Harm Reduction Venlafaxine/ generic EFFEXOR 150mg alert

[✿Dai₷y✿]

• #1

Hi

I have been prescribed venlafaxine and have been taking 150mg daily most of that time (spiking to 300mg , reduced back to 150mg for last year or so).

My pharmacy sourced from. APO-VENLAFAXINE for at least the last year and it has been made known from my prescriber that the generic brands do not have to be exact like the name brands, have not had to for years. This explains why my pills have not been effective anymore.

I switched back to EFFEXOR-XR, the name brand this week and I feel normal again.

I strongly suggest anyone on this medication do the same. Generic brands of any drug are allowed to be +/- 10% active ingredient and obviously would not put more in to save money, 10% less is ridiculous.

It doesn't work for the consumer of venlafaxine as withdrawal symptoms are too much and shouldn't happen if the dose is correct.

If you are not feeling great with symptoms of non consumption syndrome despite taking it, do not use the generic.

75mg pills x 2 of generic were fine, the 150mg pills are wrong.

This almost cost me my job, dont let it happen to you.

 

[JessFR]

Wow. This is hard to believe. Not saying I don't believe you I'm just amazed. Must look further into this...

Thanks for making the thread, maybe if anyone else has noticed anything with generics in Australia or heard anything they could contribute.

Do you still have the pills? I ask cause since they're comprised of little balls in capsules, you might be able to take apart 2 75mg and compare if it's the same as a 150mg (if like probably a lot of bluelighters you have mg scale ). Then you'd have very solid evidence you could show to others.

 

[Vagabond696]

Mine are APO VENLAFLAXINE XR and I feel fine so who knows.

 

[JessFR]

I've never been on venlafaxine my head doctors put me on duloxetine instead.

Still. I've taken a lot of genetic drugs made by apotex.

Diazepam, mirtazepine, duloxetine and others iirc.

I can't report any known problems myself. Might be this is isolated to one product.

 

[✿Dai₷y✿]

Wow. This is hard to believe. Not saying I don't believe you I'm just amazed. Must look further into this...

Thanks for making the thread, maybe if anyone else has noticed anything with generics in Australia or heard anything they could contribute.

Do you still have the pills? I ask cause since they're comprised of little balls in capsules, you might be able to take apart 2 75mg and compare if it's the same as a 150mg (if like probably a lot of bluelighters you have mg scale ). Then you'd have very solid evidence you could show to others.

I do and will some to the WA chem centre but it costs a lot to do that and it'll take a while to get back to me.

The pills look the same- maroon capsules with basically same crud in them, cost is not that much cheaper for generics.

Pharmacies have deals with suppliers so change pharmacy rather than accept generics.


The generic laws (amongst other things) changed and laws don't get made as public as they should. Its more a copyright to patents and stuff rather than generics having to match the original exactly, what's more important, patents or patients?


Fuck the healthcare system, its gone to shit.

 

[JessFR]

With respect, laws are absolutely made public. As are the applicable regulations.

You can look up the standards for generic medications.

I suspect what's far more likely is that the company is just failing to comply with the law.

If you can establish that the 150mg generic is not equivalent you should send that information to the therapeutic goods administration.

For interests sake (and cause when I get up I intend to go through what recent changes to the law there have been).

The relevant legislation covering the system of generic medicines is here

Search

Generics don't have to be exactly identical to the inventor drug, they just need to have the same active pharmaceutical ingredients and provide the same results in a study when compared with the original.

 

[✿Dai₷y✿]

With respect, laws are absolutely made public. As are the applicable regulations.

You can look up the standards for generic medications.

I suspect what's far more likely is that the company is just failing to comply with the law.

If you can establish that the 150mg generic is not equivalent you should send that information to the therapeutic goods administration.

For interests sake (and cause when I get up I intend to go through what recent changes to the law there have been).

The relevant legislation covering the system of generic medicines is here

Search

Generics don't have to be exactly identical to the inventor drug, they just need to have the same active pharmaceutical ingredients and provide the same results in a study when compared with the original.

The active ingredients have to be the same, the strength doesn't have to be the same and that is bad if you're on something that is supposed to be at the same dose.

Heh, these studies people and companies cling to to prove effectiveness, I wonder if that's a requirement every couple of years or just once to be approved. Things change very subtly over time , never on the consumers favour . The generics entering the market was technically a response to rising costs on a monopoly market amongst other things yet theres not that huge a difference in prices now.

There was a $10 gap roughly about a decade ago (iirc), but not anymore, no one really noticed or expected any different though, did they?

Regardless, its been my experience its not worth buying generic.

I was told there is a known difference in this drug by my gp a long time ago however subsequently put that aside as my chemist only stocked. APO, they keep my scripts so refills were automatic and I noticed I was feeling like I had missed doses but hadn't, put it down to other things or generally just coped anyway.

But honest, changing over made it so clear, I didn't have any of the lagging, dull headaches or electric shocks, no head fog, good as gold.


I wouldn't accept any other generic again, especially since prices aren't that different .


Anyway, personal choice and all but the withdrawals are pretty serious and if this rings true to anyone else, try swapping and you see it is a game changer.

 

[✿Dai₷y✿]

Boring American article

The FDA thinks a 15%difference between generic and name brand is okay, technically that isn't a known thing, just "generics have to have the same active ingredient", maybe not even that, if its not being absorbed the same who cares about how exact a copy it is? Does something that has similar outcomes in clinical trials have any bearing on the effect felt by you (or me in this instance?)

We are supposed to be able to just let the govt etc ensure they do exactly what they say since prescriptions are different in wording, there can't be any differences, its not our problem is it?

Im sure patient outcomes dont matter to these companies any more than their bottom line matters to me.

Name brands, fuck generics, these drugs are not worth using if they don't work properly, I want my money back tbh.

 

[JessFR]

I still think if you should consider complaining to the tga.

Actually, you should go to your doctor and propose complaining. If indeed you're right, and I believe that you experienced what you experienced and it seems likely that the reason for it is what you suspect, there really should be a complaint made.

I suspect you're right that the problem is that the potency isn't being sufficiently monitored.