Is anyone still buying brand medicines these days? I mean, we all know that the generic drugs are the exact same thing, but I still see people demanding to get the brand one. Does this make any sense?
It's simply brand loyalty, or ignorance as to the availability of substitutes. Due to stringent regulations, generic brand drugs are required to have the same formulation, and similar efficacy to their branded variants. You should always aim to buy the cheapest generic drug possible, the money saved can be substantial while the effect of the medicine stays largely the same.
I still buy branded headache and flu medication, but mostly only because they aren't that expensive to begin with. I imagine that if I needed some of the more expensive drugs then having the generic options surely would be a welcome sight. I've heard from some friends who have relatives that are in somewhat serious conditions that the generic drugs are invaluable to their well being so I definitely appreciate that they are around as an added alternative.
Yeah, one thing is to buy a branded medicine which price is similar to the generic, but other than that, seriously? I would never buy the SAME drug for a superior price, what are people thinking when they do that, it makes no sense really...
There are a few brand medicines that I stick to but for the most part I am not brand loyal. If it has the same ingredients as the leading brand -- I will use it. Typically I only buy generics -- they are cheaper and do the exact same thing -- unless it's one of those brands that I just have a preference to, then I will purchase the more expensive one.
I believe that certain medicines may not be exactly the same. They say they are comparable to this or that brand, but that doesn't mean they are exact. I don't know if the inactive ingredients have any effect or not, but they sometimes differ from package to package. I'm not a brand snob, at all, but for headaches, the only thing that I feel really works well is Excedrin. I've tried other brands, and they do not seem to work as well. I usually buy generics, or at least try them. As for prescription meds, if my pharmacist says it's the same thing or just as good, I'll always choose the generic.
I have some bias towards generic drugs. They are cheaper yeah, but from experience I know they are not as 'good' as Branded name drugs. That's why if I have a headache or some other kind of ache I'd prefer buying brand name pain killers because I know that they'll lessen the pain faster. Maybe it's because of my faith that I get the results I hope for. I don't know . . .
There are a handful of medications where branded vs. generic DOES make a difference, but every example that I can think of are all prescription medications, and if the Doctor feels it is necessary, they can specify "requires brand name only" on the script for it. I agree it's silly to stick with brand names- out of loyalty or something else, when you can get the same exact medicine, same exact requirements for safety and monitoring and all that, for less. Even when the price difference isn't huge, saving money is still more money in your pocket, you know? I think a lot of people are just ignorant though, and don't understand that it actually IS the same.
What do you mean that does make a difference Jessi? It makes a difference on the price right, because the drug is the same... Exactly like you say, it's a matter of ignorance and fear, people fear what they don't know, but generic drug doesn't fall in that category!
I think that both are just the same in purpose and efficacy, the other one is just branded, but my dad says that he prefers the branded version of this anti-antacid drug, because the generic one doesn't seem to be as effective. So maybe some branded drugs do perform better than the generic one.
I have gone the generic route and have not had any negative results. I think a lot of it may be mental with people. I see a visible difference when I buy store brand paper towels or soap compared to brand name products like Bounty or Dial but with medication less so. And because of the steep price difference sometimes you have no choice. And I have not been disappointed.
Personally, I don't regard pharmaceuticals as medicine, so I never buy them for myself or my family. But admittedly, we do have a box of aspirin in our bathroom cabinet just in case we have a visitor who might require a pain killer. If you buy any kind of drugs, brand name or generic, it would obviously be a sensible idea to read the label of the package to see if it contains any ingredients that you don't know, or that you might be allergic to.
LOL, gotta love the dis-attachment with which you speak the drugs sold in pharmacies. I wish I could be like that, but sadly I have breathing problems that aren't solved unless with those drugs, but I try to use them the least possible.
Well there are particular drugs that don't have a generic equivalent, so as much as I would have liked to purchase generic drugs all the time, I can't unless they have a generic counterpart. Generic drugs are a lot cheaper and some companies are aware that the sale of such drugs poses a big threat to their profit. Thus, they release new drugs beyond the scope of generic pharmacies.
That is true and the drugs that for some reason don't have the generic are usually super expensive. I think that the labs that discover or create a drugs have rights over that drug for a certain number of years, only after that the generic can be produced.
Twenty years. The pharmaceutical company that develops a new drug is allowed to be the sole supplier (patent owner) for twenty years before releasing the formula to competitors. This is basically the chance to recoup the development costs of the drug (not to mention a very sizable profit margin) before letting other companies produce it for a fraction of the cost.. since they don't need to spend the research and development costs to discover it.
All I know is that there is a Wal-Mart brand sleeping pill called Sleep-Aid. It comes in a little box of 16 pills (i think) and it works better or just as well as any other sleeping pill I have ever tried. It's usually in one of those discount bins and costs 99 cents. Not saying that I take sleeping pills habitually, I don't. But when I want a deep hard sleep, I know what to take!
Sure, no problem with that at all Penny, it costs one dollar. But imagine that it's something that costs 10 dollars and the generic costs 5, it does make a difference right? And it's the exact same drug, so why should we go for the most expensive one?
The vast majority of the time, generic drugs are the exact same as brand name drugs. In Canada at least, it is mandated that generic and brand name drugs contain the same amount of medicinal AND non-medicinal ingredients, crafted through manufacturing processes that follow the same rules. Some people buy brand name drugs because of familiarity. Everyone knows what a Tylenol is, what it does, and how safe it is. When you start using official drug names like paracetamol, it may sound scary and "chemical-y" to some members of the general public.
For me, I always buy generic medicines as long as they are available. But for my Mom's medicines, I tend to buy the branded medicines because they don't have the generic counterpart. My brother and sister-in-law who both works as med reps of well-known pharmaceutical companies here insists that branded medicines are better and more effective. But I tell them that generic medicines are also effective and they cost less because the manufacturers don't have to pay for med reps like them and they don't sponsors doctors' out of the country seminars.
