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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 12 of 12. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Dinah on November 30, 2007, at 8:58:43
I am so annoyed with my pharmacy. They said they no longer will fill prescriptions with the name brand if a generic is available. They can't order it, or anything.
I've been unhappy with them for a good long while so my intent is to just switch pharmacies. They've been messing up prescriptions so often that at least one doctor is annoyed at *me*.
In general I don't mind, but Klonopin has never seemed the same to me in generic. The pharmacist says that's all in my mind, and maybe it is. But if it works because it's in my mind, it still works. I'm off daily Klonopin, but I'm sure I'll still keep a small amount available as needed.
Is my pharmacy unusual? Are other pharmacies refusing to fill prescriptions for anything but generics?
Posted by Phillipa on November 30, 2007, at 11:28:20
In reply to Generics, posted by Dinah on November 30, 2007, at 8:58:43
Dinah I don't know. Usually if I want a name brand they will order it. If pharmacies are refusing to fill name brand where does that leave the drug companies not that I care. And my pdoc has written down name brand and only despense as written insurance refuses. What pharmacy do you use is it a chain? Phillipa
Posted by Phillipa on November 30, 2007, at 11:30:15
In reply to Re: Generics » Dinah, posted by Phillipa on November 30, 2007, at 11:28:20
Oh also it's not in your mind. I know those who say only greenstone generic xanax works as it's true as the original manufacturer of xanax makes it. A pharmacist clued me in on this years ago and a babbler found it to be true. Phillipa
Posted by Zyprexa on November 30, 2007, at 12:24:43
In reply to Generics, posted by Dinah on November 30, 2007, at 8:58:43
It may be your insurance. Will only fill generics, and the pharmacy has to. But other pharmacys deffinitly fill brands.
Posted by Racer on November 30, 2007, at 14:29:58
In reply to Generics, posted by Dinah on November 30, 2007, at 8:58:43
> I am so annoyed with my pharmacy. They said they no longer will fill prescriptions with the name brand if a generic is available. They can't order it, or anything.
That's so annoying. What's worse, is that sometimes it's absolutely untrue. The pharmacist at Costco told me that he "could not" order Ritalin for me, just wasn't available to him. He's gone now, and the new pharmacist told me that there was no problem with getting Ritalin -- the former pharmacist there simply wouldn't stock scheduled drugs! Sometimes "can't" actually means "won't" -- regardless of what that means for customer service or our legitimate medical needs.
> In general I don't mind, but Klonopin has never seemed the same to me in generic. The pharmacist says that's all in my mind, and maybe it is.
Actually, generics can vary as much as 10% from the name brand in bioavailability, which means there's about a 20% window of variance from generic to generic. So, it may be all in your mind, but only in that these can be called "mind drugs" -- your pharmacist is offering the accepted wisdom regarding equivalence, but not the facts of the matter. Generally speaking, generics are equivalent to the name brands, but that's not the same as identical.
>
> Is my pharmacy unusual? Are other pharmacies refusing to fill prescriptions for anything but generics?As far as my experience goes, yes, your pharmacy is unusual. I know we had trouble getting name brand Prozac for me to try from one of the two pharmacies we use -- I think it was Walgreens, but it might have been Costco -- but in the end they got it for us.
On the other hand, our insurance will not cover name brands if a generic is available. For my Wellbutrin, this wasn't actually a problem, since the generic XL is only available in 300mg, and I took three 150mg tablets. For the Prozac, it meant we paid out of pocket. (The problem there was that the binders in the specific generic caused an allergic reaction. We switched to another pharmacy, with a different generic, and it was fine.) In this situation, my doctor would have contacted the insurance company to try to get approval for the name brand, had the other generic continued to be a problem.
I'd say it's time to use your power as a consumer -- fire them! I switched from Walgreens to Costco, because the level of service is so much better. Before, I made my husband take care of all medication needs, because I couldn't handle walking into the Walgreens. Now, getting prescriptions filled is no problem whatsoever, and I can deal with it myself. I strongly recommend to you the satisfaction of firing your pharmacy, in favor of one which will offer you a measure of respect and courtesy.
Good luck.
Posted by BGB on November 30, 2007, at 16:13:59
In reply to Generics, posted by Dinah on November 30, 2007, at 8:58:43
I recently read that doctors are weary of prescribing brand-name Xanax and Valium because they assume that you are acquiring it to sell. Brand name Xanax is worth far more on the street than generic.
Posted by bleauberry on November 30, 2007, at 20:11:05
In reply to Generics, posted by Dinah on November 30, 2007, at 8:58:43
Go to a different pharamacy. Make sure to let your pharamacy know they are losing your business because they are not providing the service that you the paying customer demand. Getting a name brand drug aint no big deal. You can even do it over the net without a doctor at all. So why a pharmacy can't do it is ridiculous.
This topic has come up many times. You are not the only one who can tell a difference between brand and generic. With non-brain meds I can't tell. But with something that interacts in the brain at a molecular level, I can tell. I see a marked difference between, for example, generic xanax and brand xanax, or generic prozac vs brand prozac. I don't know how the different fillers in generics screw things up, or how some minor difference in making the drug molecules in the lab screw things up, but something sure does.
I guess if someone starts treatment on a generic and they do well, then it doesn't matter. But if they start on a brand and do well but are then switched to a generic and can tell a difference, then that aint cool.
Posted by stargazer2 on December 2, 2007, at 18:29:01
In reply to Re: Generics, posted by BGB on November 30, 2007, at 16:13:59
That confirms that the brand name DOES works better than the generics. Else why would they care?
Posted by stargazer2 on December 2, 2007, at 18:33:22
In reply to Re: Generics, posted by bleauberry on November 30, 2007, at 20:11:05
My endocrinologist writes Synthroid "brand Name medically necessary" so why can't the pdocs do the same thing to have only the brand name prescribed? You may have to ask your pdoc to do this extra step, but s(he) shouldn't mind doing this. and then the pharmacist would have to fill it with the brand version.
Stargazer
Posted by Phillipa on December 2, 2007, at 20:11:15
In reply to Re: Generics, posted by stargazer2 on December 2, 2007, at 18:33:22
Synthroid is different as each level is so delicate. You must stay with name brand if you're on it not so with other meds the psych meds. Phillipa. And if your insurance company says use generic and synthroid will be generic probably will have to pay for it. Many times docs have written brand name only but they only pay for generic. Phillipa
Posted by Dinah on December 3, 2007, at 14:29:59
In reply to Generics, posted by Dinah on November 30, 2007, at 8:58:43
Thanks everyone.
I'm sure my pdoc would write a prescription for brand name if I asked. He'll probably do the pdoc equivilant of rolling his eyes, but I'm sure he'll do it.
My insurance *does* cover name brands. You just have to pay the nonformulary payment, which I've been doing all along.
I have always thought there was a difference between name brand and generic in Klonopin. There probably is in all my medications, but I can't say I'd notice if my metformin was a bit off, or most other meds. Klonopin has a distinct and relatively quick acting effect. So differences are far more noticeable. The only other medication I take that works as noticeably and quickly is Frova, the migraine medication, and that one hasn't come out in generic form. I wonder if I'll notice a difference when it does?
I wrote an email to the national office to see if this is indeed national policy. If it isn't, maybe I can talk to the pharmacy about it. But given the large number of mixups they've had lately with my prescriptions, I think I'd just as soon switch to another pharmacy. I'm sure my doctors would appreciate not being called as often. This one is enormously convenient, but I'm not otherwise tied to them.
Posted by Dinah on December 3, 2007, at 19:46:33
In reply to Re: Generics, posted by Dinah on December 3, 2007, at 14:29:59
It wasn't their policy. Local store called back to clarify that it was availability that was the problem, not policy. (Which wasn't what they told me before.)
And that maybe they'd find it was available next time.
This is the end of the thread.
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