which do u think is better? i personally would rather pay the extra money for brand name
2007-09-04 14:08:23 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Health ➔ Other - Health
talking about prescription medications
2007-09-04 14:42:56 · update #1
the active ingredients are the same but the inactive can be different, the effectiveness can also be different
2007-09-04 14:44:52 · update #2
They are buy law 100% the EXACT same medication The only thing you are paying for is a brand name. I personaly will never buy brand name medications either prescription or over the counter. Get a couple of medications (like tylenol) for example and read the labels. They are the same. I will not pay 3-5 dollars more for some company to print their name when I can go to the dollar tree and buy it for a buck!
Edit: If you read my link from the FDA you'll see that the effectiveness is the same. Inactive means just that, inactive. It doesn't have an effect on the effectiveness only the ACTIVE(the ones that are the same) ingredients do. Also if someone were on medicaid they would make you get generics do to the fact that they also will not pay extra for a name brand on the exact same medicine(My husband works in a pharmacy)
2007-09-04 14:20:27 · answer #1 · answered by gobster 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Most people are going to answer this the wrong way as they are highly misinformed. They are not the "exact same" as stated below. Sure, the active ingredient is the same however, it's all about the BA (Bioavailability) of the active ingredient. Brand names usually have a LOT more research and money going into their medication and they use the BEST inactive ingredients and fillers that help the ACTIVE ingredient get maximally absorbed. It's easy to "assume" that they work the same because they have the same active ingredient but you gotta think outside the box on this one. Generic ibuprofin NEVER works for my headaches yet Advil or Motrin IB take a headache away within 15 minutes every single time. I used to think like everyone else on this subject. It wasn't until I started buying generic ibuprofin to cut costs and started realizing that I NEVER got any relief. This led me to do a lot of research on the matter and talk to a lot of doctors. The industry has succeeded though in making the masses believe that it's all the same.. It's just simply not. There is also an issue with quality control with generics.. They don't have the same quality control standards as brand names. But again, I cannot stress enough that the fillers and imolsifiers (inactive ingredients) play a HUGE roll in how well the active ingredient (ibuprofin in this example) get into your system.
2014-01-02 19:02:17 · answer #2 · answered by Jason L 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, oftentimes there's not much of a difference. At least I don't think so. Take the common allergy medicine Benadryl for instance. The active ingredient is the same, generic or not. And you can oftentimes buy more of the generic than the brand, which I think is the point of the generic existing actually.
2007-09-04 21:16:50 · answer #3 · answered by vendetta4hire 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Just because a medicine is generic that doesn't mean it 's not just as good. I've used a lot of generic meds and they all seem to work the same. If they were not good then the doctors would not order them. Why waste money when you don't have to since health is so high cost anyway?
2007-09-04 21:20:51 · answer #4 · answered by insane one 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As long as they are manufactured under US guidelines, they are the same.
2007-09-04 21:21:17 · answer #5 · answered by Nurse Susan 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋