Generic Cellcept v Brand

[Rose]

I know quite a few people here were taking brand cellcept and changed to generic when it became available. How well have you tolerated it and was there any notable change in labs? Thanks

[RCOSSIO]

I take the brand but do know that Jack was taking the generic, "I believe" for quite some time. Unfortunately he is out of commission for a while and will be back "God-willing" very shortly. Anyway my doc said no discernible difference, but hey if its not too expensive and your insurance covers it, go with Cellcept.

[crackers]

i've been on cellcept for three years now with no problems.you should be ok.
john.

[WeggieParent]

My 16 yr old daughter has been on Cellcept for a year and 1/2. We've used both brand name and generic. (Our doctor said there was no difference.) She has tolerated both well with no difference in any of her labs.

[drz]

I know for some drugs the generic and name brand are made at same factory. I don't know if there are some differences though in ingredients or quality control checks that allow generic to be cheaper. Sometimes the products are identical as it would cost more to change procedures to make the generic differently.

[Sangye]

Generic drugs are allowed to have a 20% variability in content, and they are made by many different companies. In general the only time you don't want to use the generic versions are for drugs that require very delicate balance. Anticoagulants, seizure meds/ drugs for bipolar syndrome are the most common.

Generic versions of anticoagulants make it harder to keep the INR in range. Each time you get a refill you might be getting it from a different company. Originally I took warfarin and couldn't get my INR in range. Now I take brand name Coumadin and have no trouble with it.

[vdub]

I was on real hydorcortisone for a while (not sure what "real" is) and was switched to Cortef generic. I started feeling a lot better. Coincidence? Probably, but I still insist on Cortef.

[Trudy]

Generic drugs are allowed to have a 20% variability in content.

My daughter uses Imitrex for migraines and the content reads exactly like the generic, but the generic which she has tried on two different refills does not work. Her rheumy only gives her Imitrex now, of course after a fight with the insurance company. ??? Do you think the 20% has to be listed?

Also you can be allergic to an ingredient. I am allergic to alfalfa which the pill binder magnesium sterate is often derived from, so for supplements I have to use gell caps.

[Sangye]

I was on real hydorcortisone for a while (not sure what "real" is) and was switched to Cortef generic. I started feeling a lot better. Coincidence? Probably, but I still insist on Cortef.
vdub, Cortef is the brand name version. So you must have done poorly on the generic.

[Rose]

My insurance will just cover the cellcept generic which is 70% of the cost of the brand. I did take the generic from February to April inclusive and my creatinine levels went from 85 to 116. However at the same time I was put on simvastatin 20mgs daily and after a few weesk experienced muscle pain in my thighs which got progressively worse over time. I mentioned this to my rheumatologist when I saw her again 3 months later and she told me to stop the simvastatin. i was surprized as I had taken the drug before and had no side effects though then it was taking 10mgs daily. I googled the side effects of simvastatin when I returned home that day and discovered that muscle pain is indeed a side effect of simvastatin caused by muscle breakdown and in this process creatinine is released and can cause a rise in blood creatinine levels. So was it the generic cellcept or the simvastatin to blame for the increase in creatine levels. I changed back to cellcept brand and stopped the simvastatin at the same time and my kidney function improved. I am trying to save some money as my insurance has not been paying for my cellcept etc over the past few months and my medical costs have been astronomical.

[Sangye]

My money is on the smivastatin, Rose. That's a very common side effect.

[elephant]

I agree with Sangye, that is why I will not take that drug.

[DDee]

I am on Mylan - Mycophenolate Mofetil and started getting extreme stomach aches. Talked to my doc about it and he is submitting a request to my insurance to switch to Myfortic due to GI toxicity. He told me that generic is released in the stomach vs Myfortic released in the intestine. Hope it works because I am getting to where I like the taste of baking soda :)