Does generic drug pose more health hazards than branded drugs?

Answer 1

When you walk into the grocery store and you choose a type of canned green beans you have the option of "Green Giant" or store brand. To many, the Green Giant beans have a better taste or may have fewer blemishes on the beans, etc.

This is not the case for generic drugs. There are differences between a generic drugs and the name brand, however, these differences are slight and only in extreme cases will they alter a therapeutic benefit. The ingredients that formulate a drug (tablet) are primarily to make the tablet shape. On occassion these "binders" may be interchangeable. Some people may be less tolerant to certain binders than others (lactose is commonly used and may be interchangeable). The main point of a generic drug that the FDA examines when determining equivelance is the drug molecules pharmacokinetic actions in the body (how it is absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and excreted). These parameters do not have to be exact (90-105% similarity). Parameters of efficacy of the drug have already been reported by the original name brand drug manufacturer.

Now to the question of being hazardous or not. Rarely, medications meet FDA regulations for generic substitution on a national level. However, states also regulate this information and may disagree with the FDAs approvals. For instance, Synthroid and Levoxyl are medications for hypothyroidism and the active drug in both is levothyroxine. A generic came on the market a few years ago and the majority of patients on Synthroid or Levoxyl were switched to the generic medication. However in a few states the generic did not "mimic" the name brand drugs as well and generic equivelance was not granted. Similar disagreements exist for Coumadin vs. generic warfarin and also theophylline formulations. The take home message here is that both of these medications are adjusted often to obtain the proper level in the body and if the generic has a slight (-10 to +5%) difference then they should be adjusted appropriatley by a physician.

For 99% of the medications currently used, generics are an affordable and efficacious treatment. The FDA handles information regarding these drugs by the literal truckloads and have certainly done their homework.

Answer 2

Nope. I work in a pharmacy and we get asked that question all the time. A generic medication has to pass all the same tests and standards with the FDA that a brand medication does. A brand medication has a patent for 17 years or so. Once the patent is expired, other companies are allowed to make it if they used the same compounds and such that are used in the brand. It'll save you, your insurance comany, and employer money if you use the generic.

Answer 3

No they don't. They are identical. What happens is that initially the branded drugs have a patent for a few years on the drug. When the patent runs out, then other companies are allowed to produce the same exact formulation (generic).

Answer 4

NO Generic Drugs are like brand name drugs and made of same active ingredients. the only difference that may be is in shape and color of two drugs. And Its ensured by FDA that generic drugs are same in quality, purity and strength as brand name drugs

Answer 5

No. Chemically, they are identical compounds.

The only possible risk is - in some pharmacies, the generic may stay on the shelf longer, thus reducing slightly its effectiveness.

For example, Tylenol is known generically as acetaminophen, and you can get that under the store label for about half the price.

Answer 6

sometimes you don't need them at all. i was just looking at a site, and on the drug page it had a story of how people just get into the habit of taking them and years later the side effects are worse than the symptoms. It put things into a different light for me, because I was taking antiinflammatories for a long time after they did me any good.

Answer 7

If you get them from a reliable source, such as a pharmacy, no. They're the exact same compounds, just without the cool packaging.

Answer 8

I agree with many of the comments above.

The only possible difference is that there is less quality control of the medicine.

Very slim chance.

Answer 9

Typically they are identical, made with all the same ingredients and no, are not more harmful. Go ahead and save yourself some $$$ and rest easy.

Answer 10

Nope its the same thing just cheaper.