Brand names are for the lazy and uninformed...

[Apple]

Not really on-topic, but Excedrine makes me completely nauseous.  Aleve does the same thing.  I'll put up with the migraine rather than take either one (unless I'm going straight to bed, I don't care if I'm nauseous when I'm sleeping, as long as it doesn't wake me up).

[Deleted]

I didn't check all of the posts but I'll hit on this. In our society quality in some people minds is related to cost. My wife's friend (the one that will one day be filing for BK) was put on an antidepressant. She did fair on it (considering that she is a Debbie downer by nature). Then as a cost cutting measure (because everyone told her to try it) she tried a generic of the same drug. Less than 24 hours later she was back getting the name brand because the generic didn't work. You see she didn't believe that "cheap" worked on her.

Of course the interesting thing is that antidepressants don't really work that way. There are blood levels that you have to reach & that decline & none of that happens in 24 hours. Of course they differ some depending on the drug, like the one my wife is on for fibro takes 2 weeks to build up a effective blood level.

The point here is that if you don't expect an medication to work it just may not. Sometimes & with some meds it's all in your mind.

And yes I'll agree with others that the fillers in tablets can be totally different. That "could" make a difference with people. The drug it's self should be the same. Oddly something like Bayer aspirin which claims to be better, well the claim is base off of how fast it dissolves. The drug it's self (aspirin) has to be the same (legally).

[Peace Of Mind]

Jul 5, 2013 13:33:38 GMT -5 Apple said:

I've also been hit by some of the inactive ingredients.  There is a cough syrup I like that is name-brand.  In an attempt to save a few dollars, I went with the store brand--same active ingredient, etc.  I ended up feeling really "loopy" and not right.  I was worried about driving because I knew I was impaired.  I'd never had that reaction to the name brand.  Tried both again at different points, and had the reaction again with the generic, but not the name brand.  So I'll stick to paying a few more bucks there.

Thyroid pills--switch the brand on me and my body gets all out of sync and it sucks.

  I keep trying generic and they never work the same or don't work at all.  Even nose sprays ($75 a pop for the real stuff) don't work.  At all.  And when I tried changing my Synthroid to generic I think I would have become a serial killer had I not gone back to the name brand it made me so out of whack. 

Now if I could just find a magic food or foods for my hormone issues I think people will be safe around me. 

[Nazgul Girl]

Jul 5, 2013 13:54:30 GMT -5 giramomma said:

Jul 5, 2013 12:51:06 GMT -5 imawino said:

And how the hell much gluten can there be in a tiny ibuprofen tablet?

OT.  One of our priests had a severe gluten intolerance. He couldn't even tolerate 1-2 communion wafers a day. I guess they tried a "low gluten" version, but he still had severe reactions. That priest is now transitioning to get a job in the "real world" since he can't do mass anymore. Our church doesn't do gluten free communion...

    I feel sorry for the priest.   That's sad, to have to give up a life's work and calling due to his allergies.   Perhaps the gluten-free recipe could be used ?  

[Deleted]

I just wonder why the priest can't do something else within the structure of the church.  I find it difficult to believe that the denomination didn't reassign him to some other duties.

There is more to the story than a gluten allergy.  It sounds like he wanted out.

[Tiny]

I didn't know severe gluten allergies could creep up on you out of the blue.   Are we all ticking 'gluten allergy' timebombs?

[Tiny]

I've been trying to take a multi vitamin everyday for the 18 months or so... I'm only so-so at remembering.  I have found that I do better with children's chewables. 
That said, I've had the opportunity to try a bunch of different OTC vitamins.    I can say the brand name vitamin pills are smaller (and therefor somewhat easier to swallow/spend less time chewing).  The walgreens brand seemed to be comparable the adult multivitamin was about the same size, the kid's chewable seemed approximate - it was a different shape (dinosaurs I think versus flintstones) so it was hard to compare.  The Miejer adult multi vitamin and kids chewables are both GINORMOUS - I'm part goat... and I have trouble convincing myself to swallow the adult pill and the chewable ones taste ok but there's definitely a lot of it... and took some getting use to.

I alternate between the chewables and the adult pills - the adult pill (ANY brand -even the One-A-Day) makes my tummy upset if I didn't eat something before taking it.  The chewable ones are good when I'm in a hurry (not eating).   I'm mostly after the iron and the B vitamins, and I eat fairly well over the course of the week so I'm not looking for bigger badder suppliments.

[Deleted]

Jul 5, 2013 12:57:09 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

There have been more and more reports out that suggest that all generics are not equal.  That includes both OTC and prescription meds.

My pharmacy recently changed their supplier of my levothyroxine and I really suspect that there is some variation in the active ingredient in my dosage from what I was taking 3 months ago.

You know, that's really interesting.  I just got a refill on mine and I am feeling exhausted.  Hubby suggested I have them check my levels (it hasn't changed in years, and was steady when I was pregnant, but maybe it changed after I gave birth?).  Maybe I will check the label to see if the mfg has changed.

[Deleted]

For most OTC, I do generic.  I just bought Walgreens brand NyQuil an hour or so ago.  I do generic Aleve and aspirin and sleeping pills, etc.  my prescription antidepressant is also generic and I've been on generic thyroid medicine for years, but now may rethink that. My birth control is actually branded, but I hope to only be on it for a few months before DH gets snipped.  The only medicine I think that I've needed to be brand was my migraine meds...I took Imitrex for those.  But once I went off hormonal BC, they all but disappeared.  Of course, now I'm back on hormonal BC....I've def had more headaches, but they haven't been getting to migraine levels