Important info about generic drugs

[disneysteve]

I always get a bit irked when a patient insists on getting brand name medication because they've convinced themselves that the generic is inferior to the name brand product.

The popular arthritis medication Mobic is now available in generic form. I spoke to my friendly neighborhood pharmacist today. His cost for a bottle of 100 15mg brand name Mobic pills is about $440.00. His cost for a bottle of 100 15 mg generic Mobic pills is about $11.00! That's right, the brand name pills cost 40 times more than the generic. The brand name pills are manufactured by Boehringer Ingelheim pharmaceuticals, a well-respected international company. The generic is manufactured by, yep, Boehringer Ingelheim pharmaceuticals. So the same company is now selling two identical products, most likely being manufactured in the same factory, even on the same assembly line, for two wildly different prices. I can't wait for the first time a patient tries to tell me that the generic didn't work as well as the brand.

Ok, rant over. My advice: if you take prescription medication and a generic is available, at least try it with an open mind. You can save gobs of money and in many cases are actually getting the exact same pill.

 

[Cindi0511]

Yep! Same as most over the counter drugs, too, when you compare. Occasionally there's a difference, but not usually.

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

Since your a doctor I'm sure you know this, but I just wanted to mention that you should check with your doctor if you want to get a generic instead. My son was on one medication that HAD to be a brand name (I believe it was cyclosporine, I'm not sure, it's been awhile), but when his doctor prescribed it he did specifically tell me not to get generic and noted it on the prescription whereas all of the other medications ds was on it was fine.

 

[ducklite]

I just wish that some of my asthma meds could be had generic. My Albuterol and Atrovent are both filled generically, but the Singulair and Advair are not available as generics. I pay $10 co-pays for generic meds, $20-30 for "Name Brand."

Of course the two that I use every day are the two that have the high co-pay.

Anne

 

[MyGoofy26]

I just wish that some of my asthma meds could be had generic. My Albuterol and Atrovent are both filled generically, but the Singulair and Advair are not available as generics. I pay $10 co-pays for generic meds, $20-30 for "Name Brand."

Of course the two that I use every day are the two that have the high co-pay.

Anne

Might be a longshot, but I know that my aunt's insurance if there isn't a generic available then they'll "match" the copay of the generic (if you know to ask - they don't advertise it), so it might be worth it to ask a case manager at your insurance company if you haven't done so already.

 

[flea1267]

I work for a Pharma company...and if you are taking a good med that works for you and you can't afford it, don't forget to ask the pharmacist or MD for information on different company's Patient Assistance programs...there are a lot out there and Pharma companies do donate lots of drugs to these programs so that people can get the meds they need.

 

[kilee]

Be glad you have insurance to cover that Advair. I went about 6 months where I couldn't get it covered (pre-existing condition) when we switched insurance companies. $465 for a 1 month supply. Thankfully the doctor I worked for was able to get the samples of the higher dose so I could stockpile before they stopped sampling the 500/50's. I know my copay now is $50 for just that med.

 

[DVC Sadie]

Today my dh went to fill a prescription for me called Valtrex since I was diagnosed with shingles and had to pay 250.00 for it. The pharmacist told my dh that they did not make this drug in generic form.

I feel so bad for people who cannot afford to buy their meds or have to choose between getting their scripts filled or doing without something else in order to pay for them.

 

[ducklite]

Might be a longshot, but I know that my aunt's insurance if there isn't a generic available then they'll "match" the copay of the generic (if you know to ask - they don't advertise it), so it might be worth it to ask a case manager at your insurance company if you haven't done so already.

My husbands spoken to them about that. They do offer the lower co-pay ($20) if it's not avaialable generic, as opposed to $30 if it's available generic and you opt for brand name. For me, I'll take the $10 Albuterol, it's the same stuff as the $30 Albuterol. I forgot to mention the Allegra-D, which is also not available generic. I do take another med to prevent the oral thrush that the Advair causes, and that's filled generically. So that's six prescriptions a month for me--although thankfully I normally only have to fill a few of them every 2-3 months as I don't use them every day. Then I've got the Epi-pen, the steroids, and the list goes on. Health care has gotten ridiculously expensive, and many doctors are far from getting rich. At this point between co-pays for meds and doctors, I'm spending between $60 and $200 a month.

My son was on a med years ago that truly the generic didn't cut it for him--a time released Ritalin. The generic non-time released worked the same as the brand name, but the time released there was a distinct difference. His teachers even noticed it, and they had no idea we had tried the generic.

Unfortunately he also takes three meds, none of which are available in a generic, so his co-pays are $60 a month. Something a kid making $180 a week take home on average, and paying his own COBRA coverage (not eligible for health insurance through his employer, and once he is he'll still have a one year waiting period on "ore-existing" conditions) can hardly afford, so I pick up the cost of those co-pays most of the time. In some ways I feel bad, he's 20 years old and spends 70% of his take-home pay on health insurance/health care. But it has also opened his eyes to how much "REAL LIFE" really costs, and he's pretty frugal with his money because of it.

Anne

 

[munchkin bunchkin]

I have been Hypothroid for over 16 years and have always taken brand name Synthroid. Last December my Dr. renewed my sript and it was for the generic .I thought great... save myself some money ...eventually I started feeling awful things were changing and I began to realize that this all started after changing meds, so I asked the pharmacist about any diiferences between the two and was told that there really isn't much but once you start on brand stay on it and don't switch even due to cost!Once your body is used to one all others are not equivalent . So I changed back to the brand and within a month I started to feel much better and from now on insist that generics may be good in some cases but not for all!

 

[grlzmom]

I have been Hypothroid for over 16 years and have always taken brand name Synthroid. Last December my Dr. renewed my sript and it was for the generic .I thought great... save myself some money ...eventually I started feeling awful things were changing and I began to realize that this all started after changing meds, so I asked the pharmacist about any diiferences between the two and was told that there really isn't much but once you start on brand stay on it and don't switch even due to cost!Once your body is used to one all others are not equivalent . So I changed back to the brand and within a month I started to feel much better and from now on insist that generics may be good in some cases but not for all!

My dh has had several patients with similar experiences regarding the generic synthroid.

My dd15 is on Lamictil for epilepsy and we pay 470 per month out of pocket. The insurance wont pay a penny for it because they maintain that it isnt indicated for pediatric use for epilepsy that it is a medication used for bipolar disorder. We have been round and round with the insurance company over this one. She has been on many other meds, and this is the only one that has ever given her good seizure control. We move this month and dh switches insurance and we are so hoping for a little better coverage with the new practice. We also have the Advair cost issues but have easily been able to get samples of that one, and it works really well for dd.

Ugh, I get a headache everytime I think about healthcare costs.

 

[my3kids]

One mediicine I take had always been filled in gerenic. All was fine. Filled it again and started have bad reactions. Went to the pharmacy and they had changed generic suppliers. Reordered me the a different generic and slowly the side effects subsided until all was well again. So if a generic doesn't seem quite right, a different generic might be okay.

 

[mickeyfan2]

I take generic when possible. Too bad that my asthma meds do not come in generic form.

 

[mickeyfan2]

We also have the Advair cost issues but have easily been able to get samples of that one, and it works really well for dd.

I have taken Advair for years. It cost me $225/month OOP. My Dr. just took me off due to the rising concerns about the medicine. I had brought it to his attention last year. He did some research and at that time the concerns were minimal and the AMA advise was to stay the course. Well now the evidence is mounting that Advair is a dangerous drug and only people who cannot get relief from any other meds should stay on it. My Dr. switched me last week. I now have 1.5 inhalers of Advair I will never take ($375) and the replacement is $175.

 

[kinntj]

Some people just have blinders on to brand names. I can't figure that one out. DH and I always get the generic unless it's something not offered yet. Something offered by the same pharmaceutical is a no brainer. In that case it's got to be the same thing. At least the pharmaceutical company is trying to keep the money for themselves...smart.

Now at least I know why pharmaceuticals charge so much money, as DH works at a pharmaceutical company.

 

[nbodyhome]

I am glad I didn't need Advair this year - last summer I had a lot of trouble breathing (I have allergies), but this year it hasn't been so bad. I have a backup prescription for albuterol (sp?) though just in case. It's nearly August though - so I think I'll be fine. And I am saving the $25 copay (or $50 for a 3 month supply), which doesn't look so expensive now that I see what everyone else pays!

I use generic when I can.

 

[mommyceratops]

THanks for posting that! It is good to know. Our insurance is changing, and our non generic are $40 my son is on a lot of meds there are no generic for and my DH and I just switched all our meds to generics to help with the cost of his.
Know anything about Zyrtec, Singular, Prevacid generics are there any? Our doc said there wasn't.

TIA!

 

[rhiannonwales]

Just wanted to say that although the ACTIVE INGREDIENT in generic medications must be the same as in brand names, there is no law requiring the pharma manufacturers to keep the INACTIVE ingredients the same. Sometimes the generics cause effects that the brand names dont because we have reactions to the other things in them.Colors, binders and coatings can all be different.

While i DO take generics whenever possible, i think that it is a disservice to the public for a Dr. to insist that there is NO difference.
But then again i've always been on the outs with the medical profession. I can't tell you how many fights i've had with Dr.'s over my choice to practice homeopathy, and my choice to not vaccinate my kids. I guess it's just my nature to not believe everything a Dr. tells me just because he has a degree on the wall.
Sherrie

 

[rhiannonwales]

Mommyceratops,
No. there are no generics for those drugs.In fact you might have a hard time getting a new ins. co to cover the Zyrtec at all. Ever since Claritin became and OTC drug, many insurance companies have stopped covering all allergy meds and tell people to use OTC Claritin. Claritin doesnt work for my DH who used to take Zyrtec, but it doesnt matter to them. He also has Advair ( no generic for that either ) and our months script bills are around 150 just for him.
Good luck!
Sherrie

 

[taximomfor4]

I definitely tend to bow to my dr's wisdom on the generics. The only time I was told to GO BACK TO BRAND NAME ONLY!!!!! was by my endocrinologist. He said that he does agree that generics of MOST medications are equal in desired effect. But that the generic thyroid med levothyroxine (I think) has not been giving steady results. In thyroid meds, steady is the key. Other than a few exceptions, generics are fine in my book.