May 7, 2015

Hello everyone!

I may need to go back on Cymbalta after being off it for 16 months, and wanted to see if I can expect the same quality of drug with the generic vs the name brand?

Feedback please.

Mrs D. ?

Thank you!

David

Apollo: I don't have any personal experience with this, but I did a quick Google search and found that a lot of people reported problems after switching to the generic. Note that the generic is required to have the same active ingredient in it - but the inactive ingredients, etc. can be different, which could cause different levels of absorption. So, a person might require a different dosage on the generic vs the name brand. (Note that almost all of the reports I saw were from people who switched from the name brand to the generic, not from people who started on the generic. And the majority of the reports were about a return of anxiety/depression symptoms, or headaches - both of which could happen if you were getting a different effective dose.)

Personally, I would stick with the name brand if I had used it successfully before and could comfortably afford it. But if the cost is an issue, you could always try the generic and switch back if it doesn't work well.

... thank you. Any other feedback .... Mrs. D?

I don't work with the public anymore, so that part of my experience is gone.

But I do look up stuff on FDA.gov-- the Orange Book will show
who makes the generics (if they are available).

http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/script...cs/queryai.cfm

type in duloxetine to the ingredient field.

In the past many generics at first were made by the parent company. An example was Greenstone owned by Pfizer. But that seems less common today..with the huge competition by foreign countries for a slice of the $$ pie of Big Pharma.

For duloxetine there are many companies, listed there.
So one would have to have experience with patients who come back and complain and their particular generic. Large chain pharmacies buy in bulk and often get "deals" from specific companies, so you could get one generic at Walgreens and another one at WalMart, for example.

I'd ask a few pharmacists their advice. They may be honest or refuse to give a straight answer...as that is how the party line has become in pharmacy.

You could try searching each company online--
"complaints duloxetine generic Teva" and vary the name for each search. It is a long list I see this morning at the Orange Book. Some of them are Indian... and for example, I didn't like Lupin myself for my past blood pressure pill. I had Watson ordered for myself back then. If you find a brand that doesn't have the complaints, you can try to have the store special order it for you if they don't normally carry it. Today I am using a Zydus product with no problems. Zydus is listed for duloxetine as well.

Dear Apollo:

I've taken 60 mg of Cymbalta daily since 2010. It works very very well for me.
It is on label for the pain of arthritis and PN among other pains...and of course helps stabilize mood. Now I take the generic version and notice no change in effectiveness.

One note: My husband tried it, and it took away his pain completely, but it also gave him explosive diarrhea. So it wasn't for him.

We must all use trial and error to find the right treatments, I have found.

Best wishes, ElaineD

ElainD,

That's good to know (you didn't notice a difference). One less thing to worry about.