Generic Drugs V. Brand Name Drugs

At some point in our lives, everyone will need to take some form of medication. Whether over the counter, or prescription, many medications can be purchased in both brand name and generic form. The burden of comparing active ingredients and side effects falls on the consumer. With the internet, that task only takes a few minutes, and you can even get a jump start by asking your doctor to inform you of generic drug names and their effectiveness, or lack thereof.

Whenever possible, I choose to buy the generic version of both over the counter and prescription drugs. Not only are the generic products less expensive, but many insurance companies will not pay for a brand name if the medication in question is available in generic form. In my case, I am uninsured, and cannot afford to pay twice the price for the same medication. Many pharmacies offer a one month supply of generic prescription drugs for less than five dollars.

Over the counter medications are easy to compare since they are usually sitting beside each other on the shelf. The first thing to look at is active ingredients; the second is to compare the possible side effects. It's been my experience that store brand pain relievers and cold medications are identical in both of those fields. The packaging is not important, and a more graphic package design is not a good enough reason to pay more for the same product.

Prescription drugs take a little more effort on the part of the consumer. Not only would you need to have both the brand name and generic name for each drug to compare, but you would also need to make sure that both names are properly spelled for accuracy. Whenever your doctor prescribes a medication for you, the best thing to do is have him or her spell put the brand name and generic name for you on a piece of paper before you leave the office.

Don't be afraid to ask your doctor directly if they would recommend brand name over generic for the particular drug they have prescribed for you. Regardless of the answer, ask why they made that choice, and make a note of it for future reference should you ever need to take that medication again.