Some People Think Generics Are Somehow Inferior

By Ben Popken March 30, 2009

There are people out there who really think the name-brand slapped on conveys some kind of magical properties to medicine not covered in the active ingredient list, as Janet’s sad story of how she got humiliated by her boss shows:

Janet writes:

My boss gave me a list of a few things to pick up for him at CVS last week. Advil liquid gels were on the list. I bought him the CVS brand of liquid gels with the same milligrams of ibuprofen in them. When I returned he flipped out on me saying that they are not the same and these won’t work as well. He told me to keep my penny pinching to my own purchases. Then a few days later he brought it up in front of a few other co-workers. They all agreed with him.

The CVS brand costs half of what Advil costs for the same thing, while I thought I was doing him a favor, I was setting myself up for laughter, apparently. This made me think, how many other people out there believe this? Over-the-counter medications give you a list and amount of ingredients right on the back, if everything is exactly the same, why spend twice as much?

It makes me feel like I must be taking crazy pills.

Don’t feel too bad, Janet, some of those co-workers may have just been nodding their head because they want to keep their job. At least now you know in your office who can’t think for themselves (your boss + those people).

(Photo: yoshiffles)

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Comments

  1. sea0tter12 says:
    April 1, 2009 at 3:14 am

    While the active ingredients may be the same, the filler ingredients aren’t necessarily. It wasn’t OTC, but when I was given a generic drug for my thyroid, I had a really bad allergic reaction to an inactive ingredient, and my doctor got mad at the pharmacist for giving me the generic without asking. (I had no bad reaction to the namebrand.) Apparently this happens a lot with this type of drug, and the namebrand actually works a lot better because it’s a pure form of the drug, whereas the generics have filler ingredients. So, while I think your boss was a douche for being that way about it, it can make a difference.

  2. tworld says:
    April 2, 2009 at 12:49 am

    Just another asshole who uses his penis, oh I mean his power, to make a joke at the expense of someone who can’t fight back. What a jackass.

  3. Michael Sena says:
    April 29, 2009 at 10:26 pm

    Sorry to the original author, but generics aren’t always the same. There’s a wide percentage of efficacy that generics have to be inside of, they aren’t always the same and that’s often why they do cost less, because they aren’t as good as the real deal.

    Now, in the case of simple advil, I’m sure there’s not a HUGE difference. But with heart medications, I would never get the generic.
    It’s just like buying anything else in life. Would you buy a TV from a vendor that you’ve never heard of, or more fairly, someone that’s not the big-name Samsung, Sony, etc?
    No! You’d question if the TV worked as well, did it have a good manufacturer’s warranty? etc.
    Same case with generic drugs.

    In any case, the original author shouldn’t have strayed from her boss’s plan. If my boss asked me for something, I’d consider it the law. If I DID have to switch something, call him first!
    It’s your own fault you got laughed at, sorry babe.

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