Different Manufactures of drugs can cause different reactions

[Zolt]

People, I want to tell you of a recent experience i had with Gabapentin, it was working quite well for me for 2 yrs. Then the pharmacy changed the manufacturer. From one that was made in the USA to one made in India. It was upsetting my stomach unlike the original one. So I tried to get my doc to put me back on the original one, so she sent word to the pharmacy to go back to the original. Well turned out for some reason the original maker did not make the drug, so they gave me a substitute. The substitute drug made me gain weight, since that was one way to alleviate the stomach pain. So I told the pharmacy dept to give me anything else except for the substitute drug. Well they put me on another maker of Gabapentin from India, but this time no more stomach pain.

So just want to say that sometimes it's not the actual drug that might be bad for someone, but where and who makes the drug.

Zolt

iano: op:

 

[Fedup]

Zolt

Thank you for that, interesting and true, I cannot take the de-solvable type of Lamictal I get a bad reaction to it.

 

[Bernard]

When you buy a brand name (trademark), you get a known quantity (a specific formulation of active and inactive ingredients) with generally high manufacturing standards (less deviation in expected quantities of the ingredients).

When you buy generics, you can get different formulations (generally they [try to] maintain the levels of active ingredients, but are free to invent their own mix of inactive ingredients including binders and flavorings) that can affect how the med is metabolized.

When you buy generics from overseas, it's possible that the quality control is not the same as what you find with meds manufactured in the USA.

 

[Zolt]

Hey Bernard,

So bottom line is one never know what one gets when one buys generics.

I look up how many different manufacturers there was for Gabapentin and there was like 30 on the list, so i let the pharmacy decide on which one to try next. I should of put more research into it, but now with this different brand, my stomach issues are gone and am trying to loose the weight i gained. Forgot how hard that is, luckily not much, 10lbs.

Cheers,
Zolt

iano: op:

 

[travel bug]

Another issue with generics is how the bioavailability of the active ingredient can legally vary from 80% - 125%. So if you've been taking a generic that provides bioavailability of 125% then your pharmacy changes to another source whose generic provides only 80%, it's possible, if you are especially sensitive, to have problems.

This came up when I thought my break-through seizures were caused by a change in generic Keppra. Endless, whom I haven't seen around in a while, provided some helpful info, including that above. Here's a link to that thread.

http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f23/generic-keppra-different-manufacturers-21977/

BTW, it turns out that the breakthrough was, in fact, caused by new tumor growth, it just didn't show up on the CT. So in my case, it wasn't caused by changes in manufacturers of generic keppra. But my pharmacist has been good about sticking with one since the question came up.

Anyway, Zolt, I'm glad you figured out what the issue was and have had good luck with Gabapentin generally.

 

[MichaelJO7]

Sixty Minutes reran a story a while back saying the same thing. One of my doctors informed me of this concerning thyroid medications years ago as well. Sometimes the labels themselves are misleading, saying that they were made in a particular country, because the country was a waypoint in route to the US, even though the country was not necessarily the country of manufacture.

 

[Nakamova]

I've heard that Teva pharmaceuticals has a better track record with the stability and active ingredients in their generics than some of the other makers. Unfortunately, due to the particulars of my health insurance plan, I'm limited to the manufacturer that CVS-Caremark uses (Zydus).

 

[Blonde Angel]

This topic is really important to consider carefully.

Whilst chemists are giving people the choice to buy generic meds in stead of the brand version. There is concerns for people with epilepsy who are thinking of switching anti epileptic medication brands.
We all react differently to different medications epilepsy stuff or not. Understand what people feedback on their experiences in switching may differ to your own experiences.
*therapeutic range
*what is the ingredients between generic and original brand consider allergy or intolerance to the inactive ingredients eg lactose, gluten, colours etc.
*bioequivalence studies what is this meaning exactly

*if epilepsy is well controlled no need to switch meds really, why change the positive?

 

[seagull]

it all drugs that come from the east thyroxin often sub-quality

 

[Belinda5000]

If your able to take the cheaper generic and they work for you great, but not everyone is able to take generic.

 

[seagull]

this is true...but nhs tend to push doc into cheap path

 

[Belinda5000]

Insurance companies are great at sending you info about generics, even though you tell them you can't take generics for your epilepsy drugs because your seizures go through the roof if you do. I tell insurance co. this all the time. They try to get me to change to generic they have on file I can't take.

 

[Mdwall]

I've heard that Teva pharmaceuticals has a better track record with the stability and active ingredients in their generics than some of the other makers. Unfortunately, due to the particulars of my health insurance plan, I'm limited to the manufacturer that CVS-Caremark uses (Zydus).

Same here unfortunately and I've been nothing but displeased with Caremark/Zydus I think Zydus is ran by a bunch of clowns