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Sleep News Blog

Prescription Sleep Medicine

Clearing Up the Confusion About Less Expensive Generic Brand Medications

Posted by sleepyguy in Prescription Sleep Medicine on January 10th, 2011

Accepting a less expensive generic brand of medication is a reasonable thing to do but substitution of brands does cause confusion for some people. Confusion arises when the substituted brand comes packaged in a different box, is a different shape or colour and is branded with another name.

Closer inspection would reveal the generic name (the ingredient) but mostly people remember medications by brand names. For instance Metformin is the generic name for a diabetes drug and the brand names are Diabex, Diaformin, Glucohexal, Glucomet and Glucophage. I have known people to double up on medications because they thought it was an extra medication prescribed.

A brand price premium is charged for original medications and so they are more expensive than the cheaper generic brands even though they have the same ingredients.

Generic drugs are copies of original brand name drugs. When a drug is developed a company has a patent for twenty years. When the patent expires copies of the same drug are made by competing pharmaceutical companies who brand them with a different name.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration have strict regulations and make sure that the copied drugs have the same active ingredients as the original brand and are safe and effective. The only differences are in the inactive ingredients, the fillers and binders.

Guidelines for patients

The less expensive medications can be a good idea especially for the hip pocket but care does need to be taken to avoid confusion.

Try and fill prescription from the same pharmacy as they will have a record of your previous medications and will most likely give you the same as last time. You can also ask for the same less expensive brand as you previously had. The pharmacy can put an extra label on the medication so that you know exactly what you are taking.

If you don’t understand, get confused easily or are anxious about it then stick with the original.

Here are some tips to avoid getting your medications mixed up.

1. Ask your doctor for a print out of the medications you are taking and check the list to make sure it is accurate.

2. Write the new brand name on the drug sheet next to the old name and write down that it is the same as the old.

3. Write the name of the old drug on the packet of the new substituted medication. I.e. New medication is Glucophage old in brackets (Diaformin).

4. Ask your pharmacist to write down the old and new names of your medications for you.

5. Try and remember the generic names. A good idea is to highlight or underline the generic name on all packs and bottles to remind you.

6. If in doubt ask your doctor or pharmacist.

7. It is a good idea to check all medications before taking them and then you are less likely to double up. Check the dose, the time, the use by date, the name of medication and make sure it is for you and not for someone else in the family. Follow any instructions given regarding the medication ie take with food. Take old medications back to your pharmacy.