I had met people who have a complete knowledge of the generic medicines, yet they still choose the brand without giving any reason.
Why are they doing that?
I’m guessing it’s because of concerns about quality control.
For example, I used to use generic eye drops. Then there were a bunch of recalls on eye drops made in India because they weren’t kept sterile and people were getting eye infections. So now I make sure to only buy eye drops that are manufactured in countries with actual controls on health codes. It turns out that imposing that restriction elliminated all the generic options. I’m certainly not happy to be paying double for brand name pataday, but I don’t care to mess with the chance of eye infections.
It all depends on the generics. I buy generic cereal. But only certain ones because other ones I have tried aren’t the same as the name brand and I like the name brand. Sometimes it’s as simple as texture difference or a difference in flavor.
In the case of my epi-pens, the generic injectors don’t work exactly the same and that can be a bit much in an emergency where your throat is swelling shut or you’re having difficulty breathing.
In the case of something over the counter, I’d still wager things like mouth feel, smell, or other sensory factors are a reason. Like for instance, I prefer the smooth coating on Advil to the matte coating on Motrin or other ibuprofen generic meds.
Same here (in terms of general approach, though I can’t buy generic cereal anymore, need that gluten free logo).
There was a vast difference for me in generics of omeprazole, and the first few generics of dexlansoprazole. Not as critical as an epi-pen obviously, but the delivery mechanism for pills can be so different it absolutely makes a difference.
Doesn’t it kinda depend on what the doctor writes on the prescription? I’ve had both doctors who just put the brand name on there but also doctors who insist on writing down the generic version.
Either way, I don’t really see any point in arguing with them about whichever one they prefer? The medicines generally do work the same.
I just want to jump in to say this is probably dependant on where you live or which pharmacy you go to. In my state, if the doctor writes for the brand name, the pharmacy MUST fill the brand name. They can call the doctor to get approval for the generic, but they won’t just fill the generic at the patient’s request. YMMV
Many generic meds are made in filthy factories with no quality control.
The FDA is slacking on testing generics for quality assurance, but third parties and other countries are revealing problems.
https://www.statnews.com/2024/08/12/fda-withdraw-approval-400-plus-tainted-drugs/
It’s interesting that you put the blame on the FDA. I’m not in the USA, but the effectiveness of a body like the FDA, the FCC, the EPA, FAA and all the others is directly related to how much money they have available and who is running the department; these are determined by politicians.
In other words, medical oversight depends entirely on whom you vote for and why voting is important. It’s the “little” things like this, not the defence or education budgets capturing the headlines that make the difference.
It’s rare, but some people do have adverse reactions to generics, and have to use the name brands.
