I used to think that each pharmacy used certain manufacturers. Then a friend of mine noticed that we get the same prescription & even get it filled @ the same place, but for some reason, our prescriptions are both from a different manufacturer.
She said that she's had the kind that I get before & that the kind she gets now is much better (I guess they use a little more of a key ingredient or something). So I'm wondering who made the decision to give her that manufacturer & who made the decision to give me the kind from the other manufacturer.
Who decides that? Does the doctor put something on the prescription to determine this or does the pharmacist choose or is it some other way that it's determined? Could I possibly request a certain manufacturer (the one my friend's prescription comes from, so I know the pharmacy uses them)? If so, would I mention it to, the doctor or the pharmacy? Any info would be appreciated. Thanks!
What determines which manufacturer will be chosen for your prescription?
Question posted by mystic37601 on 10 July 2011
Last updated on 17 June 2022 by Phoebe65
5 Answers
You can also ask the pharmacy which manufacturers they carry or can get from their distributor. I do this all the time when looking for my citalopram or for my trazodone which I use for sleep. CVS carries 2 different ones. One works well for me and the other one did not. Even though I let them know which one I prefer and they put it in their computer, they filled it with the wrong one again last time, which I didn't open until I got home. Next time, i will ask to see them before paying. I caught it one other time at the register and they went back and refilled it with the one I requested. I was most appreciative! If you let them know that a certain manufacturer works for you, they will let you know if they can or cannot get it, then you call around looking for it. Good luck!
Pharmacies work with a specific distributor, and each distributor will carry whatever they decide to purchase, usually the cheapest form of generics. Some generics are definately better than others. The FDA approves generics if their active ingredients are shown to be between 80-125% of the brand name, but the generics can also use inferior binders which make up the rest of the pill. If you know that your pharmacy has a distributor that carries both manufactuers of the same generic med then you can ask your physician to request the better manufacturer on your prescription along with "no substitutes". Good luck, this is a huge problem, because so many generics carried by the most common pharmacies all use the same distributers who buy cheap junk, and our insurances will only pay for scripts from the pharmacies who buy from those distributors. It's criminal, as peoples lives are shaken.
You could potentially get a different generic made by a different inferior manufacturer every month. I read blogs from moms whose kids were taking generic ritalin and were fine for months then suddenly their old behaviors came back and they got kicked out of school all because of a change in the manufacturer of the generic med.
It HAS been implied that some doctors will write a note implying "Grade A" and if in fact the pharmacy is filling weaker/stronger/different generics for different people or situations (probably based on their own opinions of possible interactions with other medications).
This particular case was noted a few times when CVS gave everyone Mylan brand several years ago causing withdrawal in some cases for this generic medication, and everyone complained. Finally doctors started writing "Class A" or "Grade A" or "Type A" in the subtle corner which caused a different generic to be given.
Perhaps the A just stood for Actavis generics (AKA "purepac").
Who knows, does any pharmacists or Pharm Techs know if generics are ranked by +/- percentage of medication compared to the brand name, and how much is actually absorbed as a result of inactive ingredients?
If you are speaking of generics brands, I have found it depends on the pharmacy. Walgreens usually stick to certain generic brands, probably for a larger discount from the manufacturer. I stopped using Walgreens for this very reason,. I now use CVS exclusively because I can chose the brand that works best for me. An example of this was when I was on Methadone for chrontic pain, Walgreens would not carry the Roxanne brand which was the only generic that seemed closest to the Name Brand in effectiveness. I found this true with Xanax which I still take, that walgreens would not give me a comparable generic so went to CVS, & they will order whatever brand you prefer. On Xanax I use Purepac as my generic. Hope this helps answer your question. Sometimes you might have to try different ones to find the one that suits your needs. I, & my husband have found this to be true. Best of luck to you...
CVS is just like Walgreens except you've been lucky with the specific manufacturers of the generics you take. I have read many blogs where people complain of CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aide, Walmart, Fred Meyers, and more because they all use the same "distributors", and those distributors determine which generic manufacturers are available to those pharmacies. So the first question to ask your pharmacy is " what distributor do they use?" Then find a reportedly good generic manufacturer from blogs for your generic med and find out if that distributor buys or carries that manufacturer, by calling your pharmacy, or you can call the manufacturer and ask what pharmacies and/or distributors do they sell to. It's a complicated and manipulative system, that's making all these new cheap generic manufacturers tons of money. It has to change!
Are you sure they are exactly the same, same drug, same mg, everything? You are right in that most pharmacies use whichever manufacturer offers the best price on the large quantities of drug they buy but they may get a certain mg of the same med from one manufacturer and another mg from a different manufacturer. If you both take EXACTLY the same med, same mg, everything then you could request they fill your prescription with the pills with the manufacturer your friend uses. I would almost bet that something between the two are different though. The only other thing may be that one is the brand name and the other is the generic. Drs can indicate on a prescription if a generic can be used or not. One of you may have the Dr indicating that a generic can be used and the other may be indicating to use only brand name.
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