For Depression and Anxiety
- Celexa (citalopram)
- Effexor (venlafaxine)
- Lamictal (lamotrigine)
- Prozac (fluoxetine)
- Risperdal (risperidone)
- Wellbutrin (buproprion)
- Zoloft (sertraline)
Stimulants for ADHD
- Adderall (mixed dextroamphetamine/amphetamine salts)
- Dexedrine (dextroamphetamine extended release)
- Focalin (dexmethylphenidate)
- Methylin (methylphenidate)
- Ritalin Immediate Release (methylphenidate)
Several medications we often prescribe have come out in a generic formulation.
The Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) describes that all generics have "...the same risks and benefits as their name-brand counterparts."* The FDA tests the equivalency of a generic medication to a brand-name medication through blood studies. Generic medications are not tested in research trials that ask people how they feel on the generic medication in order to judge whether they do as well on it as on the brand-name medicine.
Many clinicians who work with medications that primarily affect the central nervous system notice that various clients develop problems when changed to some generics. This has been our experience at The Affinity Center as well. We intentionally watch for trends in clients’ responses to medications and have noticed that some generics seem particularly problematic while others appear to be as helpful to clients as the brand they mimic.
We are well aware that this is not the best (most scientifically rigorous) way to judge whether a generic medication clinically works as well as a brand. Regrettably, the types of studies that are needed have never been done by the FDA and certainly not by the drug companies. Fortunately we have found that combining FDA mandated blood studies with the information gained from listening carefully to our clients’ experiences provides us with clinically meaningful and valuable information about response tendencies.
If you have questions about how changing to a generic medication might specifically affect you, please feel comfortable bringing them up at your next appointment here.
You can read more about the FDA’s information on this topic at *http://www.fda.gov/cder/consumerinfo/generics_q&a.htm.