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Re: This+is+an+excellent+review (Reply to this comment)
by pipet
Thanks for the comment. I personally have been following the Claritin news to see when I can get that without going to the doc!
pipet
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Jun 16 '01
1:54 pm PDT
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This is an excellent review (Reply to this comment)
by scottcolson
with some wonderful comments. Just another comment:
There will soon (in the next 12-36 months) be many more generic prescription drugs available as the patents are going to end. (Drug companies only get 17 years on a patent and then a drug goes generic. This 17 years includes the time in research.)
So, look for the following to go generic in the future: Prilosec, Allegra, Claritin.
These are pretty big heavy hitters in the prescription drug market.
Thanks for sharing.
Scott (M.D.)
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Jun 15 '01
8:42 pm PDT
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I'm impressed! (Reply to this comment)
by makeupu
For someone's who is not a doctor or a pharmacist - this was an excellent review and so helpful!
I just stopped by to say thanks for the comment on my "Jared" review,(a.k.a Subway), and I'm going to take your advice - some people have no sense of humor!
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Jun 08 '01
9:06 pm PDT
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Sensitive to so many things, (Reply to this comment)
by missgussie
we've had occasional problems with using generics. As you stated, frequently this is a result of the inactive ingredients (fillers, colorants, flavors, coatings, etc.). There are some companies that aren't as concerned about quality control as others. You took the thoughts right out of my head!
An outstanding job, well thought out. Kudos!
MissGussie
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May 16 '01
6:34 pm PDT
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Great Advice! (Reply to this comment)
by craigmoosh
I work in pharmacies all the time, and I'm always amazed at how many people think the brand names work better than the generics. With OTC's, brand names often cost twice as much. With prescriptions, the brand names sometimes cost as much as FIFTY TIMES as much (one recent one I came across was $199 for a bottle of Haldol, $4.20 for the generic haloperidol).
A few examples of drugs where a small variation makes a difference, and a generic shouldn't be substituted are warfarin (Coumadin), levothroid (Synthroid, Levothroid, Levoxyl), phenytoin (Dilantin), and carbamazepine (Tegretol).
Great writing!
Craig
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May 07 '01
3:51 pm PDT
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Well said! (Reply to this comment)
by owling
I worried for a moment there - most people writing from pet peeves tend to just rant without giving all the useful information they should. This, however, is a great balanced helpful essay. :)
I almost always buy generic if they have the pill shape & coating I want. Generics are usually available in larger sizes, which means fewer trips to the drugstore, or fewer orders from Drugstore.com. And I hate shopping...
heather
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Apr 11 '01
12:35 pm PDT
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No More Excedrin for Me (Reply to this comment)
by Hard_To_Please
Pipet-
Just yesterday, I did something I've never done before- I bought generic pain reliever. The grocery had categorized everything by the active ingredients and placed the generic equivalent of every medication next to its' namebrand counterpart. The signs advertising the huge price difference caused me to investigate further.
In absolutely every case, the generic product contained exactly the same ingredients in the same order and the same dosage!
The only difference was that the price was about half of the namebrand.
I also noticed what you said about Excedrin- the Migraine Formula was no different than the other Excedrin. No more name brand medicines for me- I'm sure the savings will be hundreds of dollars over the years! ...Mark
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Apr 11 '01
6:18 am PDT
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Thanks (Reply to this comment)
by remnjava
I keep having to preach to my husband that the brand name pain reliever is the same as the generic. Advertising has won him over. Also if he is making a food dish for at work, he has to have all the Brand Name ingredients, Green Giant beans, most expensive butter, etc....
Good review!
Carol
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Apr 07 '01
5:48 pm PDT
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the humor is (Reply to this comment)
by roarhowl
I've been doing this for a long time. I do it with more then just drugs. I'm one of those people that likes to read what's in something. I got a laugh when excedrin came out with migraine formula and it cost more then the excedrin but yet was the same stuff. I always compare my drugs and the dosage involved. I also sometimes take into consideration the inactive ingredients. Anyway, thank you for writing such a great article and hopefully making a few more people aware that there really is very little difference between brands. Have a wonderful day and thanks again.
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Apr 06 '01
9:49 pm PDT
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Re: I+was+about+to+leave+a+critical+comment+when.... (Reply to this comment)
by pipet
The coatings can be very important if you regularly take lots of pain relievers (except acetaminophen, which does not irritate the stomach). For most pills, the medicine is normally released in the stomach, and it can irritate the stomach lining. There is even increased risk of stomach ulcers in frequent users. The coatings help keep the medicine intact until it reaches your intestinal tract. For most people, this irritation can be avoided by taking the meds with a tall glass of water, or better yet, a little food in the belly. However, some people have such sensitivity that coatings are very necessary.
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Apr 06 '01
11:20 am PDT
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:) (Reply to this comment)
by disartain
Well written and you have discussed every one of my pet peeves with my family, buying only name brand when the generic is cheaper. You are right also about the coating that is the only reason that I buy certain names is they are coated I can swallow. Good job.
Diane
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Apr 05 '01
4:22 pm PDT
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I was about to leave a critical comment when.... (Reply to this comment)
by NFP
...I got to your line: "if they do have a coating, the generic may not be exactly comparable."
Thank you. You're right. I'm no pharmacist, but as a heavy Advil user, I'm keenly aware of the difference between generic ibuprofen and the heavily coated Advil. The difference in the release of the pain medication is substantial and noticeable, to me anyway.
cheers,
nick
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Apr 05 '01
12:49 pm PDT
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Re: Re: This is not exactly a comment on your review... (Reply to this comment)
by Arthur.Rubin
Yes, it is a prescription drug, and you're probably correct that it's a reaction to an inactive ingredient in the generic, rather than an actual bioavailability difference.
Thanks for the E-mail. It really is appreciated.
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Apr 05 '01
5:34 am PDT
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Re: Re:+Interesting+and+informative. (Reply to this comment)
by auldbawl1
What are the brand name requirements? I've taken Fiorinal w/ codeine for 14 years and the last 6 the variance has been maybe .25 to 1.75. The chemist I spoke to said the reason probably was the aspirin getting wet or moist which will almost completely destroy the strength. I still insist on brand though because generics cause stomach problems for me 50% of the time. Very informative ~ very impressive review!
Rick
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Apr 04 '01
9:08 pm PDT
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Re: Interesting+and+informative. (Reply to this comment)
by pipet
Actually, generics are required to be 0.80-1.20 the same as the brand name. While that may sound scary, if you do any work in science you will find that you never get an exact result, and if you repeat a test 3 times you will get a slightly different result 3 times. The range (+/- 20%) allows for this statistical variation (the goal I am sure of all generic manufacturers is 1-1 correspondence). For OTCs, a +/-20% difference is meaningless! They are completely effective at a large range of concentrations, so the fudge factor, as you put it, is no big deal.
Maybe your beta blocker may fell into the narrow range index category, meaning that even subtle differences can be very important. If you switch from a brand name to a generic, you may have to change your dosage (i.e take every 4 hrs or 8 hrs instead of every 6 hrs) to compensate. For some conditions it could be dangerous to switch (i.e. you have a life threatening condition). However, the point of my epinion is that for all OTCs and even most prescription drugs, generics are equivalent in terms of their effectiveness.
The .8-1.2 range may sound too flexible, but when you consider how variable drug processing is in each individual, it is minimal. For example, propranolol (a beta blocker) reacts so differently in individuals that there really isn't a "standard" dose, but it rather requires a little experimenting to see what dose gets the job done. Also, if you measure blood levels of the drug in different people after getting the same dose, you will find over 10x differences!
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Apr 04 '01
7:57 pm PDT
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Interesting and informative. (Reply to this comment)
by wovengold
I don't use many OTC drugs, but do use generic or military-brand forms of acetaminophen, etc. I have taken generic prescription drugs, and with one exception they have worked fine. The exception was a beta blocker. I couldn't figure out why the generic just wasn't working (I was getting adrenaline rushes again), and then the physician told me that the FDA allows the generics to contain (I think this is the percentage) up to 20 percent **more or less** of the active drug than the brand name.
That fudge factor is kind of scary, even if I have the percentage wrong and it was 10 percent. Wonder why they require 100-percent compliance with OTC drugs and not prescription meds?
Your point about stupid advertising is great, and I do hope more consumers will take things into their own hands/heads and use those noggins!
Thanks -- Kristin
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Apr 04 '01
7:10 pm PDT
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You were noted... (Reply to this comment)
by murasaki
...on the Epinion Addicts site as a new writer to watch. I tooled through your reviews: for the most part very thorough and informative.
I hope to see more of your reviews in the future. Thanks for writing!
--murasaki
(If you're not familiar with EA, you might want to pop in and say hello: http://epinionaddicts.com)
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Apr 04 '01
12:32 pm PDT
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Excellent review (Reply to this comment)
by Suzer
I have heard for years that all of the
OTC medications were the same, Advil, Motrin,
Nuprin, etc. They certainly appear to have
the same ingredients, same strength.
Perhaps it is the placebo effect or psychosomatic
for me, when I say Nuprin works better for me.
I can just express my feelings, my reaction,
though certainly not scientific in nature.
I wrote a review on Nuprin and after reading
this beautifully expressed article, have added
a note to my review. I tried to email you
about this and another matter, but it was
returned to me as undeliverable. Please feel
free to email me if you like.
~~~Suzi~~~
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Apr 04 '01
10:24 am PDT
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Re: This+is+not+exactly+a+comment+on+your+review... (Reply to this comment)
by pipet
Hi. That is interesting. I presume this is a prescription medication??? It would be against FDA rules, actually, for there to be a measurable difference in standard bioavailability, but individual genetic variation may play a role. It is known that different individuals have differences in drug metabolism - these can be subtle or very extreme (and dangerous), but I would expect any difference in the effectiveness to be due to some type of interaction - perhaps even with a supposedly inactive ingredient of the generic. Technically this wouldn't be an allergy, but it is hard to rule out that possibility too. Also, there are drugs that are classified as having a narrow therapeutic range, and even tiny differences in bioavailability can change effectiveness. These tiny differences could fall in the range of acceptable bioavailability as measured by the FDA. Such narrow range drugs are always available by prescription only, and usually require observation under a physician's care to adjust dosage - this is the case with a generic or with a name-brand. You do bring up a good point, so I'll some extra info in my epinion.
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Apr 04 '01
9:43 am PDT
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This is not exactly a comment on your review... (Reply to this comment)
by Arthur.Rubin
but there is a medication (which I will not name over the open net), for which my wife cannot take a generic, but can take (at least one) brand name. It may be a coating allergy, but I suspect the problem is a difference in bioavailability, possibly due to a combination of other prescription drugs.
In general, though, we go with generics (with prescription drugs) or store-brand (with OTC drugs).
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Apr 04 '01
8:13 am PDT
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Great advice (Reply to this comment)
by Howard_Creech
Advertising plays such a strong role in our lives that we actually start to believe a lot of the crap the major OTC drug companies constantly pound us over the head with, thanks for clarifying everything. Howard
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Apr 03 '01
8:18 pm PDT
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Great review - (Reply to this comment)
by Freak369
Waving at you from the shores of La Jolla.... Where's all this cold weather coming from???
^V^ Freak ^V^
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Apr 03 '01
6:29 pm PDT
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Thanks (Reply to this comment)
by Lark729_89
for sharing this helpful review. It all makes sense.
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Apr 03 '01
6:21 pm PDT
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