Generic v branded medication

[Hypie]

Not talking about ibuprofen/paracetamol which is all the bloody same even if you pay 16p or £5.

Specifically SSRIs (anti depressants). I know that the generic vs branded shouldn’t make any difference but there is a huge amount of anecdotal evidence to say they aren’t the same. I take Sertraline (Zoloft) and I have done for 10 years. I remain absolutely convinced there is a difference between the generics and you find the same thing all over the web. Ranbaxy (the Indian version) has a horrible reputation and is also one of the cheapest, they’ve now shut down.

My question is, can I ask my GP to prescribe me the branded version IF I’m happy to pay the full cost? Zoloft is around £35 in the UK I think. Would a GP do that?

I have noticed the same with my Mirtazapine, even though people think I am mad to say it, but I have noticed the difference if my usual brand is swapped. I get my repeat at Boots and they have kindly put a note on my computer file to prescribe the same brand as I have always had and they always keep some stock aside for me!

Yes, you can ask.
They should oblige.
Obviously, sometimes it may not be possible due to stock etc.
I had to ask for this with my cocodamol.
9 out of 10 brands are small white tablets. Any of these were fine.
The other brand were huge yellow tablets that I couldnt swallow. They were almost the size of grapes!
And my arthritic fingers couldnt open the extra secure foil packet.
So I asked not to have that make.
It was fine.
I think they prefer it if you have a reason, but they usually try to help. They want you to take the medication, so will try to make it take-able!

The pharmacists will only give what it says on the script, so if it says Sertraline they will only give generic Sertraline. If I want branded Zoloft then the GP will have to write it and I think that’s what I need to pay for

The same thing happened to me once. I thought they'd given me tablets for a horse they were so large, then I spotted they were actually supposed to be dissolved in water, not swallowed. The foil is slightly different too, to stop moisture getting inside.

I take lamotrigine for bipolar disorder. I've had both branded and generic, and I've never noticed a difference, other than the shape of the tablets.

I really feel for those who are suddenly switched to tablets the size of horse tranquillisers - that happened to me with previous meds, it's no fun at all.

Sertraline isn’t Zoloft in the uk its Lustral.

yeah, if the prescription is generic then the pharmacy will only supply a cheaper generic unless they have good buying power and can get the branded version at a good price. If it is generic, the pharmacy will be paid a set basic price (listed in the Drug Tariff), no matter what they supply so they won't want to provide the more expensive brand and potentially lose a lot of money.
You GP can either write the branded prescription (but they don't like doing this as they have to provide good reasoning for prescribing more expensive products) or they can write a private prescription where you would pay for the actual cost of the item prescribed.

I also take mirtazapine and can only take a specific brand. It feels like it doesn’t work at all if not. My GP told me it was all in my head but the pharmacist agreed with me. It’s something to do with the fillers apparently?

Sometimes the generic product may actually be better if the branded product is very old, as the generic may be subject to stricter controls and use newer technology/manufacturing processes. For epilepsy medication, generic substitution isn’t generally allowed in case it affects the control of the condition, so it is acknowledged that there are differences. As has been said above though, it is normally down to your doctor rather than pharmacist to prescribe the branded version.

I get branded metformin - the generic landed me in hospital for four days, it was horrendous. Despite that the healthboard put pressure on them every time I need a new script to only give me generic. I've noticed the same with other meds where I need (medically) a specific brand due to digestion issues caused by my conditions which were refused and pharmacies have been pressured into not stocking it anymore as well; however, I had a chat with the pharmacist around my issues as my health was deteriorating and they gave me the one I needed.

Its not really up to the pharmacies. We do have notes on patient records about brand preference and will stick to them if possible. However if there is a big price difference then our managers say no. If the tariff price for a generic is £5, but the brand costs £60 then the brand is not going to be supplied.

Your doctor needs to prescribe the correct brand. If they prescribe the brand then the pharmacy can only supply that (and will get paid correctly for it)

I take two medications for epilepsy and a few years ago had a horrible reaction to a lamotrigine generic that I'd not been prescribed before; it caused my pain and swelling in fingers and face. I had a consultation with my GP who agreed that it was highly likely that the source of the reaction was the generic and so it's noted that I'm not to have that brand; fortuntate that it's on my file because I can't recall the same! I've no recollection where I was told this, but an inert ingredient that doesn't alter the efficacy of the drug (colouring or some such) can potentially cause an allergic response.

GP here - we're not allowed to prescribe privately if it's available on the NHS. If you're prepared to pay I'd go via an online pharmacy and let your practice know that's what you're doing so they don't query why you aren't requesting NHS scripts.

@britnay

Its not really up to the pharmacies. We do have notes on patient records about brand preference and will stick to them if possible. However if there is a big price difference then our managers say no. If the tariff price for a generic is £5, but the brand costs £60 then the brand is not going to be supplied.

Your doctor needs to prescribe the correct brand. If they prescribe the brand then the pharmacy can only supply that (and will get paid correctly for it)

Just to clarify, with my post the difference is nothing like that amount which is why I think it's not been a problem.

I did need a specific prescription for my automatic inhalers as I cannot manage manual ones and it took a long time to be approved, whenever I need a repeat it always takes a long time. One is a steroid inhaler and causes me a lot of problems to be without it for days whilst some random (not my GP) decides to allow it or not.

@sparemonitor id be happy to do that but aren’t we constantly told you shouldn’t buy online and you could be getting fakes etc. I’m happy to pay full price

[quote Hypie]@sparemonitor id be happy to do that but aren’t we constantly told you shouldn’t buy online and you could be getting fakes etc. I’m happy to pay full price[/quote]
I think the licensed online pharmacies are supposed to be reasonable, you have to have a consultation too. Or you could ask a private GP to prescribe.

Be aware going privately doesn't necessarily mean they'll just give whatever brand you ask for, they could refuse. There's a big push for generics at the moment. I've found it reassuring to go to a local pharmacy with anything I've got online for them to tell me if I've genuine medications or not.

Hi I was recently given generic Krka sertraline and got really depressed again. Slowly working.my way back up on different generic now but have all side effects of newbie anyone else have this horrible experience.

[quote Hypie]@sparemonitor id be happy to do that but aren’t we constantly told you shouldn’t buy online and you could be getting fakes etc. I’m happy to pay full price[/quote]
That's fine, but you'll need to see your GP privately for that. They shouldn't be issuing private prescriptions at an NHS consultation

My DM takes 2 sorts of heart medication and has it on her notes that she is only to be prescribed the branded ones. She had a reaction a few years ago to either the colouring or fillers in the generic.

I take sertraline and haven’t noticed any difference and I e had about 4/5 different generic ones.

Many years ago, our family GP was very particular about at least two medicines. Aspirin had to be Disprin and antiseptic ointment had to be Lion. I don't know about the latter but I definitely agree that Disprin is the best aspirin. Expensive but very fast acting.