Are generic prescriptions really the same as name brand medications?

[OhioChick]

9:12 PM, Feb 13, 2015

CLEVELAND - A NewsChannel 5 investigation reveals serious safety concerns about generic medications.

NewsChannel 5 Investigators found there is growing evidence some generics fail to work as well as their more expensive name-brand counterparts.

Tod Cooperman, M.D, who runs ConsumerLab.com, did testing that prompted the FDA to remove a generic version of the antidepressant Wellbutrin from the market in 2012.

Cooperman said complaints about generics include some of the most commonly-prescribed medications in the United States. He said patients have reported problems with the pain medication hydrocodone, the sleep medication Zolpidem (generic Ambien), and the blood pressure medication metoprolol succinate. Patients have reported headaches, nausea, allergic reactions and seizures.

More: http://www.newsnet5.com/news/local-news/investigations/investigation-are-generic-prescriptions-really-the-same-as-name-brand-medications

[Thinkingabout]

1. I know of others who do not respond to generics as well as name brand.

The generics are supposed to meet a standard but many times contain more fillers. It may be the fillers which cause problems.

[shanine]

10. Same with concerta (time released ritalin)

http://adhdrollercoaster.org/adhd-in-the-news/sound-off-downgraded-generic-concerta-users/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AdhdRollerCoaster+%28ADHD+Roller+Coaster%29

[drray23]

2. Yes. Generic are simply medications for which the patent expired allowing others to make it.

As long as the maker of the generic medication is a reputable company with proper quality controls,the end result is just as efficacious as the original expensive med.

[dixiegrrrrl]

9. The pharmacist changed the maker of one of my generic scripts and the drug did not work for me.

What i learned from that was most generic scripts are made in India, where there is no regulation.

I now have to make sure that the one med is by the same company each time I get a re-fill.

[Ruby the Liberal]

3. Once I had an anaphalactic (allergic) reaction to generic Wellbutrin

They decided at the time that it was likely the purple dye as I didn't have any problems with the original/name brand.

Scary stuff.

[Thor_MN]

4. I would guess that one could about double the placebo effect.

With the name brand drugs having a positive placebo effect and the generics taking a negative placebo effect.

We are such strange creatures. My parents were involved with the Duluth Symphony Opera wit my mother singing with the chorus and my dad working back stage. Beverly Sills was in town for that opera and there was an unusually hot day. She asked my dad if something could be done about the temperature. The Auditorium, being right on Lake Superior, has no air conditioning system. He told her he would check on it, went outside and had a cigarette, came back and asked "Miss Sills, is that better?" She thanked him profusely.

The perception that something has been done, or not done, can change people's realities.

[840high]

5. I take some generic medications - anything

for the heart I get the brand name.

[Skittles]

6. no

I know the generic Ambien is different from the brand med

[KauaiK]

7. They are NOT the same....

1) the chemical binders are are not the same;
2) the materials (the part of the pill that is not the medication) in which the drug is packed vary dramatically;
3) and where the generic drugs are manufactured matters significantly especially if there no or corrupt quality control.

don't get me started. I've been fighting this fight for years....

[bananas]

8. No, and the article mentions a generic Wellbutrin being pulled.

http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2012/09/03/generic-wellbutrin-budeprion-xl-300-withdrawn-vindication/

Patients Vindicated! Generic Wellbutrin Withdrawn
Terry Graedon September 3, 2012 Default 72 Comments

We are reposting our People’s Pharmacy Alert from October 3, 2012 because of The New York Times article about “An Increase in Scrutiny for Generics.”

On October 3, 2012, the Food and Drug Administration announced that it was asking Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc., to remove its generic version of Wellbutrin XL 300 from the market. The generic formulation, Budeprion XL 300, was deemed “not therapeutically equivalent to the reference listed drug (RLD), Wellbutrin XL 300 mg.”

This is a huge victory for patients! Their heartbreaking stories about side effects and therapeutic failures linked to Budeprion XL 300 were finally heard. They should feel vindicated. We have never given up advocating for people who contacted us over the last five years complaining about problems with the Teva generic antidepressant. Here is what the FDA announced:

<snip>

What lessons are we to draw from this incredible boondoggle?

First, the FDA is not infallible. Just because the agency says all generic drugs are “identical” to their brand name counterparts does NOT make it so. The Budeprion XL 300 story proves that. The FDA deserves kudos for recognizing that this problem needed to be addressed and for carrying out its own tests of bioequivalence. Here is how the FDA explains its study.

Second, what other drugs might be problematic? The People’s Pharmacy has received a great many other complaints about generic formulations. Two that come to mind instantly are generic forms of the beta blocker Toprol XL (metoprolol) and the anti-seizure medicine Keppra (levetiracetam). If the FDA conducted its own tests on these generics the way it did for Budeprion XL 300, we wonder what the agency would find.

Third, just because your pharmacist or insurance company says that all generic drugs are fine and dandy does NOT make it so! If you are experiencing problems just cite the Budeprion XL 300 example and ask them to reconsider their dogmatic stance.

If you would like to learn the entire inside story behind this incredible saga you may want to read our chapter titled “Generic Drug Screwups” in our book, Top Screwups Doctors Make and How to Avoid Them. You will learn much more about the FDA’s ability to approve and monitor generic drugs and how to protect yourself from generic drug problems.

Thanks for taking time to consider what we think is an important health news story.