Can Tablets alter by the manufacturer?

Question

My question is, if you are taking a tablet for lets say depression, and the make you are given by the pharmacist is different then is there a chance the tablet could be different or because it is the same name of tablet then should it be the same mixture, a baked bean changes per brand so does a tablet.?

Also if you do take tablets then do you ever find your body needs to adapt to a new brand, or do you notice nothing?

Answer 1

When a brand makes a generic of a brand-name drug (ie: Paroxetine (generic) and Paxil (brand)), the FDA only requires that the generic medication be within 5% of the original drug. Paxil 20 mg has 20 mg of Paroxetine (active ingredient). Paroxetine 20 mg may have 19-21 mg of paroxetine. Also, the inactive ingredients (things to make the tablet stay in in tablet form, dissolve correctly, taste ok) can be different than they are in the original formulation.

I used Paxil as an example b/c many of my patients reported the generic Paxil being completely different when we converted them when the generic was released. When we swtiched them to another generic brand, they were fine. After tests to the first generic company, there was nothing WRONG with the medications, just something didn't sit well with the inactive ingredients in our patients.

I would continue to try this new manufacturer, but if it is overly worrisome or intolerable, take it back. See if you can get an exchange. It's possible sometimes. Also, they can special order the manufacturer you normally use.

Answer 2

Tablets are, like everything else, made to the tolerances of the recipe set out by the original manufacturing process and can vary dramatically between different batches in the same factory, let alone different manufacturers in the same way that pre-packed food can change as the ingredients for the days batch are mixed and shoved along the conveyor into the containers. No two are likely to taste the same. Not only will there be limits to the mixed weights of the ingredients, the equipment mixing and distributing it is subject to constant wear which also changes the mixture strength.
Your body will adapt to small changes but if you form a dependency on any part of the recipe it will let you know if the bit you 'need' is short or missing!

Answer 3

If two different types of tablet have the same active ingredient, then most likely the effects will be exactly the same. However there are some differences between brands about the pharmacokinetics (how fast the drugs enter your blood stream) and the other ingredients.

For instance, some flu relief sachets will contain paracetomol and a decongestant that causes drowsiness in a very fast-acting tea mix, whereas another tablet will be slower acting, but might contain caffeine to counter the drowsy effects. However if all you want is the active ingredient, there is no issue with just getting the cheapest brand.

Answer 4

I believe that the same medicines (the same generics) produced in different brands have some differences. The manufacturers are not altering them as the active ingredients would be practically the same but perhaps would differ in the quality thus making some more effective than the others.

That applies in any medicine on the market including tablets for depression. I have a sister who would not respond to some kind of paracetamol but would have a fast response to a certain brand.That shows that taking a new brand may produce varied results-may work just the same,may not be as effective,or may possibly be more effective on what you have been using.

Answer 5

Generic tablets do vary, some may say they are the cheaper alternative, and that they don't seem to agree with some people. I have encountered cases personally where the patient has had to discontinue usage of certain tablets, due to them having a detrimental effect instead of a positive one. In my own experience a generic drug was prescribed, which then had little to no effect on my symptoms and upon returning to the branded drug, the difference was remarkable!

Answer 6

The drug itself doesn't change, but the fillers used to make it tablet for can be different and have an effect on how the medication works. Some tablets I can't take because I am allergic to the filler. So yes, they can be different.

Answer 7

If you have a tablet for depression made and sold in the UK, the same tablet will have a slightly different formula made for say the Japanese market. Two countries two different standards

Answer 8

Lucy P (the PharmD candidate) is actually correct regarding the statement that generic versions may have less or more of the active ingredient (some sources state capsule content of the active ingredient may differ by as much as 7% for oral meds which are considered to be "bioequivalent" -- see reference). Her illustration using Paxil speaks to your original question and makes sense based on the inherent nature of inter-individual differences in metabolism (i.e. for some, the brand-name may be more effective, but for others, the generic may be).

As another example is found with Prozac vs. generic compounds of fluoxetine. A psychiatrist told a family member that through his experience in prescribing Prozac, he has found brand-name Prozac to me more effective than the generic form.

Maybe it has to do with unknown interactions between the active ingredient and what it's compounded with, but different versions of the same chemical may produce different psychotropic effects based on how the non-medicinal ingredients are compounded.

Answer 9

a lot of tablets are referred to in the broad spectrum
ie, analgesic, antibiotic, ect. there are many types of
everything, thats why we have doctors so listen to him, not
joe propping up the bar.

Answer 10

The active ingredient will be the same. The stabilizer, colouring and flavouring will not.