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by trouble54 on September 26th, 2006

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Are generic brands just as good as name brands?

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Answers. 52 helpful answers below.

  • by rickprice on December 31st, 2009
    voted: No

    rickprice

    I am a medical doctor. As we all know, generic drugs are in common use. They are probably 99% as good, but not 100%. There are differences in which chemicals are conjugated to the active drug, which affects bioavailability (how much your body actually gets).

    I have seen cases in which a new generic did not work as well as expected, but those are rare. Most people will do just fine on generic drugs. But if you feel a new drug isn't working, see your doctor immediately.

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  • by Firebrand on December 31st, 2009
    voted: Yes

    Firebrand

    Generic drugs are the same thing you are just not paying for Brand Name and packaging

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  • by BrokeDog on December 31st, 2009
    voted: No

    BrokeDog

    Coming from a guy who has had a pharmacy full of Rx's course thru his body, in this life ... there IS some "differences" in brand name and generic drugs. I've been told over and over and over, that generics (by law) must have the EXACT same ingredients as the brand name drugs, BUT ... how do they explain how one drug (a brand name) works great when I take it, yet, a generic of (supposedly) the exact same ingredients, does absolutely nothing when I take it?
    This is NOT a "widespread" problem, but there is some discrepancies in the effectiveness of these prescriptions. I even take a certain "pain" prescription which, brand name cost is $600 per bottle, generic is $275 per bottle, and the "generic" works far better than the name brand. There is even a problem that I run into, occasionally, with this specific Rx, where they sometimes substitute a different "generic brand" that doesn't work anywhere near as good as the normal generic brand.
    I'll close by saying that, probably, the majority of generics are just as good as name brands, yet, there are still some generics that just don't "measure up". I've talked to several pharmacists ... and have only run across one who agrees with me (another says that the "coatings" some companies put on their generics, may cause a slower absorption into the bloodstream, hence, the feeling that the drug may not be working as good ... yet, he WOULD NOT go so far as to say the drugs may be different (ingredient-wise), in some way). I'd like to see some studies done with several brands, to see the effectiveness of each, compared to the other, and have those studies made totally public, with witness testimony(?)

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  • by CatLover-The Original is Proudly Canadian on January 1st, 2010
    voted: Yes

    CatLover-The Original is Proudly Canadian

    I worked for a pharmaceutical company for years and I can tell you the only difference is the packaging

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  • by organizedchaos on December 31st, 2009
    voted: No

    organizedchaos

    I disagree because of this--->Generics Drugs are Given Much Leeway in How They Perform
    I've taken the generic pill Budeprion XL 300 (containing bupropion hydrochloride) and had very negative effects from it. I was instructed to take Wellbutrin XL 300 by my doctor because of this--->Delivery Mechanism and Rate of Release May Be Different. Those 2 items under the American Heart Association are enough for me. There was a time I used to be a " generic user " but not anymore. I'll pass on playing Russian Roulette with my health thank you very much.

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  • by Seraphim Shinobi on December 29th, 2009

    Seraphim Shinobi

    i believe its just a placebo effect. i remember hearing of a test where some guys got some lemon flavor sweets, they repackaged them with a new wrapper which said new and improved on it then offered the test subjects both sweets and most of them said that the ones with the new packaging tasted more lemony. i think its the same with the name brand drugs, its because they're name brads that people think the will work better, so they do.

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  • by tgunn0206 on December 29th, 2009
    voted: No

    tgunn0206

    My girlfriend takes Synthroid and the generic form (levilthyroxin) (sp?) does not have the same effect on her she must use the Brand name.

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  • by mtndewman44 on March 23rd, 2010
    voted: No

    mtndewman44

    I only say no with some consideration to a few peoples reactions to differing 'generic' medications.

    I was talking with a friend yesterday who had taken her prescription to a different pharmacy,the medication,Xanax,I believe.She stated that this prescription was very different than the usual med(also generic) she is accustomed to.

    It totally wore her out,,and the dosage wasn't any different than what she would take from the other pharmacy.

    Different fillers?No,they wouldn't make it more potent,,,the only reason I can imagine is that there isn't proper regulation for generic medications.

    What one manufacturer has as a set amount of this med,must differ from that of the next ones mix.

    I've now just read the 'Yes,No' commentary below,,I now truly think that what I have been exposed to and my friend has just experienced are true.

    I wonder what the other medications I take(all but 1 are generic) are like?Depakote needs to be regulated and slowly introduced into my bloodstream to help control moods,If the drug is released too quickly,the moods I have been fluctuating with,aren't being therapeutically regulated,this leads to manic episodes and depressive episodes,,sleep disorders,obsessive thinking,compulsive actions.

    I must research this further.

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  • by frodisman on January 18th, 2010

    frodisman

    I work in a pharmacy. I hate when you have those I only want brand name people then they complain on why it cost so much. The US has the strictest laws on medications. There is no reason to pay full price when you can get a generic. Take Ambien. The brand is like $200.00 just to put it on the shelf. The generic is about $4.00. That tells you something. The drug companies half the time MAKE the generic too. It's all about the $$$$$. People just get that junk stuck in their head that it's not the same. It does the same. That's what matters. Stop funding the drug companies already with those lies. I've never had an issue with a generic drug. My wallet thanks me. Look at Lipitor. It's patent is running out and their advertising their tails off for that last minute income. It's all brainwashing.

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  • by Millenium - The Mysterious M. . . GONE! on January 13th, 2010
    voted: No

    Millenium - The Mysterious M. . . GONE!

    I used a "generic" drug for HRT (instead of the Vivelle Dot) and I got a HORRIBLE result from it. My gynecologist said I WOULDN'T like it and he was right! It was the "patch" and it looked horrible and made me gain weight! I HATED it. I immediately went back to using the Vivelle Dot! In THIS instance, generic SUCKED! BIG TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  • by TAPriceCTR s son is wearing his COAT on January 1st, 2010

    TAPriceCTR s son is wearing his COAT

    depends on the person and depends on the generic. some generics have better effects on some people.

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  • by BigDaddyBS on December 31st, 2009
    voted: Yes

    BigDaddyBS

    I believe, if you work with your doctor, that you will be able to find generics (past or present versions) that will work as effectively as name-brand that cost so much more.

    Generics are SUPPOSED to contain the same active ingredient. It's quite possible that anyone who has an adverse reaction to them, have them because of the "filler" and "inert" ingredients. Getting them from well-known pharmacies, whose reputations are on the line with each prescription given, is safest. I would not be surprised to find that SOME of those with adverse reactions got their generics from the internet or even out of country (US), which, of course, is where some pharmacies may get their generics.

    I will advocate generics to anyone, provided they work with their doctor, the generics are proven to have been effective, and they are gotten from reputable pharmacies. Otherwise, you are taking risks.

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  • by ken060606 on December 30th, 2009
    voted: Yes

    ken060606

    yes because generic just do not have the name of some big companies.

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  • by Mister IT is trying to Liahona outta here on December 28th, 2009
    voted: Yes

    Mister IT is trying to Liahona outta here

    I used to be in the Pharmaceutical industry and since the composition of the molecule has to be disclosed in order to receive FDA approval the only way that it couldn't be as effective is if the generics company somehow messed up in the manufacturing phase.

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  • by Anonymous on December 26th, 2009
    voted: Yes

    Anonymous

    Quite simply, yes.
    They do the same thing, it just doesn't have a brand name..

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  • by Anonymous on January 23rd, 2010
    voted: No

    I'm taking Actifed and there is no generic that can do what this med does. Doctor has tried others and the recommended med, but it's just not the same.
    I also take an injectable, and have been 'pushed' to a generic. What a disaster. I will go without something else to get the meds that work.

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  • by Brandon Wright on January 24th, 2010
    voted: Yes

    Brandon Wright

    I get all of my medications as generics as soon as I can. Why? The amount of money we spend on drugs here in the United States is ridiculous, and I need to find as many ways as I can to save money in this economic situation. Sure, one in a few thousand, maybe hundred thousand people don't get the effects of generics, but these people are rare. So, keep the generics coming!

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  • by alyssa_freakin_hardcore on January 17th, 2010
    voted: Yes

    alyssa_freakin_hardcore

    They are the same thing just under a different name, as a person that takes a generic and has taken the real thing there is no difference no de- or increase, of side effects just a change in the amount of money. i feel the same as when i take the original. i take the medication adderal, a controlled substance for people with ADD and ADHD... and so on, my focus and behavior is same on both drugs! so why should it be differient with any other drug?

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  • by lesliann44 on January 19th, 2010
    voted: Yes

    lesliann44

    I think that generic medicines work just a good as the brand names. It depends on what type of medicines it is that should be used with brand names. All people react different to medicine some people can use brand name only like my mom because generic brands aren't strong enough it depends on the person.

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  • by RC loves ice cream on January 19th, 2010

    RC loves ice cream

    I suppose it depends on the products. With a name brand it's easier to compare your experiences with others'. I usually go for the generic brands, and find them equivalent. In the case of medicines, you can examine the exact composition.

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  • by its me_im back_lol on January 19th, 2010

    its me_im back_lol

    as long as the generics come from a reliable source they are one and the same, as has already been said- less money for basic packaging. i would not count online pharmacies as reliable.

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  • by Patrick22 on January 25th, 2010
    voted: Yes

    Patrick22

    It's the same drug in all of them, however with the more expensive products people believe they're better so they create this placebo effect which makes the seem like they work better, so for idiots the name brands work better, for people with half a brain, they work out it's all the same..

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  • by ellesheen on July 21st, 2010
    voted: No

    ellesheen

    The real answer is it depends on the drug and the manufacturer. Some generic drugs are as effective as the brand ones, others are not. What happens with drugs is that the active ingredients do get copied however there are some inactive ingredients that most of the time do not make the generic version. Although the inactive ingredients are usually just to midly reduce a side effect or enhance the potency they do not have any significant weight on the medication. For example. Adderall, the original brand contains an inactive ingridient that midly minimizes the jittery sensation you get when you take the pill, the generic brand only contains the active ingredient which is the amphetamine salt. The medication works the same, however you might be missing out in that "extra" which in the scope of things is not significant. Sometimes the same manufaturer manufactures both the generic and the brand medication and they do use the same active and active ingredients. This occur more with over the counter drugs as opposed to prescription. So your local pharmacy brand aspirin may be as effective as the Bayer ones, however not all pharmacy brands are created equal so you have to check both the active and inactive ingredients in order to know the difference. With prescription medications usually only the active ingredients are listed and not the inactive. You also have to know about chemistry and what are equivalent chemical substitutes for some formulations. While the generic may be using a different chemical they may be equivalent substitution for a more expensive one. Sometimes ingredients are more expensive because they are more difficult to make or because of accessibility. This may or may not affect that the formulation works. Usually when a chemical is labeled as "an equivalent substitute" it means that the difference between one and the other are statistically insignificant therefore the effect of the formulation would be the same, statistically speaking of course.

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  • by Steve Ryan on September 26th, 2006

    Steve Ryan

    Generic brands can be just as good and in some cases better than their name brand counterparts. A good example is medication. Most often, the doctor gives you a generic, not name brand. Has the generic ever failed you? Probably not. You got it cheaper than name brand and it was effective for you, therefor it did it's job and you enjoyed your experience.

    However, think of Pepsi or Coke. Both are name brand and both at least for me, tend to be preferred over generics like A+, Shasta Cola, Western Family, coke you get at the Dollar Tree, etc.. these are examples where the name brand tends to just be what people get because it's all they know or they consider it better.

    Car parts are much the same. A lot of times, you can get away with generic parts. Sometimes though, you need namebrand. You own a Toyota, you have to get OEM/Toyota parts.

    So my overall assesment is yes, in a lot of cases generic is just as good as name brand.

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  • by cristnalyn on September 26th, 2006

    cristnalyn

    In some cases if you look closely enough the store brands of some foods are actually made by the same company that makes the name brand product. It all depends on what items you are comparing.

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  • by Azraff on November 2nd, 2006

    Azraff

    Some of these things are good, some are not. Cleaning products that are generic seem to be diluted. I just got generic graham crackers and had to throw them out because something in them gave me an allergic reaction I don't have from the name brand. I tend to be a little sensitive and find that cheaper brands use cheaper ingredients and sometimes the oils or additives can be bothersome to me. I think you will just have to experiment with this, to find out whats good for you.

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  • by Braintrust1 on January 17th, 2010
    voted: Yes

    Braintrust1

    The chemical active ingredients in a pharmaceutical generic are the same as the name brand. Most have similar formulations because formulators tend to move around companies and take company secrets with them. Unless there is a component in the formula that affects the strength of the active ingredients, they tend to operate similarly.

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  • by Spookburger on February 26th, 2011
    voted: No

    Spookburger

    Doctors say they are all the same, but I can say from personal experience from using prescription amphetamines that they are not all the same. Some brands produce better quality material than others. Why? I'm not too sure, but I imagine that some brands may be slightly more pure, above the legally required levels, or are synthesized differently. Whatever the reason, I was able to tell a difference in the quality of brands, and I am not the only one.

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  • by chefgirl73088 on April 12th, 2010
    voted: Yes

    chefgirl73088

    I definitely think generic drugs are just as effective as the expensive name brand drugs. For example, if you take a bottle of Tylenol and a bottle of generic, no-name brand pain killer and you compare the ingredients, they're almost always identical. It's like that on anything, be it Neosporin or Nyquil. When it comes down to it, not everyone is made of money and we will take breaks when they're dealt to us. Generic all the way :)

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  • by geni-g on May 28th, 2010
    voted: No

    geni-g

    They may measure up for some medications, but the one I take, adderal, does not. The companies that I refuse to buy from are Tiva-Bar, Corepharma, and one other that I can't think of. I know I am not imagining this because I have a friend who lives on the east coast, I live in the mid west. We are both on this medication and both noticed it at the same time. The bad thing about this is that when they don't work the way they should, you not only don't get the benefits that they were intended for, but you get headaches and extreme fatigue among other things. This has only happened in the last year for us and we feel like we are being ripped off.

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  • by benthere on November 13th, 2006

    benthere

    Pay attention!to these things I have learned:
    never buy cheap tape,garbage bags,light bulbs, condoms,tires or cheese.

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  • by Palifox on January 27th, 2010
    voted: Yes

    Palifox

    In some cases the generic manufacturers are owned by the same companies that own the non-generic manufacturers. The "no" case is quite correct about "bio equivalents" but it is deliberately confusing the issue. Aspirin is aspirin, ibuprofen is ibuprofen, warfarin is warfarin, cimetidine is cimetidine, in a decade or so sildenafil will be generic too when the patent runs out.

    Yes there are differences in excipients, some formulation work better than others and believe it or not they are usually patented, which means they are a matter of public record.

    Before the original substance is out of patent, the non generic makers generally try to "evergreen" it by taking patents on new formulations. Starch instead of lactose, cyclodextrin instead of starch, you name it. They then assert it is an improvement. Patent offices have no means of knowing whether it really is or not and are obliged under law to grant a new patent in most cases, unless the manufacturer's patent attorneys have fouled up the application.

    But at the same time a generic manufacturer can also take a patent on a different formulation of the same substance, and they very often do.

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  • by Starmaster on January 6th, 2010
    voted: Yes

    Starmaster

    I have been using the generic version of Wellbutrin XL 300 (Budeprion XL 300), made by different manufacturers, for over eight years, one tablet a day....with no problems of any kind. I have saved hundreds of dollars over the years. That specific product is being mention in the negative part of this discussion...and I completely disagree. It has been a blessing for my pocket!

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  • by Rollie on January 4th, 2010
    voted: Yes

    Rollie

    Medical Author: Melissa Stoppler, M.D.
    Medical Editor: Barbara K. Hecht, Ph.D.

    Generic drugs are copies of brand-name drugs that have exactly the same dosage, intended use, effects, side effects, route of administration, risks, safety, and strength as the original drug. In other words, their pharmacological effects are exactly the same as those of their brand-name counterparts.

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  • by The Wraith of God is Coming on January 5th, 2010
    voted: Yes

    The Wraith of God is Coming

    They use the patent after it expires they are the same.

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  • by Closed Account on January 5th, 2010
    voted: No

    Closed Account

    No they are not.

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  • by philosopher-saint on January 3rd, 2010
    voted: No

    philosopher-saint

    What about the 'placebo effect'? If one believes his proprietary (vs. generic) pill is more effective, it IS!
    ;-)

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  • by scubabob on December 31st, 2009

    scubabob

    It all comes down to who put out the cash to get the solution. Generic drug manufacturers avoid the R&D costs, sure, but well after the discoverer has made the money off the patents. Are they as effective? Almost always. Are they cheaper? Almost always as well. Are they worth it? Yep, unless someone tries to prove otherwise with fiscal data. Ohh...but that would be almost all republicans right? Dik heads. Bus loads of Americans per day MUST be wrong, eh?

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  • by slcjh80 on December 29th, 2009
    voted: Yes

    slcjh80

    they are 98% the same the 2% difference is fillers and dyes

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  • by j0sHhh on December 30th, 2009
    voted: Yes

    j0sHhh

    most of the time but sometimes better

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  • by BMD on December 31st, 2009
    voted: Yes

    BMD

    Of course they are just as effective if they have the same amounts of the same drugs in them. I paid 11 dollars for 100 caps of 200mg tabs ibuprofen (cheap kind) the other day, as opposed to 7 dollars for 16 caps of Advil with the same medicinal ingredients. Of course it worked the same...and I saved a lot of money.

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  • by Bunny86 on January 5th, 2010
    voted: No

    Bunny86

    especially not birth controls

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  • by Scootpogo on January 6th, 2010
    voted: Yes

    Scootpogo

    Generic drugs are the same exact thing they are just not branded.

    Example.

    Tylenol
    Wal*Mart Brand Acetametophin (SP)

    The tylenol will always cost 1-2 dollars more per bottle with the same amount of pills.
    and yet people still buy tylenol?

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  • by mjmart61 on January 9th, 2010
    voted: No

    mjmart61

    Some may be as effective or even more so but not all are as effectve. There are studies to prove it. You should read them.

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  • by dawg75 on January 10th, 2010
    voted: Yes

    dawg75

    yes

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  • by jmh30us on January 13th, 2010
    voted: Yes

    jmh30us

    Just as effective and in some cases made by the name brands. The doctors want you to use name brands so they can make more $$$. That's why you must be offered a generic brand if available. The way the Doctors and drug companies operate would be called racketeering if you and i did it in small business

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  • by Creative Writer in Space on January 8th, 2010
    voted: Yes

    Creative Writer in Space

    I'm allergic to dogs, and my dad has a pit bull, my best friend has a pomeranian and my grandparents have two have a short hair and a long hair (not sure what they are). At my friends, when/if I get an attack, I take Benadryl... when I'm anywhere else that I know has dogs and have left medicine there for it, I use the CVS Brand Allergy Relief... the Zertec alternative... and it's fine as is generic benadryl and motrin... i don't notice any difference...

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  • by SoulFire on January 6th, 2010
    voted: Yes

    SoulFire

    I didn't find a difference in how they worked. Some of the name brands have better coatings to swallow them easier.

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  • by darlene_dolphin@yahoo.com on January 6th, 2010
    voted: Yes

    darlene_dolphin@yahoo.com

    generic are effective just like the branded... you all can ask the pharmacist and they will say it's better to have generic not just because they are kitch but also they are effective... the thing that just make the generic different to the branded is the packaging...

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  • by wdnmph on January 6th, 2010

    wdnmph

    Share your answer...

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