Sandoz Ativan (Page 5)
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I switched pharmacies and was given Sandoz Ativan, I have been having a terrible time- it is like it is creating more anxiety. I switched back to my old pharmacy and am counting the days until I get back to the Milan manufacturer. It has been a horrid 2 weeks. Melatonin helps a great deal with sleep. I started off with Milan and had been on that for 2 years with no problems, I wonder if your body resists another generic brand and you have to adjust. All I know if Milan is what I need and I always get the same manufacturers for all my meds since 12 years ago from CVS- they are very consistent. Be very careful if you switch pharmacies, I learned that all generics are NOT THE SAME.

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56

Thanks Mary2 ......

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55

I did not know that Walgreens have Sandoz Lorazepam, thanks for that information...I left them for Weis,and now take Watson, I have not felt too good since...

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54

Hi I just got the new Sandoz today at Walgreens, the SZ 198. My prior scripts were Sandoz with the ((59. I will try it in the next few days and let you know if it's the same :)

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53

What pharmacy did you receive the Sandoz from, that could help me a lot....Margie

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52

I have just the opposite problem, I have been on Sandoz for about two years and now switched to Watson. I am really feeling bad on these and also have to wait and see if I can return to Sandoz,if I can find a pharmacy that carries it

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51

Hello Stephanie! The generic VS brand issue is an extremely complex one. And it is very hard to explain by means such as those available on a chat space.
I am with you when you say that generic drugs have quality. I believe in that too even though I am not even in your country. Nevertheless I have an understanding of how things operate over there.
I just don't agree with people that say that generic drugs are EXACTLY the same as brand drugs. They' re not!

What does this mean? It means that it is normal for SOME people not to experience the same effects switching from company to company. The differences are not due to QUALITY issues. They are due to other aspects.

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50

Renato; yes, my mistake. Generics have a 'curve' where they can be between 80% and 120% within range. But, this averages out to normal. I have taken generic lorazepam in the past that was definatly stronger than the one I was given prior to that. If this is the case for some of you of course you will not be happy when you are given another generic that is within 'normal' limits. You want that 'high' back and that is not the goal. Your brain will adjust to the newer generic. If you are taking other drugs, drink, smoke, suffer from extreme anxiety and other mental disorders then you will not get the full effect and relief from the generic, regardless of the brand. The goal here is not to be high but to be able to function and live a productive life. Other forms of therapy and support groups help to make it work. As I said before, the generic co's are competing with at least 10 other co's. So if they want to sell the product what sense will it make to put out an inferior drug that no one wants to buy? Ativan is one of the most expensive benzo's so the generic form is in big demand.

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49

The fact that english in only my third language probably has something to do with it ;)

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48

Well I know one thing you don't how to spell. I hope you don't do that with medications.

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47

Hello Mary,
Sorry but I am absolutely right. My whole life I have worked with pharmaceuticals. Going from drug discovery, to quality control and now to dispensing. I´ve been around in prettymuch all stages of drug devellopement and dispensing. So unless you have undeniable proof that generic drug have lower quality....
I am not biased because I am a pharmacist. On the contrary actually because I dispense both generic and brand. To me and to any pharmacist it doesn´t matter if a patient takes generic or brand because we get payed the same (If a pharmacists salary depends on whether he gives out generic over brands then I take it back :)) )

I sometimes have to use medication and I take the generic. I got no problems with it. On the other hand, like I said, I dela with hundreds of costumers a day and most of them dont have a problem. So if I have to value ones opinion that "they are low quality" then I also have to value other people´s opinion that "they are as good as".

Speaking of your particular situation Mary, there are a number of reasons why you experience that problem and none is related to the quality of your medication. I believe that, just like you say, the "glue" could be a problem for you. Maybe you are intolerant/allergic to one of those components, or maybe they are chemically incompatible with some other medication that you take. Sometimes it can be a food too what causes the incompatibility.
I don´t know how my colleagues work over there but over here we advise to try others and if things work out, then fine, if not well go back to the brand.

I hope with all this talk it helped in some way :)

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46

You are so totally wrong and you are probably biased because you are a pharmacist. I have had pharmacists tell me that is no real difference between the generic and the real product. I have experienced it and until you experience it you don't know how terrible it can be. The glue they put the product together with makes the difference and it can be devastating. I wonder if you yourself have had ever had an experience with such a problem. Lucky for me I had a pharmacist who helped me through a long difficult process to find the right generic.

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45

Greetings Mr Joe,
Unfortunately things are far more complicated than wat they seem to be. As a pharmacist, I get all kind of stories at my work place. People that prefer the brands over generics, people that don´t mind at all because they don´t feel a difference, and guess what people that PREFER generic over brand because they felt better with the generics. And I deal with an average of 330 customers 6 days a week. After 10 years of work, those are alot of customers :)
But unfortunately the "generic over brand" issue cannot be settle over my, yours or the testimonies of 2, 20 or even 200 people we might know because millions are taking both right now and 200 people don´t even account for 0,5% .
It´s like going to Beverly Hills and ask the folks there who they are going to vote for and then assume that all of the US will vote the same way.
Going to the "80% issue" Remember that FDA accepts somewhere between "80-120" which in theory means that generic can be either stronger or weaker. But there is a reason why it´s 80-120% or do we think the nunbers just popped in someone´s head? BTW, those are the same numbers accepted here in Europe, and Japan. By default they are also accepted world wide because US/Europe/Japan set the pharmaceutical standard all over the world.
The reason why it´s 80-120 is that you CANNOT feel any medical difference between taking a dosage anywhere from 80 to 120%
Just let me know if I´m getting too boring :D

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44

Renato, neither has to be right the only thing that matters is that the garbage thats out there now in the generic field is of poor quality, as a person who has a history of using a very low dose of the generic lorazapam made by activus and watching sandoz change some part of the medication to the point where you not only have a product that doesn't help with panic attacks, and anxiety and its its place you now have insomnia, i would say that not only do companies care less about finding inferior product to save money but like in the sandoz/activus case, will tell the consumer that they have changed nothing in there making of the product.
ask some of the people who were on the original ativan then found that once biovail bought the company, the product was no longer as effective as it was when it was made by its original manufactor, bottom line, the companies who make medications like lorazepam have one priority and it comes down to profit, how these medications effect people is not an issue with these companies, if the FDA had any backbone the generics would be at least 96% of the original medication but then again if companies did make these products close to the original, they couldn't make the money they presently make

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43

Not exactly tue. Unfortunaltely neither you nor Mary is 100% right on this

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42

Generic drugs are not all alike. They only have to be within 80% of the real thing. The other 20% which is the glue that holds them together is different and the FDA does not care about that. I have had experience with generic Lorazapam and it took me a few months after the one I was on was discontinued and I had to find a new generic product that would work with me. For awhile I was on the real product Ativan which costs a fortune but finally was able to find one that worked. Trust me they are all different.

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41

The FDA makes thousands of inspections yearly. A generic drug must have the same amount of the key ingredient, the delivery of the drug is also closely monitored as well as how long it stays in the body. In that respect generic drugs in the benzo categories are pretty much equal. It would make no sense for a company to make an inferior drug especially when they are competing with so many other companies. They want their drug to work because they want to make money. There are about 10 companies making generic lorazepam. They all supply a drug that is up to standard. You can research them, then make a choice. Take the lowest dose possible and don't increase it.

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40

Hi Renato, thank you for you input, what pharmacy is that? I don't have HMO like Britt has. So its difficult for me to find an opened minded pharmacy to order my prescription. So far I have been turned down by Rite Aid, inside store pharmacies, Target, WalGreens, CVS, private State run pharmacies. Am running out of time and pharmacies. Does the pharmacy dispense the new SZ198 logo from Sandoz.

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39

High Anxiety; I belong to an HMO that runs their own pharmacies inside the clinics. They carry the Sandoz brand but will also order different brands if possible. I haven't had to deal with an independent pharm. for a long time so I wouldn't be able to help you out. Maybe someone else here can, I recall someone saying they were able to get another brand from the pharmacy they use. Good luck, you should be able to find a generic that works for you. Also, I see that Biovail ( who makes brand name Ativan ) is now Valeant Pharm.I'm wondering if you can even get the actual non generic drug?

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38

Hello there. At my pharmacy I have ativan made by Pfizer. It is true that due to small differences in the excipients, some patients might experience some changes regarding the effects.

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37

Britt, the only pharmacies up here are State run, besides Target, Walmart, CVS, Rite Aid. Most pharmacies said they already have their brand set and will not order for the patient with their prescription. WalGreen, has Watson, so does Target, Walmart, 6 private chains (independent pharmacies) and CVS, has their brand but it's not Watson, it starts with an R. Can't take any one the brands they carry. I was told by one State run pharmacy that the Federal Government has ordered all pharmacies to stick to one brand, and not order other brands for people who come in with a script. The pharmacist said the government is playing with people's lives. Some cancer patients can't get their med's either. Can you suggest a pharmacy from above that may be of help to me?

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