Are Brand Name Drugs Safer Than Generic?

Americans often get obsessed with price. We have this belief that you get what you pay for, and in some cases, this is correct. For example, most people would probably agree that Pepsi tastes better than generic soda. However, generic soda is cheaper, so for some people trying to save money, generic may be the best choice. Situations like these have made the term "generic" misleading when it comes to prescription and over the counter drugs, but this is one area in which a fallacy exists.

In the drug industry, generic does not mean lower quality, and paying less for a generic drug does not mean your putting your risk at health. I'll give you an example from my own life. Every year when spring comes around, I suffer from allergies for a few weeks. The allergies aren't so bad that I need to see a doctor, but their annoying enough that I usually take an allergy medication, such as Benadryl, for relief. But I don't want to spend anywhere from $7 to $12 for a medication I'm only going to need for a few days, so I usually opt for a generic brand. Target, Albertson's and Wal-Mart all sell their own generic forms of Benadryl. I know I'm saving money and still getting the same type of medication just by looking at the back of the packages. The active ingredient in Benadryl is diphenhydramine. Generic brands also have the same ingredient. Paying more for a brand name drug like Benadryl means you're just paying for the name. It doesn't make sense right? But this is how American's have been programmed to think.

The same situation applies to prescription drugs also. Let me give you another example using the widely prescribed drug Zoloft. Zoloft is the name brand; however, the active ingredient in Zoloft is sertraline, which also happens to be the drug's generic name. There is no difference between Zoloft and sertraline. One has a fancy name we all recognize from commercials, while the other is the active ingredient. Again, you're paying for a name. I spent three years in the Navy working as a hospital corpsmen and treating Marines. Navy medicine only uses generic drugs not only because they're cheaper, but also because they're the same exact composition as name brand drugs. I have given out countless doses of ibuprofen (generic) and never once had a patient complain it didn't work because it wasn't Motrin or Advil (brand names). If generic medication is good enough for the defenders of our country, then it should be good for everybody else.

Don't believe the hype that drug companies flood their advertisements with. Generic drugs are cheaper, but that doesn't lessen their quality or make them dangerous. I should mention too, that you have the right to request that your doctor prescribe you generic medications, rather than brand name. Sometimes though, no generic form exists, but it never hurts to ask.