to wonder who buys actual Neurofen or Anadin and why?

[TaggieCampbellBlack]

When the brand stuff costs £££££ but the same stuff in a non-name or value box costs 16p?

Why would you? I don't gettit

No generic paramol I,m afraid. And pavacol d is sugar free pholcodeine and its been discontinued.

The nearest thing to Paramol is a prescription only generic called Co-Dydramol but the quantities of ingredients are slightly different.

Couthy Excipients can vary and that is a valid point for a very small number of people but most people are not affected, they just do not like changing from a name they know.

Thanks timid. Yes, I meant an OTC generic. Paramol is still cheaper than a prescription charge, so will keep buying it for now.

(Until it's taken off the shelves for effing months again - grr)

I get paracetamol on prescription (and plenty of other painkillers). The only problem with this that they always give you the cheapest possible form, which means big chalky tablets that stick in your throat (and I don't have trouble swallowing tablets in general). However, it's better than having to buy a packet every couple of days. You get them in bulk on prescription (and that matters when you take 8 tablets every day). I can see why some people might stick to a brand because they know it'll go down easily.

The naproxen tablets I get are usually huge and unwieldy too, but are a better shape so they go down easier. I rarely get the same make twice in a row. It doesn't bother me, but some people really don't get on with some versions and that is a really big issue for them. I mostly just find it interesting how inefficient some of the packaging is.

TheDoctrineOfSciAndNatureClub you can get generic sugar-coated ibuprofen from most places - asda, waitrose, boots and superdrug all do a version for 16p. i can't take non-sugar coated tablets because they stick in my throat and make me feel sick, but those generic versions have all worked fine for me :)

Thanks living!

I agree about generic paracetamol/ibuprofen - don't every buy anything else, unless I absolutely have no choice.

Lemsip I do tend to buy though. Partly for the taste, but also because they clearly state the dosage of each drug on the back. I was in Sainsbury's yesterday and was trying to find something with the same strength of ingredients as Lemsip Max All in One (1000mg Paracetamol, 12.2mg Phenylephrine hydrochloride, 200mg Guaifenesin, pretty much the strongest dose of all those drugs you can buy).

The generics didn't list the strength of the various drugs ANYWHERE on the boxes, but I eventually chanced it with Sainsbury's Flu-Max All-In-One Chesty Cough & Cold powders (as they were literally half the price and sounded about right). When I got home and read the instruction leaflet within, it turned out they have exactly the same amount of active ingredient. No idea why they can't put it on the box somewhere. Probably taste minging though but it's not me that's ill

Lemsip max all in one tastes minging though. I don't see how a generic could be worse.

The unbranded paracetamol and ibuprofen syrup does taste different from Calpol etc, because it has fewer sweeteners in-actually probably better for you, and my lad prefers it, although he LOVES the full sugar Calpol (which is what our local pharmacy gives out free to under 5's!)...wonder why....!!

I can see how it would be expensive if you were buying it all the time, but I guess our household must be quite lucky as we don't really suffer much from aches and pains etc.

I just grab whatever really; sometimes that's Boot's Own paracetamol for 56p or whatever that comes in capsule form (I'm rubbish at swallowing big, chalky pills), or if I'm at a Tesco Express or a petrol station or something, then it's Nurofen.

I'm always curious about this too. As a GP I frequently have the conversation with patients about why I am prescribing generic verions of (almost) everything, and there is rarely an indication to prescribe a brand. Many people request prescriptions for items they could buy much cheaper over the counter also (like daktacort for example), and where I am aware of this I will tell them - but they will often still want a script as if the version I prescribe is in some way 'better' (it isn't).

It seems the drug companies' marketing teams are very clever, and most people do believe the hype.

I buy both, I find they are normally on offer and I trust the brands to work. I have looked into shop brands but for example, on gaviscon, the bottles are just smaller for a little bit less

It's the same with anti histamine. Piriton etc cost loads whereas Boots own has the same ingredients and is much cheaper.

Iwantanotherbaby, the OTC daktacort is 15g for about £5ish the POM one is 30g for £7.65 so much better value on a script.

What twists my balls is that bloody paracetamol and ibuprofen mix! Daylight blimming robbery!

But I do find that very hard cheap tablets don't work so well. I like them when they crumble.

In fact, you'll all think I'm a terrible weirdo but I chew paracetamol tablets up because I've got myself convinced I'm getting a better hit.

Homebargains do cheap anti fungal creams, not branded generic ones.

Blinks, don't fret my friend has convinced herself that paracetamol no longer works for her because its so rubbish so she apsolutly has to have the super strong pain killers I keep in my hand bag.

I don't have the heart to tell her its a combo of 2 paracetamol and a hermesetas
I'm almost certain her pain goes even quicker when I give her the "you mustn't take anything other than ibuprofen for at least 4 hours,now promise me" warning.

Having read this thread, I was discussing it with DH as he came to bed. I didn't realise I did this until we talked about it now, but if, when I am buying the painkillers, I am in pain so buying them for a reason, I buy the neurofen which are like little red liquid capsules. If I'm just stocking up the medicine box, so not in actual pain when buying them, I always buy generics! I didn't realise I did that!

If i could find a cheaper alternative to Paramol, then i would buy it. I can't take co-codamol as it makes my ibs flare up, and i end up in more pain than before taking it. Paramol seems to be a lot more gentle on my stomach.
I will buy cheap paracetamol, and ibuproven though.

My MIL will NOT take generics. She swears they don't work. She buys Nurofen, targeted, made by fairies, superduper whatsits. And her headache sort of dulls but doesn't go. Her GP has recently lectured her about trying other options. Generics. Aspirins. Paracetamols. Codeine. Nope. She will not even try. She loses days each month to migraines.

When ds was tiny and had a severely blocked nose and bmilk wasn't helping, I went to the pharmacy to ask for some saline drops. I bought them for 14p when dd was a baby. They pointed at the shelf. Calpol branded saline in a fancy packaging with a picture of a baby on it? £4. I demanded the under the counter stuff. 40p. It's chuffing water.

I have always bought branded stuff
I always found that paracetemol did nothing for me.
Now, I take 2 or 3 different tablets, whatever i can find, when I am in pain:
nurofen express liquid capsules, anadin liquidfast capsules, or any other co-codamol / anything else I have in the cupboard.
I am trying to read thread and trying to work out what I should eb taking instead.......

Never buy branded for myself but have got some calpol fastmelts from when dc1 was really poorly. The poor baby gets suppositories (stocked up on by rellies when abroad) though, as even with a syringe it is virtually impossible to wrestle any kind of 'infant suspension' into her.

Thedoctrine, I picked up a pack of coated ibiprofen from wilkinsons yesterday for 16p. You can get them at most places though, it will say coated tablets on the front :)

Thanks for the paracetamol/aspirin plus tea/coffee (in place of anadin extra) tips too everyone! I will try that when I start my period, I get terrible cramps and migraines too, nothing touches it.

Does anyone know if you can take ibuprofen with aspirin? I know you can take Ibuprofen and paracetamol together, but I don't know a lot about aspirin. I've never really used it, execpt when pregnant with dc2 as a preventative of pre-eclampsia (I had it with dc1).

I've struggled this winter with finding own brand decongestant without caffeine or paracetamol. I used to be able to get a Galpharm one in the supermarket, but nowhere seems to do it this year. And it's not even a refusing to pay branded prices thing - there doesn't seem to be a branded decongestant only one.