Generics: yes or no?

[Flavio]

I hate generics. I don't know where they come from, I don't know what's in them and I don't trust them. I'm not an expert but I've talked to nurses and doctors who told me that even if they're genuine, they're usually not as effective as brand drugs.

I know many of you disagree and prefer generics because of their low cost, but to me, my health is far more important than money. I don't mind spending a small fortune in hair loss products, as long as they work.

I believe the reason why I've had sucess (and no side effects!) with finasteride for the last 12 or 13 years is because I only use the genuine brand drug (Proscar cut into 4ths) and not some generic crap.

 

[HughJass]

I don't have a problem with buying generics locally, they usually just have different inactive ingredients


buying online is a different story of course.

 

[ali777]

The good old placebo effect of a brand name unk:

One health programme on the BBC did a test of generics vs brand names. When the test subjects tried the "brand name" they performed much better than with the generics.... However, they didn't realise that the medicines were actually switched, and what they thought was brand name was actually a generic.

The point is, test subjects performed much better with generics, but they thought they were taking brand names. The placebo effect is much stronger than we think.

 

[beaner]

Generics get a bad rap for no reason. They are more often prescribed by physcians these days and in the U.S. it is required that prescriptions be filled generically unless specifically stated on the prescription to fill with brand name. I tend to think that Merck and other big name companies aren't the only ones capable of producing medication. I've never taken brand named Proscar or Propecia and have had great success with generic finasteride as have many, many others on this forum.