Generic Prozac vs Brand

[Supy19]

Hi Superman,

I must admit I am not sure whether or not I take the generic kind or the brand.........oops............soory, can't answer your question. Maybe I should go check what it says on the box

SN

Hi Sarah

Just to give you some feedback. I have been feeling MUCh less aggitated on the lilly-fluoxetine than the orgional prozac , so much so that i am a bit worried if it will do anything for me. I dont feel as speedy or anxious , which i suppose is a good thing, although i am taking prozac for its extra little kick of energy. I have written lilly an email on requesting the difference between prozac and its lilly fluoxetine. I will post what their reponse is . So far feeling more 'normal' than i have EVER felt on an AD. Almost feels like i am taking nothing ;) Not sure if its lifing my mood - but then again its only my 2nd day of lilly Fluox and about my 13 th day of prozac since being on zoloft for 7 weeks. Early days i know ....

-S

[Supy19]

Just an update on my previous post. I spoke to the very sweet lady from Eli Lilly in my country and this is what she had to report. Lilly fluoxetine is exactly the same drug as prozac down to the very last filler. She assured me that what i was experiencing was not normal. She took down all my details and asked me to report back to her in a week or two re my experiences. Overall I was very impressed with her information and the way in which my questions were addressed. I now have peace of mind and will continue to take the fluoxetine ...

CIAO - stay strong !

-S

[Proudfather]

Been on the generic for almost a couple of weeks now. I am jittery on only 10mgs, but I am sensitive to SSRI's.

[Supy19]

Hi all

just an update . i have been on fluoxetine now for nearly 6 weeks and i dont think its working very well for me. I am considering getting the brand name for my next refill. It may be a conincidence but every time i have gone from fluoxetine to prozac I could feel an almost immediate mood lift. It may all be in my mind though...

[Supy19]

just another update on my experiences with the brand vs fluoxetine. My last repeat i decided to try the brand and for the last 2 days , since being on it, I have felt much better. I cant pinpont why i am feeling better but i feel less drugged up on the brand, more alert and that it has help my mood better. I may at some point in the future try the fluoxetine again but for now i am going to pay the extra for the brand because i believe there is some difference eventhough the drug company has said otherwise...

[Fredericosg]

Interesting, in the country that I live in there are some 5 brand names of Fluoxetine marketed by different labs.

First time I took Fluoxetine it was Prozac for 4 months and I felt great.

I don

[ladyhawk]

I can say without a doubt that for my body there is a difference between the brand and generic, but even a difference with the generics. The pharmacy used a different generic this time and I feel like I am taking sugar pills. I am going to talk to my pcp and see if there is any way to get the brand because if I have this effect from the generic I might as well go without. This is how I felt before I started taking my drugs.

merry meet, merry part, merry meet again.

[ladyhawk]

A place to post your experiences with Generic vs Brand.

chardana Posted:- Have any of you noticed a difference in how you feel while taking generic prozac vs. the brand name?

Insanity replied:- I may be mistaken but i think they have to be exactlly the same ingredients by law. Researched some things about brand name vs. generic. Though they are the exact same ingredients as they have to pass certain government regulations in order to go on the market. It's how these ingredients are put together that makes the difference. I personally don't feel a difference. but it makes sense that it may affect many people different.

sunfire replied:- Sarafem has the exact same ingredients as Prozac does.

Sarafem is exactally the same thing as Prozac. The patent on prozac has run out , so generics are now being produced. So this is a marketing technique for the company. Here is the web site for sarafem.www.sarafem.com

Insanity replied:- PROZAC is the brand name for a medication called FLUOXTINE , the patent for Prozac has expired allowing other manufacturers to start making and selling cheaper generic versions.

The active ingredients is absolutely the same, though some of the non-active fillers can differ. Since the Prozac was allowed to go generic, the original Prozac company started marketing their new creation Prozac Weekly, because they knew they would lose sales on their original Prozac because of the cheaper generic versions. If you truely believe the generic version is not "doing it" for you, have your doctor say no substitutions allowed on your script.

Dekka Posted:- Since Prozac was deregulated in a sense, other non brand (generic) names such as Sarafem have come onto the market, is there any more generic brands such as Sarafem out there?

Prozac I believe did introduce its Prozac Weekly medication, do you know if they continued with this?

Is Fluoxtine & Prozac one in the same?

Catwomans reply:- Sarafem is actually considered "name-brand" because Lily produces it; it just so happens to be Prozac in a different package.

I think that Lily came up with this because it was known that their patent on Prozac was coming up, which is also why they invented this "weekly Prozac" as well. Which to my knowlege is still available.

Fluoxtine is the generic name for Prozac.

Artistic Girls reply:- As far I know, Eli Lily has been getting a bit of flack for this, as each is the SAME exact drug (Sarafem & Prozac). I think that Sarafem is still prescribed, but I am pretty sure that Prozac Weekly was taken off the market (at least for a little while), because it was considered false advertising.

Everyone of those drugs is exactly the same... and Catwoman is right. Lily was getting nervous about the patent expiring and decided to try and introduce these two to continue pulling in the amount of money they were before. Even now, with the generic out, they have had to reduce their prices so that they might still bring in money. The market is not their own, anymore, and they are not happy about it at all.

bluemomof3 Posted:- I was wondering if anyone could answer a question about Prozac and anxiety.Do you know if the Prozac is effective in a higher dose for anxiety? I'm only on 20mg right now and it helps with the depression, but my night time anxiety is bad

Artistic Girls & Dekka's reply:- You might want to contact your doctor and ask about upping your dosage to see if it helps you. Also, I don't know what time you take your meds, but I take mine at night, and it really seems to help calm me down (most of the time) from the day. Here are some links with some more information.

*3under3*Posted:- My doc just prescribed Sarafem. I know its the same ingredients as Prozac supposedly, but he told me his drug reps say its different in that it helps with PMS. I just dont get it.

Dekka replied

Irritability, sadness, sudden mood changes, tension, bloating. If you suffer from many of these symptoms month after month and they clearly interfere with your daily activities and relationships you could have PMDD. PMDD, Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, is a distinct medical condition that is characterized by intense mood and physical symptoms right before your period.

Sarafem can help. Doctors can treat PMDD with Sarafem the first and only prescription medication for PMDD. I went to the Sarafem website and this info was their. I am sure you will get more replies from someone who will know a lot more about this than I do.

[ladyhawk]

I have been on prozac several times before using both brand and generic (in fact when I first started there was no generic) and did not notice any difference, but this time I am on 60 mg and the doctor wrote it for one 20 mg and one 40 mg of the generic. Last month I felt much better at the higher dose, but when I got it refilled this time they used a different generic on the 40mg pill. It was like I was taking a sugar pill. I even wonder if it is the right medication since generics only seem to have letters and numbers on them. Does anyone know if there is a site on the net that you can put in the generic numbers and it says what the drug is? I know poison control can do it, but it definately takes a while and I would hate to tie them up on something like this.

After two weeks on the new generic I stopped it and started taking 3 of the 20mg. It made a world of difference so now I am waiting to see how my doc has my refill done. I may even push to try the brand to see if it makes a difference. The generic has to be within 20% either way of the brand so you may be getting one set of pills that are only 80% of the brands level or 120% of the brand and there is no way to know. That can be a big difference if you are just on the boarder of the level you need to be.

I was wondering if anyone else has experienced the same problem?

[divastrop]

when i was last on prozac i remember i had been doing well for a while then i got my prescription from a different chemist and for that month i felt awful.they were both generic versions but different ones.when i got the next lot from my normal chemist all was ok again.i did wonder at the time if it was due to them being different makes,but i thought i must be wrong as i knew they had to have the same ingredients.

i have been back on fluoxetine for almost 3 weeks,cross-tapering with effexor which wasnt working for me.the fluoxetine i got this time were really cheap looking things,and i have been getting really bad indigestion and also vomiting alot with them.

i dont want to say anything to my gp though as she will just think ive been reading too much on the internet again.i am in the uk and get my prescriptions free at the moment so i would feel like i was taking liberties asking for a different brand.

[Looking Up]

when i was last on prozac i remember i had been doing well for a while then i got my prescription from a different chemist and for that month i felt awful.they were both generic versions but different ones.when i got the next lot from my normal chemist all was ok again.i did wonder at the time if it was due to them being different makes,but i thought i must be wrong as i knew they had to have the same ingredients.

i have been back on fluoxetine for almost 3 weeks,cross-tapering with effexor which wasnt working for me.the fluoxetine i got this time were really cheap looking things,and i have been getting really bad indigestion and also vomiting alot with them.

i dont want to say anything to my gp though as she will just think ive been reading too much on the internet again.i am in the uk and get my prescriptions free at the moment so i would feel like i was taking liberties asking for a different brand.

Doctors are there to consult with, if a med isn't agreeing with you, you have every right to ask for an opinion or different med! It is not taking liberties... its getting the right help and the right medication for you! Don't be afraid to discuss your side effects or your issues with your doctor, thats what they are there for!

I hope to read from you soon, that you went and got something a little more suited for you

Looking Up

[divastrop]

when i was last on prozac i remember i had been doing well for a while then i got my prescription from a different chemist and for that month i felt awful.they were both generic versions but different ones.when i got the next lot from my normal chemist all was ok again.i did wonder at the time if it was due to them being different makes,but i thought i must be wrong as i knew they had to have the same ingredients.

i have been back on fluoxetine for almost 3 weeks,cross-tapering with effexor which wasnt working for me.the fluoxetine i got this time were really cheap looking things,and i have been getting really bad indigestion and also vomiting alot with them.

i dont want to say anything to my gp though as she will just think ive been reading too much on the internet again.i am in the uk and get my prescriptions free at the moment so i would feel like i was taking liberties asking for a different brand.

Doctors are there to consult with, if a med isn't agreeing with you, you have every right to ask for an opinion or different med! It is not taking liberties... its getting the right help and the right medication for you! Don't be afraid to discuss your side effects or your issues with your doctor, thats what they are there for!

I hope to read from you soon, that you went and got something a little more suited for you

Looking Up

well,i still had some of the ones left from last summer when i switched to effexor,so i have been taking them instead and have had no indigestion or heartburn!i have still had vomiting but i have now found out that could be due to effexor withdrawal.

i have a drs appointment tomorrow and if i get another prescription i will ask the chemist what brand they provide before handing it over.there are plenty of chemists in my area so i can pick and choose where i get the drugs from

[Persophone]

I have been taking a low dose of the generic for several years now and it has worked very well for me (I have never tried the brand name though)

[HopeFading]

I was taking the generic Prozac for almost a year, and got approved for free brand name Prozac. I did not believe it would make a difference, but within days the anxiety that my condition causes was noticeably better. Now I've been taking brand name for almost two months, and it's working better. It's still not effective enough, but definitely a difference from the generic.

I know it's all Fluoxetine Hydrochloride, so I don't understand it either, but the proof is in the pudding.

Now the only question is if it will keep working or play out again.

[louisely]

I was taking the generic Prozac for almost a year, and got approved for free brand name Prozac. I did not believe it would make a difference, but within days the anxiety that my condition causes was noticeably better. Now I've been taking brand name for almost two months, and it's working better. It's still not effective enough, but definitely a difference from the generic.

I know it's all Fluoxetine Hydrochloride, so I don't understand it either, but the proof is in the pudding.

Now the only question is if it will keep working or play out again.

our of curiosity, what do you mean not effective "enough"? how effective or what would it need to do to be "enough"?

i've often had difficulty taking meds and they've helped me but i didn't think they were worth the effort b/c they didn't make too much of a difference. is that what you mean?

[HopeFading]

The brand name Prozac was the first SSRI I took. It worked so well, I was able to completely overcome the anxieties that had plagued me.

Unfortunately, it has not been effective for several years. It's a really long story, but I tried many different SSRI's only to find the original to work better than the others I tried, after being away from it for awhile.

What I mean by not effective enough, is that I'm barely able to function, but before returning to the brand name, I was practically housebound.

It's a really long story, but I can't start a thread to post my full story until I've replied to several posts, according to the forum rules.

[heayan]

I originally took Prozac when I first started medication and it didn't really work for me. The doctor then mixed Prozac and Effexor XR together and I actually seemed to do pretty well for a while. My insurance then decided that it was too expensive to pay for the brand name and switched me to the generic brand, Fluoxintine.

While taking it I began to experience horrible tremors all over my body, first starting out in just small jitters where I just couldn't sit still but then escelating to getting so bad that it felt that everything is my body was shaking. When I brought it up to my doctor, she said that I was just looking for attention and that I could stop it any time that I could. I asked her to fight the insurance company to see if I could get back on Prozac but she wouldn't... I eventually weened myself off of the medication and changed doctors.

[divastrop]

well,i was on fluoxetine till march when i decided to quit cold turkey(v.bad idea!)then i went back on it after a month so have been on it about 6 months this time and i never got the same brand twice,i got some ok generic,some which gave me heartburn,then the last one i got made me constipated and i put on 7lb in 2 weeks plus i kept being sick.i saw the gp today and after being assured im not pregnant(!)she gave me a prescription for brand prozac.ive never had 'real' prozac before,i feel spaced out and can hardly keep my eyes open,i dont know what on earth is going on!

[KarenRB53]

I originally took Prozac when I first started medication and it didn't really work for me. The doctor then mixed Prozac and Effexor XR together and I actually seemed to do pretty well for a while. My insurance then decided that it was too expensive to pay for the brand name and switched me to the generic brand, Fluoxintine.

While taking it I began to experience horrible tremors all over my body, first starting out in just small jitters where I just couldn't sit still but then escelating to getting so bad that it felt that everything is my body was shaking. When I brought it up to my doctor, she said that I was just looking for attention and that I could stop it any time that I could. I asked her to fight the insurance company to see if I could get back on Prozac but she wouldn't... I eventually weened myself off of the medication and changed doctors.

Hi: Did you eventually get back on the brand name Prozac and do you still find it better than generic?

Karen

[mickey89]

I have never taken brand name Prozac. My doc started me out on the genaric fluoxetine because she said that she hasn't seen much difference in her patients and its only $4 for a months supply. I have been on it for 5 months and have had no problems with the genaric. I feel much better and life seems like it is much more approachable.

[starr]

Hi,

I am currently on 80mg of brandname prozac and want to

switch to generic. My pdoc says it is not as good but I was

wondering if I could do this and get the same result. I would like to

reduce my prozac to 60mg because I am so tired all the time

so I was wondering if 80mg of generic would be equivalent

to 60mg brandname? Does this make sense to anyone? I

read somewhere that generics only have to be 80% effective

as the brandname so I thought that switching to the generic

might still be all I need. My co-pay is $50/mo for the brandname

and I am on a total of 4 meds so it gets costly. Thanks for

any insight.

best wishes,

starr

[jimbow15]

I was taking the generic Prozac for almost a year, and got approved for free brand name Prozac. I did not believe it would make a difference, but within days the anxiety that my condition causes was noticeably better. Now I've been taking brand name for almost two months, and it's working better. It's still not effective enough, but definitely a difference from the generic.

I know it's all Fluoxetine Hydrochloride, so I don't understand it either, but the proof is in the pudding.

Now the only question is if it will keep working or play out again.

our of curiosity, what do you mean not effective "enough"? how effective or what would it need to do to be "enough"?

i've often had difficulty taking meds and they've helped me but i didn't think they were worth the effort b/c they didn't make too much of a difference. is that what you mean?

This is a very sticky area - a lot of people I know say that when they changed to another generic brand of fluoxetine it stoppped being effective, in fact I noted on one site that over 100 people in america complained that their insurance company would only pay for the cheapest brand of Prozac (Fluoxetine) and it was being ineffective for all of them. They were taking a law suite aginst the insurance companies for making them depressed. They wanted the branded version of Prozac and not any generic brand. Prozac being about 5 times more expensive per box.

Other people I know have no problem with any generic brand - and in reality thet must all pass the FDA approval for effectiveness.? So some people have very sensative brains??

Jim Bow

[newone]

hi new to all this and meds but i have been on gen. prozak for about a month now the real stuff befor that i felt no diff. they work the same on me but every body,s body may react diff. i know the welbutrine made me worse thats why i went bake to prozak and tried the gen. kind

[jimbow15]

Hi,

I found there at at least 6 generic brands of Generic Prozac. Some are very cheap from India and Brand Prozac is the most expensive. I have had teo realy bad experiences on Generic so I switched to Brand Prozac.

Jim Bow

[littlej456]

Call me crazy:p