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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by floatingbridge on December 21, 2009, at 0:49:10
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/19/health/19patient.html?em
not in-depth, but for what it's worth....
fb
Posted by herpills on December 21, 2009, at 9:34:41
In reply to NTY article on generics--mentions welbutrin, posted by floatingbridge on December 21, 2009, at 0:49:10
Thanks for the article. I always knew about the bioequivalent requirement for generics, but 80 to 125% ???? Then the guy from the FDA says most generics fall into the 3-5% range. Well, why not change the law so it has to be 95-105% ??
I'll be staying on brand Lamictal for now. I don't have insurance and the generic isn't that much cheaper anyway. In fact, when my pharmacy first gave me the generic when it came out (without telling me, had to go back and exchange it) it costed a little more than brand!
herpills
> http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/19/health/19patient.html?em
>
> not in-depth, but for what it's worth....
>
> fb
Posted by Phillipa on December 21, 2009, at 10:44:16
In reply to Re: NTY article on generics--mentions welbutrin, posted by herpills on December 21, 2009, at 9:34:41
It's like greenstone generic xanax a long time ago the pharmacist said why pay for the real med when Greenstone makes the generic version and it's really the real xanax just their generic version. I found they work the same. Others at the time also did. I always thought it was a 20% variation either way? Thanks Fb. Love Phillipa
Posted by bleauberry on December 21, 2009, at 17:25:08
In reply to NTY article on generics--mentions welbutrin, posted by floatingbridge on December 21, 2009, at 0:49:10
"Bioequivalence" does not equal "clinical" equivalence.
Unfortunately, the FDA method of testing generics is not based on patient trials or clinical equivalence. It is based on accepting theories and assumptions as if they were fact. It ignores obvious differences in manufacturing and ingredients. It "assumes" the "other" ingredients don't do anything, either good or bad.
Clinical testing doesn't help either, because the overall rate in a large group of people will probably be the same in a generic group or a brand group. So it will automatically be assumed that both are equal. However, to do a switchover study would be more meaningful...that is, switch stable brand users to generic blindfolded and see what happens. It is already showing itself in the real world.
This article which gently questions generics is but one of literally hundreds. The evidence is all over the place. Wellbutrin is but one of dozens of culprits that have brought on documented trouble to countless patients.
My doctor won't even prescribe generics because he has seen too many problems with them. Even if one is good, we don't know it is good...there is already too many variables and possibile contributors to med failures, and we don't need to introduce yet one more questionable variable, of any kind. Especially in mental health, the stakes are too high to even take on any additional risk than there already is.
This doctor has many patients stable and doing well on their meds...brand. They were tried to switch to generics, some continued to do well and some relapsed. But at least at this point we would now know what is doing what. Now, just imagine if they had started with generic and never tried brand? Guess what, they totally completely missed out THE med they were hoping for, even though it was so close.
Posted by inanimate peanut on December 21, 2009, at 18:20:30
In reply to NTY article on generics--mentions welbutrin, posted by floatingbridge on December 21, 2009, at 0:49:10
I had horrible problems with generic Wellbutrin and had to switch back to the brand. I didn't know there were issues with Lamictal. Maybe I should look into switching back to the brand on that one as well...
Posted by bleauberry on December 22, 2009, at 16:40:03
In reply to NTY article on generics--mentions welbutrin, posted by floatingbridge on December 21, 2009, at 0:49:10
While this article focuses on Wellbutrin extended release, there are a bunch of others that have had countless negative reports on. The most common ones are:
Any version of Wellbutrin.
Prozac.
Zoloft.
Lamictal.
Gabapentin.
Modafinil.
Xanax.
Advil.
Diflucan (antifungal).
Any antiseizure medication.
Any antirejection medication (transplants).I'm not surprised the phenomenon applies to just about all drugs, but the above are the most common I have seen reported on here and elsewhere. I might have forgotten a couple.
The FDA routinely ignores all the time the hundreds of reports they get from physicians on this topic. They accept the reports, read them, and file them away, but do not take any further action. Typical oversized overego bearacracy behavior. Quite remote and isolated from the real world, what with all the white coats file cabinets and all.
This is the end of the thread.
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