Does using generic medications do hamper your Health?

[RobertWalker]

Many people around make ways to get generic medications rather than looking over for brand ones just for the sake of saving some penny. Is it really better or does it comes up with any side effects as such.

[redeyemindtricks]

The ACTIVE INGREDIENT in a generic medication will be exactly the same as in the brand-name equivalent.

But... that's pretty much where the similarities stop.

EVERYTHING else about the medication -- the matrix in which that ingredient is dissolved/crystallized (if it's a solid pill), the bonding agents, etc. -- can be, and usually is, different.

So... well, once you know that, the result is basically just common sense:

• If the active ingredient is highly bioavailable (= pretty much immediately available to yr body right away, as soon as the medication is introduced into yr system), then, the generic should be just about as good as the brand-name.

• If the active ingredient has a lower bioavailability -- and/or if it has to go through a number of steps before becoming bioavailable, and/or if there's a "trick" to the way the medication is dispensed -- then there could be a MASSIVE difference.

As an example of the latter of these, consider Concerta (= time-release methylphenidate, one of the drugs commonly prescribed for ADHD). You should read about the time-release mechanism in the brand-name Concerta pills -- it's pretty damn schmancy, and it is absolutely a proprietary trademark of that single pharmaceutical company.
There is a generic equivalent, but, that drug isn't dispensed in the same kind of matrix -- it just kinda falls apart at random. So, it will be markedly inferior to the brand-name Concerta, especially in terms of the consistency with which it enters the patient's system.

On the other hand, for something like ibuprofen, which is very highly bioavailable right away, you are pretty much wasting yr money by buying name-brand Advil or Motrin over a generic equivalent.

In general, you should DO YR HOMEWORK for any drug you are going to be prescribed. If the drug has a low bioavailability %, and/or goes through a sophisticated series of steps, you should consider asking yr doc to specify "Brand name Only" on the prescription. (Be sure to check whether yr insurance will actually cover this before you do it.)

[BellePepper]

I've only ever had a problem with ONE generic medication and it was hormonal anyway. I don't really blame the medication for being bad so much as it just not being right for me.

[ATPPC]

Like over-the-counter stuff? No big difference really. The more expensive ones are probably higher quality but for something like anti-emetics, fungal creams, laxatives etc I usually just take the cheapest one.

[Walls_and_Doors]

No..