Do doctors prefer name-brand medications or generic ones?

Question

How much of a hassel is it for doctors to get healthplans to agree with them on precribing name-barnd medications over generic brand? Is that a problem

Answer 1

they don't prefer them for any other reason than that is all they know
a typical doctor will prescribe the same 10-20 medicines to all of their patients, even if a better drug is out there solely because it is all they know
doctors have to know how to tell you what is wrong with you, they don't really know what to do with you medication wise
that is why there is a push in the medical field to force Md's to work with pharmacists more closely to prescribe the proper medicines, after all pharmacists spend 6 years in school studying the medicines they dispense, an MD will be Lucky to spend 6 months on studying medications

Answer 2

I'm a doctor, and I prefer generics for the most part, cuz they are cheaper and they are usually exactly the same. I buy generic stuff for myself, too. Cuz I'm cheap.
There are only a few preparations that have some patented capsule or other delivery system like an extended release or something that makes the brand name better. In that case, your doc can write for "medical necessity" if it is important.
Some drugs, like thyroid medicine, are the same but are absorbed differently, so if you change to a different brand you have to have a blood test in 8 weeks to make sure your level is the same.

Answer 3

I can't remember the last time I prescribed anything by name brand except to continue a sustained-release dosage form that some other doctor had already started, and that's rare. Whether the patients wind up getting reimbursed by their insurers I can't say, both because of the small sample size and because my practice (emergency medicine) doesn't give me a lot of follow-up on a routine basis. Besides, the majority of drugs I prescribe are old, cheap and normally not an issue.

Answer 4

Many doctors do get "calls" from drug manufacturers to push their products, but most of the time these products are not made generically yet.
That said, generics are supposed to be the exact duplicate of the original, as far as the "active" ingredient, but fillers and other manufacturing methods may make for minute differences in efficacy , but again most would say it's "in your head" and there are no differences at all.

Answer 5

Doctors do not have a say in what your insurance plan covers. The doctor prescribes the med they think will work, and then you pay for whatever insurance does not cover. A lot of times you can have your pharmacist check with the insurance plan to see how much cheaper the generic brand is for you. But nobody gets to haggle with the insurance company.

Answer 6

No pun intended, but in pediatrics it's sometimes a matter of taste. Some proprietary brands taste better than the generics. It is no savings if a child refuses to take it. Often it is the parent who must opt for the greater cost if their drug plan so states.