[CrunchDude]

I have a prescription for Norco 10/325 and want to get the most effective medication for my pain relief.

I called around and apparently there are two main generic manufacturers available at the various different pharmacies.

One is Mallinckordt (white and oval I think) and the other one is Watson (yellow and it has the imprint 853 I believe).

Which one should I spend my money on as I don't have insurance right now. Please help me. I am in pain!

[Casey55]

Can your pharmacist tell you the cost of each? Other than money they should both work the same way. If it is too expensive, perhaps there is another pain med you could take that would be cheaper.

Good Luck,
Casey

[zippysgoddess]

I know what you are talking about, contrary to popular belief, there are differences among generics, the FDA allows them to differ in the active ingredient by as much as 20%.

And in reality many companies are in such a hurry to get them onto the pharmacy shelves to make money, so quality control often suffers. I have had some that didn't have any of the active med, some that had the right amount, and some that had way too much, all in the same bottle from the same company.

I recommend the Watson, there have been many people complaining about the Mallinckrodt drugs, but most do not have a problem with Watson products.

verwon@gmail.com

My information is not guaranteed correct. I do not get them right all the time, but I do enjoy the hunt~

[BSGjunkie]

Watson is the safe way to go. Very well known. As stated above, generics aren't always the same, but they're not always that different either.

I filled an Rx for 10/325s in the Watson form last month 30 pills where in the 23 dollar range if I remember correctly.

[CrunchDude]

Thanks so much for everyone's response. I am stunned that apparently, there is a good chance that one generic would perform better than a different one. And the FDA allows up to a 20% difference? That seems outrageous!

I see that everyone seems to prefer the Watson brand. Interestingly enough, I have actually filled Norco with both Mallinckrodt and Watson pills on two different occasions in the past, and for some reason, I thought I liked the Mallinckrodt better!? [?] How can this be? Isn't Watson the original maker of Norco but so as to also make money on the generics, they have their own generic brand. How could their own generic be worse than a competitor's? Is it all (or mostly) in mine and people's heads that they only THINK that one is better than another? I believe it is called psychosomatic or the placebo effect, if my memory serves me correctly.

I know Watson is a very well established brand but I talked to several pharmacists about this and by and large, they all say both Mallinckrodt and Watson are very big companies and have excellent products. [?][?][?]

Based on the above, what do all of you think?