generic vs brand name

[gogetta]

OK, so I've been prescribed paxil and I went to fill my prescription and I had the option of getting serotax (brand name) and paroxetine hcl (generic).

I was wondering if anyone has had any personal experience with generic anti depressants in particular SSRI's? I ened up getting the brand name just because I wasn;t for sure but I haven't actually taken it yet. The generic is so much cheaper and I would rather go that route, I can always get another prescription and go get the generic so its no biggie.

I didn't want to start taking the brand name if once I started taking the brand name I couldn't switch to generic without any other side effects. I know the general concenus is that the generic is identical to the brand name but I have heard different stories about people switching to generic and not having success with the generics.

So my question is if I started on a generic would I see the same results or would you rather stick with the brand name and spend the extra money?

 

[cuts82]

Umm this is a steroid discussion board not anti depressant,
but ill answer- there is no difference, they both have the same active ingredient, both do the same thing

 

[shirlock]

Umm this is a steroid discussion board not anti depressant,
but ill answer- there is no difference, they both have the same active ingredient, both do the same thing

obsolutely spot on, the TGA regulates this in Australia and manufacturers must meet very stringent guide lines before getting their lines into the dispensary

 

[needtogetaas]

This thread is better made in the medical forum bro.

 

[Cutiebaby]

Ok first of all Paxil is terrible, speaking from experience. I was on brand name back years ago, stuff was no good. Many people that I come across seem to agree that it was terrible for them. Many are now going with celexa or zoloft instead of the paxil.

Anyways people do mention that going from brand name to generic name has caused them to become ill and to have terrible dreams. Although it is not common with everyone. Every individual is different and ones tolerance does not match anothers. You may be able to take something where as I am not able to..Personally though I suggest that you not switch the paxil and that you stick with either the brand of the generic choice. Or better choice to get rid of it completely and try something different (but thats just my opinion).

 

[Tatyana]

It doesn't make any difference using generic or brand name.

I knew that Paxil rang a bell, I am with Angel on her opinion.

I would do more research on the drug before you take it.


Controversy


A British Government parliamentary inquiry into a number of prescription and over the counter drugs noted problems with SSRI antidepressants including withdrawal, suicidal thoughts and other adverse effects.

The inquiry found that paroxetine (Paxil, Seroxat) has, more commonly than other SSRI antidepressants, a very devastating impact on some users lives.[46] Since the FDA approved paroxetine in 1992, approximately 5,000 U.S. citizens have sued GSK. Most of these people feel they were not sufficiently warned in advance of the drug's side effects—particularly the withdrawal syndrome discussed above, after GSK had specifically advertised the drug as non-habit forming[41]

In the UK since 2001 lawsuits have been filed representing people who have been prescribed Seroxat. They allege that the drug has serious side effects, which GlaxoSmithKline downplayed in patient information.[47][48]

In early 2004, GSK agreed to settle charges of consumer fraud for $2.5 million (a tiny fraction of the over $2.7 billion in yearly Paxil sales at that time).[49] The legal discovery process also uncovered evidence of deliberate, systematic suppression of unfavorable Paxil research results. One of GSK's internal documents had said, "It would be commercially unacceptable to include a statement that efficacy [in children] had not been demonstrated, as this would undermine the profile of paroxetine"[50]. In March 2004 the FDA ordered a black box warning placed on SSRI and other antidepressants, warning of the risk for potential suicidal thinking in children and adolescents.[51][52]

ABC News reported that the prescribing of these medications to children subsequently dropped by 20 percent. [53] According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Annual Summary of Vital Statistics, the suicide rate rose more than 18 percent in those 1 to 19 years old, from 2.2 per 100,000 in 2003 to 2.6 per 100,000 in 2004. In those 15 to 19 years old, the figures reflected a more than 12 percent rise in suicide, from 7.3 per 100,000 in 2003 to 8.2 per 100,000 in 2004.[53]

This led many experts to conclude that the warning, and subsequent reduction in the use of antidepressants, led to an increased suicide rate in this age group.[54] The finding is consistent with an earlier finding, reported to the 2003 FDA Advisory Committee by Dr David Shaffer, that suicide rates in the United States fell during the 1990s, in line with the introduction of SSRIs.[55]

On January 29 2007, the BBC broadcast a fourth documentary in its Panorama series about the drug Seroxat.[56] This programme, entitled Secrets of the Drug Trials, focused on three GSK paediatric clinical trials on depressed children and adolescents. Data from the trials show that Seroxat could not be proven to work for teenagers. Also, one clinical trial indicated that adolescents were six times more likely to become suicidal after taking it.

In May 2007 a US court approved a settlement in a class action lawsuit brought on behalf of everyone in the United States who purchased Paxil or Paxil CR prescribed for a minor. The lawsuit alleged that GlaxoSmithKline promoted Paxil or Paxil CR for prescription to children and adolescents while withholding and concealing material information about the medication's safety and effectiveness for minors. GSK denied all claims.


The settlement terms entitled everyone, who previously purchased Paxil or Paxil CR for their child or ward, to recover up to 100% of the documented out-of-pocket expenses or $100, if documentation was not available.[57] [58]

The court documents released as a result of one of the lawsuits in October 2008 indicated that GSK "and/or researchers may have suppressed or obscured suicide risk data during clinical trials" of paroxetine.

One of the investigators, "Charles Nemeroff, former Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at Emory University, was the first big name 'outed' ...In early October, Nemeroff resigned from Emory amid revelations that he had received over $960,000 from GSK in 2006, yet reported less than $35,000 to the school. Subsequent investigations revealed payments totaling more than $2.5 million from drug companies between 2000 and 2006, yet only a fraction was disclosed."[59]

In 2008, it was also suggested that Paroxetine could affect fertility in male patients.[60]

The suppression of unfavorable research findings on Paxil by GSK — and the legal discovery process that uncovered it — is the subject of Alison Bass's 2008 book Side Effects: A Prosecutor, a Whistleblower, and a Bestselling Antidepressant on Trial[61].