Valacyclovir manufacturers

I took the Mylan brand at 1500 mg per day. After 5 days, I was in the ER with severe abdominal cramps. I had a CT scan and ultrasound....nothing. I immediately stopped taking the Mylan valacyclovir and the cramps subsided slowly over about a week+.
I got enough nerve to try it again several months later. It was the brand name Glaxo SmithKline valacyclovir. I started on a slow dose....500 mg for 5 days, upped it to 1500 mg for 5 days and then was up to the 3000 mg for 2 weeks. I had no side effects and I felt like my meniere's symptoms were diminishing. I was feeling much better but then my ENT decided that was enough and the virus was "killed" so I didn't need anymore. I am seeing him tomorrow to try to understand his rationale....but I suspect I will be doctor hunting for someone to prescribe them. I plan to see my PCP to see if she will prescribe it. If not, I will ask my homeopathic doctor is she would do it. This is so crazy. I don't know why I have to find a doctor to do this - especially if I feel it is helping me! I have no issue having my kidneys tested as often as needed if the doctor is worried about that.

Anyway, sorry to go off on a tangent. Once I am back on the antivirals, I plan to stabilize and look for a different generic brand that may work. Many on this board have had good luck with Northstar, so that will be my first one to try.

 

I know that some folks here are reporting anecdotal evidence that there are differences, but genetic medicine is tightly monitored and these pills have to provide the exact same dose of the exact same drug.

 

not so scott, we discussed this months back and many studies and reports show that generics and brand name drugs may have a definite difference between them

http://abc7chicago.com/health/some-generic-drugs-may-not-be-same-as-brand-names/729839/

Monday, May 18, 2015


CHICAGO (WLS) --
The ABC7 I-Team reveals new federal efforts to ensure the generic drugs we take each day are safe and effective. But for some patients whose lives are on the line, it's still not enough.

More than 80 percent of prescriptions now filled in the U.S. are Brand X generics. Most people have no issues, but many also have no choice because insurance companies cover only the less expensive copies.

The I-Team has troubling reports of some generics not working as well, and what's being done to guarantee your meds are as good as you're told.

Check the bottle: chances are the medication you are about to take is not the name brand. And most medical experts say that's fine - generics keep many Americans healthy while saving billions of dollars.

"Patients can feel pretty safe about using generics," said Bill Pong, pharmacist, Loyola University Medical Center.

But there has been growing concern that some of these drugs - while often thought to be exactly the same as the brand name - are not. That has transplant patient Mary Prucha terrified.

"It is life and death for me that I do have the name brand," Prucha said.

Prucha, a suburban mother with cystic fibrosis, is on her second lung transplant. For a decade, these powerful brand-name, anti-rejection medications have kept her body in harmony with the donated lungs. But she says her insurance plan is now refusing to pay for the brand name drugs she trusts. Her doctor worries the generics might absorb differently in her body.

"A consistent amount of drug level in their bloodstream really helps to prevent rejection," said Dr. Erin Lowery, transplant pulmonologist at Loyola University Medical Center.

According to the FDA, approved generic drugs must currently meet rigorous standards with respect to identity, strength, quality, purity and potency.

"It's not like a generic can just come on the market and nobody's looked at how it works or what the ingredients are," said Jan Engle, UIC College of Pharmacy.

But generic drugs are allowed to use different inactive ingredients, known as fillers. There are reports these inactive ingredients in some time-release drugs may affect the way the drug is processed in the body.

"If you go just a little too high, it can be toxic, a little too low, you know, it could not work," said Dr. Tod Cooperman.

Dr. Cooperman runs ConsumerLab.com. He discovered a generic form of an antidepressant was releasing its active ingredient too quickly. The version was subsequently taken off the market.

Cooperman says a similar problem was found in some generics of an extended-release version of an ADHD drug.

"There are certainly products out there that are not equivalent and there are issues out there that are going to be uncovered only as consumers use these products," Dr. Cooperman said.

The I-Team has learned that the FDA is studying how some extended-release products work to see if federal drug regulations need to be changed.

The agency says it's always tracked how drugs perform after approval but now has a bigger, $20 million effort underway to test generics for safety and quality. Under the microscope are ADHD treatments, antidepressants, heart drugs, anti-seizure medications and anti-rejection drugs.

"We do actively monitor the supply chain, not only the active ingredient, but we have to pay attention to those non-active ingredients even though the onus is really on the manufacturer," said Ricki Chase, FDA Director of Investigations Chicago Dist.

That assurance is not enough for Prucha. Paying for the brand drugs out-of-pocket will cost her an extra $1,500 every three months. It's a price tag she says she can't afford, but she worries her life is on the line.

"The risk is rejection and death," Prucha said.

It's a risk with little recourse should something go wrong. Generic drug makers cannot be sued for adverse reactions to their products because only the name-brand drug makers are responsible for design and safety warnings under FDA rules.

Chicago attorney Bob Napleton has a generic lawsuit case here that he hopes will change that.

"We're hoping this opens the courthouse doors to those people who were seriously injured or died from taking unsafe generic drugs," Napleton said.

The FDA is considering a controversial new rule that would allow generic drug makers to update labels with new information - potentially opening them up to liability.

The Generic Pharmaceutical Association strongly opposes such a regulation, telling the I-Team it could cause confusion and put patient safety and savings at risk, and potentially would add billions of dollars in costs.

 

I remember that Vicki.

Anyway I'm on Acyclovir and I don't get the generic. I've not had any problems.

 

there are many more that state the same thing here is part of another article
http://www.cityofhope.org/blog/generic-drugs-brand-drugs

Such headlines beg the question: Why would doctors prescribe more expensive drugs when clearly cheaper alternatives are available? The answer can be complex, as Cy A. Stein, M.D., Ph.D., the Arthur & Rosalie Kaplan Chair in Medical Oncology at City of Hope, explains.

“Generic drugs are sometimes not precisely equivalent to brand names," Stein said. "The drug substance (i.e., the molecule that actually does the deed) may be identical, but the formulation (i.e., the other materials in the pills, which may make up more than 90 percent of what the patient is actually ingesting), may be very different. This can lead to dramatically different rates of absorption in patients, and hence to diminished efficacy."

Then there's the matter of what is actually in the drug.

“The patterns of toxicity may also change due to different concentrations of drug and/or different release rates of the drug, in human beings," Stein added. "The rate of decomposition of the drug may change depending on what it is mixed with, leading to diminished efficacy."

 

Hiya Bea ..I take acyclovir too but
ZOVIRAX is the brand name for acyclovir

 

Well Shoot, I didn't know that! No wonder I'm not getting the generic! LOL

 

Thanks for the info, Vicki. I would have never asked to try the brand name if it wasn't for the group here. My doctor did not think it would make any difference. But my pharmacist said that my reaction could have been from an inactive ingredient as your article above mentions. The manufacturers should have the same drug formula but the inactive ingredients can be different. This has been quite an eye-opener for me, for not only Valacyclovir, but for any future prescription that I have difficulties with.

 

you're welcome muff, and the different inactive ingredients can affect the way your body absorbs the medication, too little, too much etc etc. That's why my endo dr. insists on me taking the brand name synthroid and not the generic and brand name crestor.

 

That's interesting information, Vicki. The FDA actually tests the absorption rate of generics as well, but maybe they miss a few along the way.

 

Originally my prescription was filled with Northstar. That was the load dose and worked well. Then my insurance required "ongoing" prescriptions to be filled by mail order which they sent Mylan. within two days I had symptoms returning. Until that time I never looked at or thought about difference between manufacturers. I "too" thought all generics were the same.

I was able to get a local pharmacy to order in the Northstar and I paid cash. No issues.

A few months later they filled with Mylan - I didn't look before I walked out. Tried again giving it the benefit of the doubt. Had an issue again. Back to Northstar - no issues.

 

Good luck. Northstar pills are dk blue. Work great for me!

 

Any updates on your Valacyclovir adventures?