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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 14 of 14. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Nickengland on August 18, 2005, at 13:51:12
Hello there!
Today I recieved 'Generic Gabapentin' from the pharmacy...The NHS over here never ceases to amaze me with the cheapness that they use to give you the 'cheap' stuff whenever possible.
Maybe i'm fussy, but I always like buying/having the best quality things in life, and it does annoy me when I get handed this "cheap" gabapentin. I much prefer brand.
Its like ketchup....I have to have Heinz.
Seriously though, I dont even think I get a choice if I want brand or generic. I think I should be able to choose as I have to take the stuff.
As i'm moaning about the NHS lol..I might as well add this as well just for good measure. In my GP surgury now when you go in and sit down and wait to go and see the doctor, instead of calling your name at reception and then you go in the doctors room etc.. (sounds normal enough?) Now what they have, is an electronic board in the waiting room..and everyone sitting there has this big screen, with which every now and then it goes BEEP..and your name (full name in view of everyone) shows up and you walk into the doctor...You know kinda reminds me of when your in the supermarket and you take a ticket at the cheese counter? The NHS at is best :-) lol The thing is, the reception women are still 2 feet away sitting behind me nattering all day?..why can't they call out your name?......and just to tick it all off...when my name did appear...and i then walked in the doctors room, he was in the middle of treating another patient!!..so the machine doesnt even work properly!..The NHS..National Health..unfortunately I don't recieve the service as of yet.
Do they have generic Gabapentin in America too?..
Kind regards
Nick
Posted by ed_uk on August 18, 2005, at 17:58:24
In reply to Generic Gabapentin?! Cheap Service, posted by Nickengland on August 18, 2005, at 13:51:12
Hi Nick,
Do you have the one in the green and white box? Do the capsules look 'powdery'?
To be honest, I've only seen Neurontin a couple of times. Hardly anyone takes Neurontin in the UK - generic gabapentin is cheaper.
>Seriously though, I dont even think I get a choice if I want brand or generic. I think I should be able to choose as I have to take the stuff.
You can only get Neurontin if your doc writes Neurontin on the prescription. Otherwise, you're almost certain to get the generic - unless for some reason the pharmacy has run out of the generic, in which case they might treat you to Neurontin.
Kind regards
~Ed
Posted by Emily Elizabeth on August 18, 2005, at 19:56:43
In reply to Generic Gabapentin?! Cheap Service, posted by Nickengland on August 18, 2005, at 13:51:12
Yep, they have generic Gabapentin here too. And don't worry, you aren't getting the short end of the stick over there in England...in the US, *if* you have insurance and are "lucky" enough to get healthcare, your insurance company almost always switches you to the generic w/o any option for the real stuff.
My favorite recent annoyance: I brought my Lithium rx (written by my university pdoc) to the pharmacy in our student health center. I had had it filled there once already. I was told that they didn't carry the generic and wouldn't get it in and my insurance wouldn't cover name brand and so I needed to go to another pharmacy. Okaaaaay. My insurance is the student insurance program!!! I find it hard to believe that out of 40,000 students I am the only one who ever tried to get their Lithium filled at the university pharmacy with the university insurance!!! I was annoyed! I think I'll see if my pdoc might have a word with him. She was already annoyed with him because he called to lecture her that dexedrine didn't come in 5mg (btw NOT true!)
Also, I have been on both the real neurontin and the generic and did not notice a difference, so hopefully you won't either.
Also, I'm always a little confused. What is the deal with NHS vs "private" docs by you guys? It sounds like such a different system.
Best,
EE
Posted by yxibow on August 18, 2005, at 21:31:26
In reply to Re: Generic Gabapentin?! Cheap Service, posted by Emily Elizabeth on August 18, 2005, at 19:56:43
> Yep, they have generic Gabapentin here too. And don't worry, you aren't getting the short end of the stick over there in England...in the US, *if* you have insurance and are "lucky" enough to get healthcare, your insurance company almost always switches you to the generic w/o any option for the real stuff.
>
> My favorite recent annoyance: I brought my Lithium rx (written by my university pdoc) to the pharmacy in our student health center. I had had it filled there once already. I was told that they didn't carry the generic and wouldn't get it in and my insurance wouldn't cover name brand and so I needed to go to another pharmacy. Okaaaaay. My insurance is the student insurance program!!! I find it hard to believe that out of 40,000 students I am the only one who ever tried to get their Lithium filled at the university pharmacy with the university insurance!!! I was annoyed! I think I'll see if my pdoc might have a word with him. She was already annoyed with him because he called to lecture her that dexedrine didn't come in 5mg (btw NOT true!)
>
> Also, I have been on both the real neurontin and the generic and did not notice a difference, so hopefully you won't either.
>
> Also, I'm always a little confused. What is the deal with NHS vs "private" docs by you guys? It sounds like such a different system.NHS is from what I understand the social healthcare system that exists in the UK. It has its ups and downs (downs being the triage that people are lamenting about). It is similar though I think started earlier than the one that exists in Canada (which is falling through the cracks in places with also triage issues and the US generally piping up the price of Canadian medicine -- of course thats up to political discussion).
Private, in either side would be going and shelling out money for a doctor out of your own money instead of the tax-paid system.
Personally I think social health care despite its ups and downs are better than the HMO care we get here but perhaps some of the PPOs here may offer better care but are more expensive to the average user.
Now for the simple answer, I've gotten generic Neurontin almost since I first started on it, from at least 2 different companies. No particular difference since large amounts of Neurontin are needed to have a little effect on anxiolytic function.
cheers
Posted by Nickengland on August 19, 2005, at 5:07:40
In reply to Re: Generic Gabapentin?! Cheap Service » Nickengland, posted by ed_uk on August 18, 2005, at 17:58:24
Hello Ed..
>Do you have the one in the green and white box? Do the capsules look 'powdery'?
Yep the box is white...with green on the other side. Its 'APS' Gabapentin (300mg capsules) The capsules are a different colour as well to the 'brand' their closer to a red colour..whereas the Neurontin was orange-ish. The powder inside is a very fine powder...very similar to the brand in that respect I think.
One thing that i've found interesting ~ is the difference with the inactive ingredients of the drug. I've still got some Pfizer Neurontin and the drug information leaflet. The inactive ingients of the Neurontin..seem to be less than all the junk they've put in this generic stuff. Theres even a warning on my generic leaflet about one of the inactive ingredients:
"E110 can cause an allergic-type reaction, including asthma. this reaction is more common in thos people who are allergic to aspirin."
You don't get this E110 in the brand i don't think...Is this one of the ways generic drugs are alot cheaper..because they use cheaper inactive substances too?
I think the E110 is only in the 300mg caspules as well, not in the other sizes...and the only other sizes they seem to do are 100, 300 and 400mg capsules (not tablets)...Neurontin comes in 600 and 800mg size 'tablets' too i think.
I was wondering Ed as well...the inactive substance in drugs..are they considered generally safe?...I mean I'll never forget when I was taking tegretol retard and I looked and read that it contained
"polyethoxylated castor oil" - ....that kinda got me thinking about some of the stuff I was ingesting on a daily basis LOLWell I took the "Approved Prescription Services" Gabapentin last night...and there was a slight difference, hard to put my finger on it, but I definately know that it just 'felt' different...all in all though it felt good :)
Kind regards
Nick
Posted by Nickengland on August 19, 2005, at 5:49:53
In reply to Re: Generic Gabapentin?! Cheap Service, posted by Emily Elizabeth on August 18, 2005, at 19:56:43
Hello Emily,
>Yep, they have generic Gabapentin here too. And don't worry, you aren't getting the short end of the stick over there in England...in the US, *if* you have insurance and are "lucky" enough to get healthcare, your insurance company almost always switches you to the generic w/o any option for the real stuff.
Ahh I see. I guess it some respects it does make sense to switch you generic ~ as generic is from what I can see far cheaper then brand and everyone likes to save money where possible. It would be nice though to have the option I think though of having either generic or brand, rather than just getting given whatever they choose to give you. Sometimes i think its been even discussed on here, that the brand is actually more 'effective' than the generic. I know its a funny example but its like Heinz Baked Beans (sure you eat them over there? lol) well the supermarkets over here use their cheap brand and copy the heinz version of baked bean ~ there exactly the same, they are baked beans in tomato sauce....but they never taster as good..or qwuite the same as brand! LOL I'm sure to a certain extent this goes for drugs too and especially psychiatric ones when they are affecting your mood. There could even be a placebo difference somewhere along the line..
>Also, I have been on both the real neurontin and the generic and did not notice a difference, so hopefully you won't either.
Judgeing from last nights dosage, yeah I guess it did work pretty much the same i'm glad to say..there was a slight difference I noticed, but all in all nothing bad I guess..still gave the same postive results I like from the drug.
>Also, I'm always a little confused. What is the deal with NHS vs "private" docs by you guys? It sounds like such a different system.
Well the NHS was created in 1948 I think, by the Labour government over here and basically the 'vision' at that time was that everybody, regardless of their income would be entitled to free health care. I guess thats the benefit of today, any treatment, anywhere along the line is actually free to see any GP or specialist doctor...have operations, saty in hosptial..even the food is free in there, but no comment on what it tastes like lol Also prescription drugs are a single flat rate charge (£6.50) or free in certain circumstances.
The down side is the system, although does work...it actually doesn't work very well at all. Like being diagnosed with cancer, but having to wait a year for treatment...and possibly dieing because of the waiting lists or the illness getting worse. The waiting lists are disgusting. The hosptials are over crowded...theres massiver bed shortages and if (and im not exaggerating) you could be close to death (but are not considered that serious and they need your bed..then you'll have to be moved out of the hospital to somewhere else. (this happened with my grandfather and he died whilst being transported back to his home) Its quite honestly shocking the things that go on. And now the hospitals are a place where instread of you go to get well...you go in there and because there not very clean..you have avery high chance of catching MRSA...antoher example my dads friend is in hospital with cancer at this moment in time, and only a couple of weeks ago he caught MRSA...if it isnt bad enough having cancer but then being given an illness by poor hygine in the hosptial.
Privite is completely different, although I have no direct experience personally, in general for health care it is far better, cleaner, quicker and basically the kind of health service you should expect..and want to expect. Its very expensive though..the majority of people over here reply upton the NHS, but now i think there is an increasing trend of people taking out privite medical insurance..those who can afford it anyway.
As for Europe in general, from what I know I think France has the best health system..ours is like a 3rd world country at the moment...
Kind regards
Nick
Posted by Nickengland on August 19, 2005, at 5:55:48
In reply to Re: Generic Gabapentin?! Cheap Service, posted by yxibow on August 18, 2005, at 21:31:26
Hi yxibow,
>Now for the simple answer, I've gotten generic Neurontin almost since I first started on it, from at least 2 different companies. No particular difference since large amounts of Neurontin are needed to have a little effect on anxiolytic function.
How much of a large amount of Gabapentin do you need for aniolytic function? Do you take it soley for anxiety?
Kind regards
Nick
Posted by Slinky on August 19, 2005, at 10:07:38
In reply to Re: Generic Gabapentin?! Cheap Service » yxibow, posted by Nickengland on August 19, 2005, at 5:55:48
Hi Nick..
The neurontin I get is in capsules but sometimes I get tablet form.
I never really like the tablet often thought it
isn't so effective.
Psychological or is there unseen forces at work...I still think the world is flat even though my recent space shuttle repair mission showed me otherwise.
Maybe you need a higher dosage..the anti anxiety effect only kicks in for me at 600mg.
Also more effective on empty tummy.
P.S I think this here tegretol is baby talc.Slinky
Posted by ed_uk on August 19, 2005, at 10:21:14
In reply to Re: Generic Gabapentin?! Cheap Service » ed_uk, posted by Nickengland on August 19, 2005, at 5:07:40
Hi Nick,
>Yep the box is white...with green on the other side. Its 'APS' Gabapentin (300mg capsules)........
LOL yes, most people take APS. In fact, I've never seen any other generic gabapentin's apart from APS.
>Is this one of the ways generic drugs are alot cheaper..because they use cheaper inactive substances too?
I don't think so. I guess the brands are more expensive because people are willing to pay.
>I was wondering Ed as well...the inactive substance in drugs..are they considered generally safe?...
They're supposed to be GRAS - generally regarded as safe!
Kind regards
~Ed
Posted by Nickengland on August 19, 2005, at 15:05:17
In reply to Re: Generic Gabapentin?! Cheap Service » Nickengland, posted by Slinky on August 19, 2005, at 10:07:38
Hi Slinky
...I still think the world is flat even though my recent space shuttle repair mission showed me otherwise.
LOL ~ Did you see the full moon yesterday, im not sure if it was the offical full moon but it looked full from where I was..definately affects mood...I realised I am a lunatic.
You're dead right about the 600mg i'm back at 900mg a day now. Think instead of using 300mg 3 x a day i might try 600mg at once and 300mg later on. I like playing with the dosage..
Sorry to hear of the Tegretol Talc, do you think you'll be heading for a change in med in that department?
Kind regards
Nick
Ps i'm finding Magnesium wonderful with gabapentin.
Posted by Slinky on August 19, 2005, at 16:23:17
In reply to Re: Generic Gabapentin?! Cheap Service » Slinky, posted by Nickengland on August 19, 2005, at 15:05:17
> Sorry to hear of the Tegretol Talc, do you think you'll be heading for a change in med in that department?
Not sure, I'm afraid to start a new med..the thing is I'm finding it hard to eat maybe topamax would make my appetite worse .I need to give this tegretol a bit longer.
Pleased the magnesium helps..I'm starting taurine to help with my redbull addiction.
Slinky
Posted by alohashirt on August 19, 2005, at 20:33:38
In reply to Generic Gabapentin?! Cheap Service, posted by Nickengland on August 18, 2005, at 13:51:12
My version of Nick's story:
When I go to see my doctor there are typically four or five people waiting for a doctor. In five minutes, or thirty-five minutes he walks into the waiting room and nods at me (he doesn't use names, to preserve confidentiality. I see him for five minutes, maybe ten if there is a lot to cover, he writes my prescriptions then I pay his assistant $180. After a few months my insurance company pays $60 of this.
Posted by yxibow on August 20, 2005, at 4:35:54
In reply to Re: Generic Gabapentin?! Cheap Service » yxibow, posted by Nickengland on August 19, 2005, at 5:55:48
> Hi yxibow,
>
> >Now for the simple answer, I've gotten generic Neurontin almost since I first started on it, from at least 2 different companies. No particular difference since large amounts of Neurontin are needed to have a little effect on anxiolytic function.
>
> How much of a large amount of Gabapentin do you need for aniolytic function? Do you take it soley for anxiety?
>
> Kind regards
>
> Nick
>
>That's hard to say... I'm still not completely convinced its an expensive (or generic) placebo or whether it adds a "touch" to the benzodiazepines I already take in my cocktail of prescriptions. I take it along with a set of other things including Seroquel for a rare somatiform disorder that affects my vision/contrast. I think at a high enough dose, Neurontin does provide relief for some people; if you already lean that way (ahem), it can cause diarrhea at extremely high levels. Other than that its extremely safe really because it eliminates from your body the more you take (hence high doses)
Posted by yxibow on August 20, 2005, at 4:39:03
In reply to Re: Generic Gabapentin?! Cheap Service, posted by yxibow on August 20, 2005, at 4:35:54
> > How much of a large amount of Gabapentin do you need for aniolytic function? Do you take it soley for anxiety?Forgot to add the amount I take currently... 3 x 300 capsules (900 mg) 4 times per day... 3600mg daily.
On the high end of gabapentin usage, that's probably about the highest most go I think... more than 900mg at a particular sitting and its just eliminated faster.
This is the end of the thread.
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