Generic brand change antidepressants

@emee1 This rollercoaster must be so awful for you. My doctor told me that there can be slight variations among generic medications which does not make me happy either. So far the changes in brand for the antidepressant I take (duloxetine) has had no negative effect. At one time when I seeing a psychiatrist he prescribed only the original brand name for this very reason and fortunately my insurance paid for it.

Who prescribes your medication? This is something I hope the prescribing provider will figure out with you. Do you pay out of pocket for your medication or is your medication covered by insurance or national health care?

Hi, in Canada, and gov't has decided to go to non brand name for those who have help paying for drugs (Seniors mainly). I remember many many years ago a Pharmacist told me that if you have been taking the brand name drugs/meds and switch to generic you WILL notice a difference; but if only ever had a generic prescription would not notice. I also read that even if the actual "drug" in the pill is identical, the generic, or even another brand, will use different things to colour the pill, or fillers they use can be different. We had one brand of anti-diarrhea meds, switched to another branch (both no-name) and I went on Internet and checked the "actual" ingredients, and they were quite different. I wonder sometimes when a pill gives us a reaction, its not the actual medical ingredient but the dyes, fillers, etc? I told pharmacist I want brand name even if I have to pay the difference myself but they keep sending generic ??? Cheaper is not always better or even the same IMO

I now tried every other generic brand of the antidepressants and all send me into withdrawal so I asked for the brand name this also sent me into withdrawal the brand I was taking was a generic brand which has now been discontinued so now I have to go through withdrawal and I'm terrified

@emee1, I truly sympathize with you, it’s enough that we need our meds but it’s a nightmare finding the right one..I have experienced a similar problem, I had quite a time of it going on and off a number of antidepressants and they just didn’t help or the side effects were too much. I eventually went on an older antidepressant called Amitriptyline and it gave me some relief from my anxieties, it’s also a generic med..on one occasion I went to pick up my prescription and the pills looked different in shape, I was told it’s the same drug that I’m using but it’s from another company or manufacturer.. I didn’t feel concerned at first but about a week into it I noticed that I was having withdrawals.. I contacted the pharmacy and they said I was on such a low dose I shouldn’t be troubled, wrong I was very upset. I told them not to mess with my meds and I only want the one that was helping me. I found out later that this is a normal procedure for pharmacies to do, trying out different generic brands and keeping reports from the patients how the medication affected them..it really made me feel like a laboratory specimen and I can honestly say it makes me feel really bad. I understand that they need to test the drugs but they have groups that do this willingly and they are fully aware of what to expect but it’s a whole different thing when you do this to unsuspecting people. I made a huge fuss about it with the pharmacy and the doctor, I was told that this is allowed by the government, very creepy. I am still on the same drug but I made sure that they give me the same one that was doing the job, keep trying to find what works for you and try not to get defeated, life is always filled with challenges and we can’t give up the fight, good luck to you.

I agree and I no longer trust my pharmacy, the pharmacist, the drug companies in general... we really do not know what the heck we are ingesting and changes are being made without our knowledge or approval; at least give us a head up and tell us when ingredients change, whether it be the actual medication or the fillers, colouring, etc.etc. It's just not right!