable.
i am sure that some people will disagree w/ this which is fine and want hurt my feelings. i just think that while it is important for people to know that there can be a difference but at the same time we (those at pharmer.org) dont want to make everyone fear certain generics or take them w/ the pre-existing belief that w/out question they will be inferior.
all thoughts and opinions expressed are those of my own and should not be mistaken for medical advice. i am not a doctor nor a pharmacist. all medical questions should be answered by a licensed pharmacist, doctor, or primary care manager.