I’m wondering if anyone has had a problem when your drug store changes their generic brands. I was taking Epitol and they have changed it to Carbamazepine and it’s not working the same. I would love to hear from anyone who has had this happen. Thanks
I work for a pharmacy – yes, that can happen. It’s not the the active ingredient has changed, those are always the same and in the same amount, but the inactive ingredients change from manufacturer to manufacturer and those can impact how your body uses the medication.
Think of it like this: if you are allergic to red dye number 5 you won’t be able to use the pink tablets from manufacturer A but you will be able to use the blue tablets from manufacturer B even though the active ingredients are identical.
Your local pharm should be able to order you the manufacturer you prefer. If they aren’t willing/able to do so check around, someone will order it for you. Since it’s a daily med you may want to check with your insurance and see if you have home delivery services for pharmacy benefits, that way you can get 90 days at a time at a discount and the manufacturer you prefer. You can also have your doctor write what manufacturer to use right on the prescription.
Thank you so much for that info! The other was working so well and now all of a sudden nothing is working as soon as it was changed! I’m going to the doctor today so I can discuss it with her. Thanks again!