Walmart perscription drugs

[WindwardOahuRN]

Re: Walmart perscription drugs

ok..i want to chime in..sometimes generic is not always the best....

i had to take a prescription which i had to pay $200 out of MY pocket....and so i asked the dr is there a generic equivalent instead..he switched me to generic and i had to pay $5.00 but it did not work as well as the name brand..so irealy regretted that....because had i stayed on the name brand i could have avoided a 4 month stay at a hospital :P

I just went back and checked cranberee's post that I was referring to and it was indeed the Dr. that changed the script as I thought.

Maybe I missed something.

Did he change your medication to a generic version of a brand name version you were taking, Cranberree, or did he switch you to a different drug altogether because a generic version of the brand name drug you were taking was not available?

Generic drugs which have been known to cause problems in the past because of poor control in the factories which manufacture them are digoxin (Lanoxin), phenytoin (Dilantin), and warfarin (Coumadin), among others. I know many hospitals still use the branded versions of these drugs. The up side is that these particular drugs, even branded, are relatively cheap.

[CranBeree]

Re: Walmart perscription drugs

Maybe I missed something.

Did he change your medication to a generic version of a brand name version you were taking, Cranberree, or did he switch you to a different drug altogether because a generic version of the brand name drug you were taking was not available?

Generic drugs which have been known to cause problems in the past because of poor control in the factories which manufacture them are digoxin (Lanoxin), phenytoin (Dilantin), and warfarin (Coumadin), among others. I know many hospitals still use the branded versions of these drugs. The up side is that these particular drugs, even branded, are relatively cheap.

no there is no generic version of what i was taking...it was still an experimental drug or whatever..it's called Cellcept..i asked for a generic EQUIVALENT.. which was azthipine (i know i spelled that wrong) but something like that..thats as close as i could get to remember the darned thing.

[brianca]

Re: Walmart perscription drugs

What you missed was where the dr made the change rather than a pharmacist. I think that's what was confusing you.

While doctors should tell you about the details of your meds, many do not do so. Switching you to a different formulation's generic is not something they will always tell you they are doing unless you ask for details. Right or wrong, doctors are impacted by many factors in the marketplace. Often from the time they put you on the primary med and the time they switch you to generic, they may change the meds to a degree not expecting any serious consequences based on their experiences.

[WindwardOahuRN]

Re: Walmart perscription drugs

What you missed was where the dr made the change rather than a pharmacist. I think that's what was confusing you.

While doctors should tell you about the details of your meds, many do not do so. Switching you to a different formulation's generic is not something they will always tell you they are doing unless you ask for details. Right or wrong, doctors are impacted by many factors in the marketplace. Often from the time they put you on the primary med and the time they switch you to generic, they may change the meds to a degree not expecting any serious consequences based on their experiences.

Thanks, but Cranberee explained what I "missed."

And I missed the information because it wasn't there. Your post implied that she asked for one drug that was available as a generic and was given another generic. That just didn't make sense.

Cranberee cleared it up.

[WindwardOahuRN]

Re: Walmart perscription drugs

no there is no generic version of what i was taking...it was still an experimental drug or whatever..it's called Cellcept..i asked for a generic EQUIVALENT.. which was azthipine (i know i spelled that wrong) but something like that..thats as close as i could get to remember the darned thing.

Thanks for explaining.

There definitely IS a problem with drugs that have an NTI (narrow therapeutic index), such as the ones I mentioned in an earlier post. Drugs that fall into the NTI category are usually the ones where serum drug levels must be monitored to avoid under- or over-dosing. CellCept (mycophenolate) is one of these.

Could the drug you took have been azathioprine? It's similar to CellCept,not quite the same, but I could see it being prescribed as a generic replacement for the branded CellCept. Azathioprine is an older drug. CellCept seems to have replaced it now, IME.

Sorry about your unfortunate reaction to the generic replacement. Hope all is well now.

[brianca]

Re: Walmart perscription drugs

Like I said there are many reasons that a doctor would give a generic for another medication even when one for the name you're taking exists. Maybe you've never come across them, but that doesn't mean they don't exist. As I mentioned above shortages is a primary reason, but there are many others.

[CranBeree]

Re: Walmart perscription drugs

Thanks for explaining.

There definitely IS a problem with drugs that have an NTI (narrow therapeutic index), such as the ones I mentioned in an earlier post. Drugs that fall into the NTI category are usually the ones where serum drug levels must be monitored to avoid under- or over-dosing. CellCept (mycophenolate) is one of these.

Could the drug you took have been azathioprine? It's similar to CellCept,not quite the same, but I could see it being prescribed as a generic replacement for the branded CellCept. Azathioprine is an older drug. CellCept seems to have replaced it now, IME.

Sorry about your unfortunate reaction to the generic replacement. Hope all is well now.

yes that's it!! sorry for the mangled spelling..LOL ...s ok..i learned the hard way, sometimes that's the only way i learn!! *sigh* but to think all of the crappy stuff could have been prevented had i stayed on cellcept. if anything all the stuff i went through last year was really life changing - for the better..so i guess in a twisted sort of way, it was a good thing

[WindwardOahuRN]

Re: Walmart perscription drugs

yes that's it!! sorry for the mangled spelling..LOL ...s ok..i learned the hard way, sometimes that's the only way i learn!! *sigh* but to think all of the crappy stuff could have been prevented had i stayed on cellcept. if anything all the stuff i went through last year was really life changing - for the better..so i guess in a twisted sort of way, it was a good thing

I hope you didn't think I was trying to be a member of the Spelling, Grammar, and Usage Corrective Squad! I probably wouldn't qualify.

Take care and stay well.

[brianca]

Re: Walmart perscription drugs

Almost nothing more frustrating in life than cascading medical problems. Especially if you don't have a good doctor to guide you through the process and listen to what you have to tell them. Having spent a lot of time dealing with drug testing from both sides of the equation, I've learned that when you find a good doc, you cling to them, and if you don't have one drop them and start looking. You'll waste an amazing amount of time if you try and stick it out with a doc that isn't up to snuff.

[CranBeree]

Re: Walmart perscription drugs

umm hmm..i have a good doctors...its the patient that is a problem..LOL

i like to question and ask and sometimes be non compliant but in the end, its also my health and my care so i try to be as proactive as i can be about it.

[brianca]

Re: Walmart perscription drugs

Heh. I've had that problem too. Nothing I can do about the quality of the patient though.

I've had experience with doctor's who couldn't accept a non-standard reaction to a course of treatment. Banging my head against that wall for a long while before I finally found one that did was some seriously wasted time.

It's amazing though how we'll sabotage a treatment that works for something as simple as not wanting to take a pill or whatever. Many of us have the 'I feel better now, so I'll stop taking my meds' syndrome from time to time. Maybe they'll invent a pill to cure that.