Generic Over the Counter Vs. Brand Name Medications
By Chuck Hyde RN, BSN
Consumers can now buy many medications over the counter. The medications we can obtain will help us with everything from aches to zits. There is one simple way to save money while buying over the counter medications - buy generics.
Name brand drugs (such as Tylenol) are always more expensive and almost always have a generic, or store brand, equivalent. As an example, Tylenol is acetaminophen. It can be bought as the generic form in virtually any drug store, grocery store, or department store such as Walmart or Target.
Typically you have one advantage when buying a name brand over a generic; they often come in a nicer box. Open the box and the pill, cream, ointment, liquid, or whatever is inside is the same medication.
The package is actually a part of the problem. The manufacturers of these drugs have a lot of money invested in advertising that has to be recouped through higher prices.
So, when you buy Tylenol you get a better box and good advertising plus acetaminophen. When you buy a store brand acetaminophen, you only get the acetaminophen.
Sometimes the manufacturer of the generic drug makes it easy for you, they will put on the front of their label “Compare to (brand name X)”. In the absence of this, there are things to look for to ensure you are getting what you need:
Dosing
Medications can come in different dosing, read the label. Look to see if it has the same dose. This may be in milligrams or maybe a percentage.
An example would be acetaminophen. It may say “Acetaminophen 500 mg“.
Another example would be hydrocortisone cream. It may say “Hydrocortisone 1%“.
Make sure your generic has the same dose as the name brand you are replacing it with.
Form
Make sure the generic is in the same form as the name brand. Examples of this may be liquid pain reliever for children. Read the label and see that it is a liquid and has the same dose. It will usually be in a dose per volume such as 160 mg/5 ml (milligrams and milliliters).
Combinations
Some medications, especially cold and flu preparations, have more than one medication in them. Do not be intimidated by this, just read the label.
An example would be cough medicine.
Dextromethorphan HBr, USP 10 mg
Guaifenesin, USP 100 mg
Phenylephrine HCl, USP 5 mg
Look for the “Active ingredients” portion of both the name brand and generic labels and compare the list of medications. Make sure they have the same medications with the same dosage. If they do, they will work the same.
If all else fails
Ask the pharmacist. Pharmacists are generally helpful and are more than willing to answer questions about this. Take the name brand and generic packages to the counter and ask the pharmacist if they are comparable medications.
I know that in our household money can be tight. I have better things to spend it on than a nice package. It almost seems as if saving a little on the pain reliever makes your headache go away quicker.
About The Author:
Chuck Hyde is an registered nurse who has worked in an inner city emergency department for almost 11 years. He also writes and blogs when time allows. Chuck lives in the Midwestern United States on ten acres with his wife and three children.
