Fiorinal with Codeine - Why do the generic fioninal #3 does not help me at all. The brand name does?

Generic drugs marketed without brand names are generally less expensive than brand-name drugs, even though they are chemically identical to brand-name drugs and meet the same standards of the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) for safety, purity and effectiveness. Generic drugs can be legally produced in the US if a patent has expired, or for drugs which have never been patented. The active ingredients are the same but sometimes the inactive inert ingredients like binders and fillers that make a pill a pill can be different. Here is a copy of what the FDA says about generics:

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A generic drug is identical--or bioequivalent--to a brand name drug in dosage form, safety, strength, route of administration, quality, performance characteristics and intended use. Although generic drugs are chemically identical to their branded counterparts, they are typically sold at substantial discounts from the branded price. According to the Congressional Budget Office, generic drugs save consumers an estimated $8 to $10 billion a year at retail pharmacies. Even more billions are saved when hospitals use generics.

Drug companies must submit an abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) for approval to market a generic product. The Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984, more commonly known as the Hatch-Waxman Act, made ANDAs possible by creating a compromise in the drug industry. Generic drug companies gained greater access to the market for prescription drugs, and innovator companies gained restoration of patent life of their products lost during FDA's approval process.

New drugs, like other new products, are developed under patent protection. The patent protects the investment in the drug's development by giving the company the sole right to sell the drug while the patent is in effect. When patents or other periods of exclusivity expire, manufacturers can apply to the FDA to sell generic versions. The ANDA process does not require the drug sponsor to repeat costly animal and clinical research on ingredients or dosage forms already approved for safety and effectiveness. This applies to drugs first marketed after 1962.

Health professionals and consumers can be assured that FDA approved generic drugs have met the same rigid standards as the innovator drug. To gain FDA approval, a generic drug must:

contain the same active ingredients as the innovator drug(inactive ingredients may vary)
be identical in strength, dosage form, and route of administration
have the same use indications
be bioequivalent
meet the same batch requirements for identity, strength, purity, and quality
be manufactured under the same strict standards of FDA's good manufacturing practice regulations required for innovator products
SOURCE:

U.S. Food and Drug Administration

I truly hate to say this and mean absolutely no offense but many times the difference is in peoples minds. Since they dont pay as much for the drug they think it must somehow be less effective and an inferior drug. The mind is a very powerful thing. It is just like an opposite of a placebo effect. With a placebo effect, if a person truly believes a placebo will work for them, it does.I have personally seen people given sugar pills and been told it was a pain pill or a nerve pill and it works every bit as well as the real thing!! This is just the opposite. The person thinks the generic isnt going to work, that it must be inferior because it is less expensive, so therefore it doesnt work. Generics are truly the same active ingredient so they work the same. Now sometimes you may get different side effects but that is more likely due to the binders and fillers. I know a lot of people are going to disagree with me on this one so I'm waiting for all the "thumbs down"!! lol With a brand name, the reason it is more expensive is that you are paying for the patent, the research, the advertising and a host of other costs. A generic manufacturer can offer the generic at lower prices because they dont hold the patent and havent shelled out for research and advertisements that they have to mark up the price of the drug to get a return on their investment. Pharmaceuticals are a business and in the business to make money just like other businesses. I can assure you that if you are admitted to a hospital, even the best hospital around, if there is a generic for your medicine, you will be getting the generic while you are in the hospitals care!