Generic vs. Brand Name BC Pills

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-07-2006
Generic vs. Brand Name BC Pills
7
Wed, 07-12-2006 - 6:01pm
I just read an article called "Birth-Control Secrets Your Gyno Hasn't Told You" from the Cosmopolitan website and it said that generic brands are not necessarily as good as brand name. They also state that the FDA allows generic drugs to have a 20 percent plus or minus difference in blood-concentration levels when compared to the brand-name drug, and generic drugs go thru far less testing to be approved. Is that true? I use Tri-Sprintec (generic) as a substitute for Ortho Tri-Cyclen (brand name), so does that mean that it may not be as effective? Yikes! I hope that's not true! Check it out at their website under Sexual Health. Then let me know!
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-07-2002
Wed, 07-12-2006 - 6:28pm

I think I read something along those lines in an old issue of Cosmo, when I used to subscribe. I used to take brand-name OTC too, but then had to switch to the generic TriNessa for insurance reasons. The pharmacist assured me that they were the exact same formulation. Maybe it's just me, but I'll believe a pharmacist before I'll believe some cheesy rag.

Express!
Beth "Petrouchka"

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-07-2002
Wed, 07-12-2006 - 6:32pm
P.S. I took TriNessa for roughly 18 months (til I had to switch to Yasmin, also for insurance reasons), and it worked all 18 months.
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2003
Wed, 07-12-2006 - 7:36pm

Hi marie0368, welcome!


      Jill

    

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Thu, 07-13-2006 - 7:34am

I read that article too when it came out in the magazine, and I shook my head and waited for the questions..... I'm surprised it took this long!


While they might be correct that the generic doesn't have exactly the SAME dose of hormones as the brand name, that doesn't mean that generics are less effective than brand name drugs.

Judie Cl for Birth Control 
Avatar for balletkat
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-13-2005
Thu, 07-13-2006 - 10:05am

Thank you for pointing out that it is the bioequivalence that it is the same. That is the part that confuses many people. Many generic drugs work just fine for people, but if you find that you are having trouble with the generic form and insurance will not cover the brand without have you pay more, you can have a prior authorization filled out by your dr to prove that you do need the brand for reasons X Y and Z. I had to do this when one of my meds was not working for me in the generic form and I needed the brand only form. Overall, generics do work just fine, but there are times when the brand is needed.

Mary

Mary

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-07-2006
Thu, 07-13-2006 - 11:21am
Thanks for all the responses! I feel better now. And I'll be sure to not always believe what magazines are telling me. :)
Avatar for mistressskywalker
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-31-2003
Fri, 07-14-2006 - 10:18am
I use Tri-Sprintec too, and feel safe about its effectiveness. I also take Methylphenid (which is a generic for Ritalin) and it totally works for me just as well as the real deal... it seems Cosmo is always publishing weird health blurbs.