Actually that is not true. For instance, with the wellbutrin xl generic, it was pulled from the market from that particular manufacturer because they had not actually tested the 300mg pill. They had simply extrapolated data based on the testing of the 150mg pill.

Some people, like myself, found they had almost immediate serious problems with that generic 300mg. Within 3 days of starting that generic, I crashed. It suddenly hit me that this new generic looked different and was from a different manufacturer, and I remembered my pdoc had originally prescribed brand name only because he had other patients who had problems with the inconsistency with certain generic versions of wellbutrin xl.

I put two and two together and spoke to my pharmacist. Sure enough, they had switched manufacturers to save some money, and upon doing some quick research, I discovered the generic they gave me was the one that was causing many reported problems. A few months later, the FDA had that generic pulled from distribution.

My pdoc gave me brand name to get me back on track, but the repercussions to my mood/bipolar disorder lasted for several months. It was THAT severe a problem. It was not a psychological reaction to the change in shape or color; it was a very physical, psychiatric reaction to the generic not working the same as the brand name.