I guess tegretol is generic..So need coffee!

There was a scare back in 2007 when Wellbutrin XL 150 mg went generic. It seems that one of the generic manufacturers product dissolved twice as fast as the name brand. So effectively what you would get would be a hit of medication and then taper off rather quickly to nothing. This happened to me and that was when I insisted that I get name brand Wellbutrin XL instead of generic. It really screwed with my system. Since that time, the generic from that particular manufacturer has been pulled from the market.

my plan only pays for generics... unless there is no generic for the med.. I haven't had any major concerns using generic at this point anyhow... ((hugs)) polar

Brand vs generic.

Let me add some stuff. I have a BS in chemistry and worked doing QC (quality control) for pharmacuiticles. I worked at contract labs, 3rd party labs that test meds for other companies and have no affiliation with them, and on many different meds from many different manufacturers. I have actually tested a lot of the BP meds both name brand and generic. Along with a variety of other meds.

The active in generic is the same as in the name brand. The only thing that can be different is the inactive ingrediants.

The quality is exactly the same. The generic drugs have to adhere to the standards that the name brand do. They are all overseen by the FDA. If there is an issue, the it is with the company not following the rules. The FDA treats all the companies the same and all drugs the same with reguards to safety. I have actually seen generics have better quality than their brand name counterparts, from a testing stand point. There is not 2 sets of standards, one for name brand, one for generic. There is one set of standards for all.

Every single med gets put on stability, for each batch. That means for the life of the med, until the experation date, it is tested regularly. Generally, initial, 1, 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, 36 month time point, it can change, but that is kinda the defult. That means, that even the super cheap generic asprine you get at the dollar general, some where out there, there are a bunch of bottles sitting in a chamber at constant temp and humidity, that gets tested reguarly.

Most generic meds are made by the actually name brand company and sold by the 3rd company as generic.

Why are generics so cheap? It takes about 1 billion dollars and 10 years to bring a new med to market. The med is then protected by patent for 7 years. Once off patent, it can, and most do go generic. The name brand companies need to try and re-coup all the costs. The generic companies do not have such costs and thus can charge less.

Why do some people notice a difference? Some of it is mental, the whole placebo effect thing. A very good example is the methyl blue ER scare out in CA a few years ago. A great case study on mass hysteria and people developing symptoms when there was nothing there. Sometimes it is due to the inactive ingrediants. Some people can be sensitive to them.

hey- thanks for that info Wolfram!

I think it depends on the medication, where it is manufactured, how it is manufactured, and who is doing the manufacture and distribution. Late last year the generic Lisinopril manfuactured out of a firm in Mexico was recalled because they found ground glass in the pills, which goes to show that the quality testing standards vay by medication and by manufacturer.

I can't take generic Lamictal by TEVA because of the dyes but I can take the generic from CADISTA.

Check your insurance carrier's formulary (they are all available online) to see what medications are covered on different tiers - my generics are tier 1 and 2 and have a minimal copay. If I went with brand for the same medications I'd be bumped up to tier 3 or 4 and pay more. It all depends on the formulary. And medications that are rx'd Dispense As Written (DAW) ****can**** be made exceptions to the tier rules.

You can call your insurance company and ask for a tier exception and have them charge the same for generic and brand - your doctor has to verify that you can't take the generic.

Also because you have Medicare Part D - see if you qualify for the low income subsidy (LIS) also known as "Extra help" depending on your income Medicare can reduce your co-pays significantly.

I had never noticed a difference before until generic Lamictal. My pdoc asked me every time I saw her if the generic was still working because she had patients reporting that they were struggling on the generic and when she switched them to brand, they were fine. I didn't have an issue with the generic for quite a while and then one time I had the script filled, the bottle was different. I started having mood issues a couple of weeks after that and my pdoc put me back on brand to clear things up.

So, yes, there can be a difference. And please note that there are often several different companies that make a generic. Your pharmacy will stock whatever is cheapest at the moment. I was fine on one generic of Lamictal, but when they started stocking a different company's generic Lamictal, it did not work for me.

My best advice is to stay vigilant. If you are on a generic, keep tabs on how you're doing and be aware that if you start feeling off, it could possibly be the generic doing it.

- Jenna

I think for some meds there is a difference, and for some there's not.

Lexapro, for example, went generic about a year ago, and my insurance switched me from brand to generic because of cost, and even though I've had it from multiple manufacturers, I've never noticed any difference in any of them.

However, I have noticed a difference between manufacturers of [generic] Seroquel with some being more effective than others, all at the same dose.