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?

  • HONEYBADGER517@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    83
    ·
    edit-2
    3 months ago

    One of the big things I don’t see mentioned here is that while the “active ingredient” in the medication is the same, all the other stuff in it is not. This also includes the binding agents that hold the med together and also the release mechanisms that control how/when the medicine is absorbed into your body.

    For example, generic extended release amphetamine salts don’t release into your body in the same way Adderall XR does, despite being the same medication. While the patent on the drug has expired, the patent on the proprietary release mechanism has not expired. So generics can’t copy it. This could cause the generic to not work as well for some people, or some people could have a reaction to those different ingredients.

    Edited: fixed spelling

    • Rhaedas@fedia.io
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      24
      ·
      3 months ago

      I was going to say, it does depend on the drug and person. My son had that experience where the insurance flip-flopped to cover generic instead of Adderall, but it did not work at all for him so we had to fight to get it changed back. Since then every year or so insurance plays their game and we have to go through the ritual explaining why it can’t be generic when that becomes the one covered. It shouldn’t be this hard, right?

      • Rabidranger@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        5
        ·
        3 months ago

        Omg. We fight the damn battle every year as well for our son. They don’t understand that the delivery systems are different. Well, they probably do, but don’t care.

  • HyperCube@fedia.io
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    28
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    3 months ago

    In addition to the reasons other people mention, placebo is a helluva drug. If you believe the name brand is better, it may actually become more effective for you even if the active ingredients are the same as the generic.

    • KingJalopy @lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      6
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      3 months ago

      Name brands only matter to me when it comes to chips, soda, cereal bars (like nutri-grain), and shampoo. Maybe some others I’m not thinking of. But drugs are def not on that list. The only time I ever requested name brand drugs was when I got a script for Klonopin I didn’t need back when I was an addict and only because I thought it would be cool to have the pills with the little K cut out of the middle, because like I said, addict.

      • trailee@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        3 months ago

        Liquid gels are absolutely faster acting than compressed powder. I buy both generic naproxen pills and name brand Aleve liquid gels so that I have two different available delivery mechanisms (and unit prices) for the same active ingredient, and I choose which to take (or to give my dependents) based on the circumstances at the time of use.

      • godzillabacter@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        9
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        3 months ago

        This is incorrect. You just can’t switch manufacturers easily if you’re stable on one. But that’s not a brand vs generic thing, that’s an any manufacturer to any-other manufacturer thing. Same with warfarin, narrow-therapeutic index antiepileptics, etc.

      • Revv@lemmy.blahaj.zone
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        7
        ·
        3 months ago

        Yup. I’ve gone unmedicated for 10+ years as a result. I’ll take the highs/lows of hashimoto’s over ending up in the ER with my heart pounding out of my chest any day of the week.

  • atrielienz@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    14
    ·
    edit-2
    3 months ago

    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.

    • curbstickle@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      3 months ago

      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.

  • halfeatenpotato@lonestarlemmy.mooo.com
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    13
    ·
    3 months ago

    I grew up in a poor household, relative to the other kids I went to school with. While I was in public school, I was bullied for not wearing name brand clothing and because all of my school supplies and snacks and everything was generic brand. I became extremely self-conscious about it, and was always trying to hide what I had, or if I found name brand packaging for something in the trash or on the floor, I’d grab it so I could repackage my stuff and pretend like I totally had name brand stuff. As a young adult when I went to college, I only ever aimed for buying name brand stuff, but it was really hard to do so, considering I was still broke…

    Anyways, I eventually matured a little more and realized kids are cruel and the whole thing was dumb. I exclusively go with generic everything now and am, always trying to get the best deal, and I even went back to buying second-hand clothes, cause why not?

    All that to say, maybe some people had similar experiences and just never grew out of it.

    • Thebeardedsinglemalt@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      3 months ago

      I’ll gladly buy some generics but I am firmly on brand name stuff with some types of cheese… especially preshredded. I got some generic cheeses in the past that were basically flavored plastic

    • Fermion@feddit.nl
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      9
      ·
      3 months ago

      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.

  • JizzmasterD@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    11
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    3 months ago

    Not to be super-pessimistic but the pharmaceutical industry seems to based upon encouraging awareness and promotion of name brands. Advertising and incentivizing doctors to prescribe promotes a system where the average patient has a hard time understanding and navigating, especially where the patient wants the best opportunity to treat a significant impact to their wellness.

  • tunetardis@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    9
    ·
    3 months ago

    For the most part, I choose the generic version for pharmaceuticals where available, but there are a few exceptions. For example, for something like a nasal spray, the generic version’s dispensing mechanism may be inferior?

  • reddig33@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    8
    ·
    edit-2
    3 months ago
    • Onno (VK6FLAB)@lemmy.radio
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      3 months ago

      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.

  • SplashJackson@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    7
    ·
    edit-2
    3 months ago

    In Canada we have generics and we still scare smoothbrainers about how the generics will give you a shitty ass compared to the full Branded version just to keep them in the ecosystem

    And then we make it so you can’t fill all your prescriptions on the same day, so now you gotta set calendar reminders for when each one is due for a refill

  • Today@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    6
    ·
    3 months ago

    My mom had medicare and a good secondary. Looking back, i should have requested name brands for her. With generic, there are often a couple of different patterns (size, shape, color) that you get and it makes it really difficult for older people to take their meds correctly.

  • ghashul@feddit.dk
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    5
    ·
    3 months ago

    In Denmark the pharmacies are required to offer the genetic version. I generally take it. I know that a lot of elderly can get confused if their medicine changes, so that’s one reason for choosing the brand name.