(not sure where to post . . . I assume in the PN thread, but to be safe and insure maximum visibility, I’ll start here)

Maybe someone here can help me to understand exactly what the difference (if may) is between Metanx vs. Folast . . . and inform me if I really need to care about the difference . . . I’m thinking I don’t really care about the difference . . . but I think some of you will know better than me based upon what you know and/or understanding what I’ve found

Quickly, some background (warning: this may take some time) . . .
I am diabetic type 2 (controlling my sugar with various meds and exercise, and trying to lose weight), with some slight/early PN in my feet . . . so my podiatrist prescribes Metanx twice daily . . . I go to my local CVS to get my prescription filled, and they inform me there is a generic for it, call Folast . . . I say fine (since I like to save money for non-name brand drugs), but they need to check with my doctor first . . . when I go to pick up my prescription, I’m informed by my pharmacist that my podiatrist said no to the generic, since he proclaims it is not the same Metanx . . . so I ask what’s the price difference, figuring if it’s a few bucks, I don’t really care . . . and I’m informed for 30 days worth, its something like (sorry don’t have actual figures with me here/now) $30 for the Folast vs. $105 for Metanx . . . I call my doctor and he tells me to get the actual ingredients for the Folast and let him know what I find out . . . I go back to my pharmacy, and check the active ingredients right off the bottle, and sure enough, they are listed as exactly the same (as some others have listed in various entries here) . . . I contact my doctor again, and he says he has found proof on the web that they are not the same (FYI – I also did some web research and everything I found listed Folast as generic for Metanx) . . . and he provides me a link to a personal blog . . . now, before you laugh at this like I did (i.e., my doctor is sending me a personal blog as his proof that I should pay over $300 a year for his prescribed non-generic pills . . . with all due respect doc, you have got to be kidding me?!) . . . however, this site did have some interesting information . . . and many ‘anonymous’ replies that look to be questionable at best . . .

First of all, I assumed that since Folast is an FDA approved generic, I had nothing to worry about (since the FDA would never let a drug be listed as a generic if it wasn’t the same), however, at this site, there appears the following quoted text from the woman’s CVS pharmacist:

*edit*
Then the blog had a response from the makers of Metanx as to why Folast is inferior and why it shouldn’t be bought and/or taken:

*edit*

So . . . at last I get to my questions: . . . what do you know about Folast vs. Metanx . . . is this above just another pharmaceutical trying to protect their profit margins with their own false and misleading half-truths . . . and assuming the above differences do exist, should I care about the above differences . . . i.e., do I really care that the Folast contains a “racemic methylfolate mixture” . . . ? ? ? ?

FYI – you should know that I searched your entire site, and although I found several entries on Metanx and/or some on Folast, I never found one addressing this type of debate between the two products

*edit*

Any help/information you can give me, to help me make up my mind as to whether I should take Metanx . . . or save some $ and take Folast . . . would be greatly appreciated

Thanks!