Pulmonary Embolism Support Group
By far the most common form of pulmonary embolism is a thromboembolism, which occurs when a blood clot, generally a venous thrombus, becomes dislodged from its site of formation and embolizes to the arterial blood supply of one of the lungs. Symptoms may include difficulty breathing, pain during breathing, and more rarely circulatory instability and death.
"A retrospective analysis, [of drugs with a Narrow Therapeutic Index, e.g. warfarin] however, discovered that switching between formulations [generic vs brand name] appeared to be associated with increased risks for either a thrombotic event or bleed in patients using warfarin for atrial fibrillation [...]
Nevertheless, when considering changing from a brand-name product to a bioequivalent generic, or from one generic to another, it is recommended to monitor the INR of high-risk patients more closely."
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/762489
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"What About Patient Outcomes?
The corollary to our question about safety was one asking whether respondents had seen poor patient outcomes that were, in their opinion, attributable to a brand-generic or generic-generic substitution. The responses were similar.
One pain specialist voiced specific concern about generic products that contain less active ingredients, noting that "even small variations in effectiveness are readily noticed by patients" and could lead to potential withdrawal symptoms.
A psychiatrist remarked that sustained-release products were a particular concern. Another relayed the story of a stable patient who became suicidal after a switch from a brand-name antidepressant."
From Slide # 7 at
http://www.medscape.com/features/slideshow/brandvsgeneric?src=ptalk#1
Nevertheless, when considering changing from a brand-name product to a bioequivalent generic, or from one generic to another, it is recommended to monitor the INR of high-risk patients more closely."
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/762489
******************************
"What About Patient Outcomes?
The corollary to our question about safety was one asking whether respondents had seen poor patient outcomes that were, in their opinion, attributable to a brand-generic or generic-generic substitution. The responses were similar.
One pain specialist voiced specific concern about generic products that contain less active ingredients, noting that "even small variations in effectiveness are readily noticed by patients" and could lead to potential withdrawal symptoms.
A psychiatrist remarked that sustained-release products were a particular concern. Another relayed the story of a stable patient who became suicidal after a switch from a brand-name antidepressant."
From Slide # 7 at
http://www.medscape.com/features/slideshow/brandvsgeneric?src=ptalk#1
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My 6mo twin DD's are EBF and just started rice cereal on the first. Everything has been going fine except this morning one of them had a diaper rash (lots of redness around her anus). I read this as one of the signs of an allergy. BUT I did just buy a different brand diaper yesterday (which they have used randomly before w/no issues). Do you think its the cereal or the diaper? Im ready to start...
There ARE differences (bio equivalences) between many many generics and brand name drugs.
These differences may cause a problem for some people and not for others.
Mayo Clinic calls the perceived difference a 'myth'.
The FDA and CDC also states that there's no difference.
(They don't go into those pesky little problems that NTIs may give a patient. Why worry the consumer? "Just shut up and believe what we tell you".)
I leave it to each person to decide for themselves. I did. It takes a helluva lot of reading to get to the bottom.
Don't get me wrong. I'm glad I live in a country that has the FDA and CDC. But you have to read the fine print.
Generally, people only switch if they're having issues with one or the other (reactions to the fillers or something). Otherwise, I'm all for the cheapest option.