[Bmee2]

Can anyone explain what is the difference between name brand medication and generic medication?
If it is the same why do I have allergic reactions to better than 50% of the generic medication?

[-jimi-]

The only thing needed to be the same is the active ingredient. A pill is more than that, it is fillers, coloring and heaploads of other stuff. It is not uncommon there are 8-10 different substances in a pill.

On average, generic meds have more extra substances.

Some substances might be the same as the original med, some might be different.

There is a med which I can take the generic of but not the brand name. So it can work in that direction as well. It can be tricky to find out what substance is the troublesome one, but comparing lists of what is in the pills can help.

[roads]

Generics use different fillers, dyes, etc, and may come in different forms--as a capsule rather than a caplet, for example. And every generic supplier brings a different x-factor (dozens of then actually) into the mix. You may be sensitive to any one of these.

Part of what you're paying for in a Brand Name is lower odds that you'll be getting an ingredient that a large percent of the public has issues with.

If one generic bothers you, you might ask your pharmacy to dispense a generic from a different pharmaceutical house to you. That might solve the problem, if you're lucky.

Roadie

[bipolarmedstudent]

Originally Posted by Bmee2

Can anyone explain what is the difference between name brand medication and generic medication?
If it is the same why do I have allergic reactions to better than 50% of the generic medication?

You are probably allergic to some non-active/filler ingredient in the generic. Try a different generic manufacturer, or the name brand.

[Bmee2]

Oh thank you all for this information. i am taking a medication now that is generic and one of the side affects are joint pain. So of course my wrist and elbows hurt often. Afraid to increase the medication, because last time it caused a problem breathing.
Now my main medication has gone generic. Insurance would not pay for the dosage of the main medication. So my doc added the second medication...Without all of the medication i grind to an absolute halt.
oh....wish me luck as i try to climb the medicine mountain again.