Generic Drug Problems
Generic drugs are supposed to be identical to their brand-name counterparts, but many people report problems with generic drug quality. Share your own story.
Carvedilol Side Effects from Generic Coreg
One of the most popular beta blockers being prescribed these days is carvedilol (Coreg). Even though this class of medication is no longer perceived by most cardiology experts as appropriate first-lin…
Generic Lipitor Lures Shoppers
Some stores like to offer loss leaders to attract shoppers. This usually involves products like cereal, soft drinks, or facial tissue being sold at, or below, cost. Now supermarket chains are using th…
Scary Generic Coreg (Carvedilol) Side Effects
Q. My wife has been taking Coreg for 10 years and doing well. Last week she was advised that a generic version of the drug (carvedilol) was available. At the advice of the pharmacist (who insisted tha…
Generic Drug Equivalency Coming Unraveled
For decades, we were told by the FDA, physicians, pharmacists and consumer organizations that generic drugs were "identical" to their brand name equivalents. We believed them. In fact, we led the char…
Did Glass in Atorvastatin Pills Damage Stomach?
By now you should have heard that the huge Indian generic drug company, Ranbaxy, finally agreed to halt production of its generic Lipitor (atorvastatin) because somehow glass particles got into the pr…
Where Did Contaminated Atorvastatin Come From?
By now you no doubt know that a generic formulation of Lipitor (atorvastatin) made by the Indian company Ranbaxy was contaminated with small glass particles. The company announced its recall last week…
Breaking News: Atorvastatin (Generic Lipitor) Re…
Lipitor has been the most successful drug in the history of the pharmaceutical industry. Nothing else even gets close. Sales of Lipitor exceeded more than $130 billion. In its heyday millions of peopl…
Patient Relieved at Drug’s Removal
Q. I am so relieved that the FDA finally got the antidepressant Budeprion XL 300 off the market. Years ago my insurance company switched me from Wellbutrin XL 300 to Budeprion XL 300. Within a short t…
Popular Generic Antidepressant Recalled
On October 3, 2012 the FDA announced that the generic antidepressant Budeprion XL 300 (bupropion) was not identical to the brand name drug Wellbutrin XL 300 and would be removed from pharmacy shelves.…
Patients Vindicated! Generic Wellbutrin Withdraw…
We are reposting our People's Pharmacy Alert from October 3, 2012 because of The New York Times article about "An Increase in Scrutiny for Generics." On October 3, 2012, the Food and Drug Administrati…
Whom Do You Trust Re: Generic Drugs?
The Food and Drug Administration has a culture of secrecy and a seeming lack of concern about reports of generic drug failures from patients, physicians and pharmacists. The response from the FDA, if …
Trouble with Generic Bupropion
Q. Three times I have been forced by my insurance company to switch from Wellbutrin XL to generic bupropion. Each time depression reared its ugly, gloomy head and darkness descended again. Wellbutrin …
Generic Drug Is Matter of Life and Death
Q. My husband is suffering seizures after being forced to switch to generic levetiracetam (Keppra). I can buy the brand for $735.00 per month, but at 62 years of age we can't afford to spend this much…
Generic Cholesterol Drug Didn’t Work
Q. I am a cardiologist with a patient who had elevated cholesterol in 2010. Her total cholesterol was 245 and her LDL was 156. This was too high, so I put her on Pravachol. It brought her cholesterol …
Are People Who Complain About Generic Drugs Nut …
Q. Never, never, never trust random folks on the internet for med advice. Generic drugs have to be the exact same thing as the brand name by law. The bioavailability as well as the delivery system als…
Generic Drug Inspections Proposed
Over the last decade or so there have been growing concerns about the quality of generic drugs. That is because 40 percent of the finished products and 80 percent of the raw ingredients are manufactur…
Generic Xanax Generates Anxiety
Q. The generic form of Xanax, alprazolam, does not work for me. It is at best 50 percent effective. A few years ago I was given alprazolam in place of Xanax. My panic attacks came back with a vengeanc…
Kidney Transplant Failure
Q. My husband was hospitalized for acute kidney transplant rejection. The doctor was very concerned when told that he had switched a few months earlier to generic tacrolimus. He had been on Prograf fo…
Why Pharmacists Are Wrong About Generic Drugs
Most (but not all) pharmacists routinely tell patients that generic drugs are identical to brand name medications. That is hardly surprising. This is what pharmacy students are told during their educa…
Generic Prozac Was A Downer
Q. My husband has been taking Prozac successfully for years. He was recently switched to generic fluoxetine. In the last several months he has become much the same person he was before Prozac--angry, …
Pharmacist Spills the Beans on Generic Drug Orig…
I am a pharmacist with 40 years of practice. I am very disturbed about the generic drugs that are coming into this country from who knows where. Unfortunately, we have little choice in choosing a gene…
Should Generic Drugs Be Safer?
For decades the FDA has reassured physicians, pharmacists and patients that generic drugs are identical to their brand name counterparts. Insurance companies love this guarantee. They often require pa…
Trouble with Generic Seizure Medicine
Q. I'm 17 years old and I have epilepsy. I started taking Keppra two years ago. It got my seizures under control and I went into remission. I recently moved to a new state and my new doctor switched m…
Trouble Switching between Generic Levothyroxine …
Q. I have taken levothyroxine for several years but my insurance keeps changing the brand (from Synthroid to Levothroid to several generics). I have had progressively deteriorating hypothyroid symptom…
Are Your Pills Legit?
When you think about big heists, what comes to mind? Diamonds? Cash stolen from an armored car? Perhaps a priceless painting from a museum? Prescription drugs turn out to be a growing target for thiev…
Diabetes Drug Smells Awful
People with type-2 diabetes are often prescribed a drug called metformin. It is quite effective in helping to control blood glucose. But there is a problem with this medication. Many patients stop tak…
Generic Drug Controversy Won’t Quit!
The FDA maintains that all generic drugs are "identical" to their brand name counterparts. Of course, the word identical does not mean the same thing to everyone. Most of us assume that identical mean…
Study to Compare Brand Name and Generic Antidepr…
Q. Is there anything new on the generic version of Wellbutrin XL? My wife had done well on the brand name and then the Watson generic bupropion for several years. She was abruptly switched to Teva Bud…
Quality of Generic Drugs Questioned
Questions about generic drug quality persist despite FDA reassurances. More than a year ago the Actavis Group had to voluntarily recall 800 million digoxin tablets because of doubts about the dose. A …
FDA Seizes Generic Drugs
The Food and Drug Administration recently seized substantial numbers of generic drugs that did not live up to good manufacturing practices. This is not the first time the feds have taken action on gen…
Generic Drug Recall Linked to Deaths
In times of economic hardship, low-cost generic drugs can be lifelines. They make it possible for people to continue critical medications. Without them, people could die. But if generic drugs don't me…
How Good Is Generic Anti-Epilepsy Drug?
Q. I need more information about the generic for the epilepsy drug Keppra. I understand that the generic is fairly new.Is it safe to take, and does it have the same active ingredient as Keppra?A. Gene…
Are Generic Drugs Really Identical?
In answering the question What are Generic Drugs? on its Web site, the Food and Drug Administration states unequivocally: “A generic drug is identical, or bioequivalent to a brand name drug in d…
Is It Safe to Save Money on Generic Drugs?
Everyone loves a bargain. Imagine buying a new Mercedes-Benz worth $60,000 for the price of a Hyundai, say around $20,000. As long as the vehicle had Mercedes parts and performed like a Mercedes, you …
Where Do Generic Drugs Come From?
Here we go again. First it was pet food from China contaminated with melamine. Then it was Chinese-made toothpaste containing diethylene glycol, an ingredient found in some antifreeze.Another scandal …
Generic Drugs Come Under Scrutiny
How good are generic drugs? The FDA tells everyone--patients, physicians, pharmacists, hospitals and insurance companies--that generic drugs are identical to their brand name counterparts. But the FDA…
Indian Drug Firm In Trouble with FDA and Justice
A story that was virtually ignored by the mainstream press and disappeared almost without a trace has to do with serious allegations against Ranbaxy Laboratories, an Indian drug company. Ranbaxy is no…
Questions Remain Despite FDA Report
For years, the FDA has reassured everyone who prescribes, dispenses or pays for prescription medicine that generic drugs are absolutely equivalent to brand-name drugs. Because brand name medications a…
FDA On The Hot Seat Over Heparin Horror
Americans have been repeatedly told that we have the safest medicines in the world. That's because the FDA has the reputation for policing our drug supply conscientiously. The recent scandal over the …
Disappointed with Generic Sleeping Pill
Q. I have suffered with insomnia for years. My doctor prescribed Ambien, which gives me eight hours of restful sleep. Then the pharmacist switched me to generic zolpidem for under $15. He said it was …