This Valacyclovir Sucks

I'm glad you figured it out and getting back on track.

All of us, no matter what medication, have to check it before you pay to make sure everything is right.
Our pharmacists are so over-worked they make mistakes.
Always remember though that what works for one doesn't always work for another.

Tricky business this Menieres...can't wait to see what you pull out of the hat next time!
Oops, you're Santa, not so,e lame magician, LOL.

 

Interesting. I didn't do as well with the Cadista. I started with the Ranbaxy and did great. Then I had an increase in symptoms in the fall. I thought it was allergies, but when it continued well past the allergy season, and I noticed I had a new generic brand, I called the pharmacy and found out that the switch to Cadista coincided with my increase in symptoms. They special ordered the Ranbaxy for me, and I am better again--quieter tinnitus, ear clearing better (so lovely), almost no dizzies, better energy. Hearing still not back to where it was.

Gosh, this is a confusing thing to figure out. I'm glad you figured your problem out so quickly. Sounds like it was more obvious.

 

So glad you figured it out Santa and are back on track.

 

Hey, is that the dark blue or light blue pills?

 

Both kinds I have taken had the same light blue color.

Look at the number on the pill to know for sure. You can use this web site to identify the company associated with the number: http://www.drugs.com/imprints.php?action=search&drugname=valacyclovir

Mine also have the name of the generic brand on the pharmacy-generated label.

 

The link must only include US pills. I am in Canada and take Valtrex and my pill is not listed.

 

The differences in the brand/factory/company that supplies the antivirals seems to have come up a few times. Has anyone asked Dr Gaeck(sp?) about this? There has to be a difference between the different vendors that can be used as a data point in combatting Menieres symptoms. Solubility, other ingredients, etc.

 

My "blue" ones are from Northstar. They work quite well. When my prescription was filled with the ones from Mylan my symptoms were back within 48 hrs. Twice over a period of time this happened. Now my pharmacy agrees to order in the Northstar for me. I pay more since my insurance requires ongoing prescriptions to be filled mailorder - but the mail order pharmacy will not guarantee to fill only with Northstar since "all generics are the same".

Until this drug, I can honestly say I never noticed a difference between manufacturers. But the return of symptoms so quickly after being filled by an alternate company - more than once - tells me that everything is not always equal.

Santa - I am glad that you figured it out!

 

It's really bizarre that the Cadista is working so well for you and worked poorly for me. This is very confusing. People seem more universally negative about the Mylan.

 

I felt better in days when I first started with it, and also in days this time when I switched back to the Ranbaxy from Cadista. I wonder if you would do even better with the Ranbaxy. We're on the cutting edge of Valacyclovir research here!

 

This is an interesting thread. I have been on the Mylan brand and had a horrible reaction, switched to the brand name-Glaxo Smithkline and felt it helped, and now am on the Northstar brand. (The brand name was so so expensive). I think the Northstar brand has been ok for me. My understanding is the FDA requires all generics to have the same primary ingredients and dosage amounts of the brand name drug. It is just the nonactive ingredients that are different. If this is true, it is amazing how the nonactive ingredients can affect us all so differently.

 

I'm totally confused about the different brands of valacyclovir. I'm assuming they all contain the same amount of the active ingredient, valacyclovir hydrochloride. If you look up the inactive ingredients, Cadista and Ranbaxy look to be the same. Northstar is the same, except it also contains povidene, a powder to bind the tablet together. Mylan contains ammonium hydroxide, black iron oxide and shellac glaze, which the others don't.

If at least three brands contain the same active and inactive ingredients, how can one get results from one and not the other?

 

Santa, check with your pharmacy on what the cash price would be (just in case the insurance isn't quick enough). I know for me a 1x day thru my Costco pharmacy was about $60 for a month supply cash when I was doing it without the insurance.

 

Could just be % of the inactive ingredients, different order - who knows, maybe even where a company is sourcing the actual ingredients from!

 

This is so very confusing. As I previously mentioned, I had a bad time on the Mylan brand. I was able to transition to the Northstar brand with success. Just 3 days ago, I refilled my Northstar brand. Within 36 hours, I was having weird vertigo sensations that I have never felt before. Since we have been talking about this on the forums, I thought I would take a look at the new prescription. I couldn't believe it. It was manufactured by Aurobindo. It looked exactly like my Northstar brand. I called Target and complained and they gave me 5 pills last night until they can get a shipment in. While waiting to pick up the 5 pills, I was able to take some brand name Glaxo Smithkline pills that I had leftover. Within that 24 hours, I felt back to my "normal" meniere's self. No more out of the ordinary vertigo sensations. I was shocked that I noticed something "off" and the manufacturer was changed. The bottle and pills looked exactly the same. I learned my lesson, to check every prescription that I pick up to make sure the manufacturer is Northstar. It is so unbelievable that the inactive ingredients can affect us so differently.