Zolpidem Generic (Page 3) (Top voted first)

ALL CVS pharmacies just changed the zolpidem from MYLAN manufacturer (out of PA) to TORRENT in India. Because generics can certain behave differently, I am nervous about taking the (10 mg) oblong peach Torrent brand one after reading some things online. I also don't like the idea of CVS using from out of the country manufacturer which HAS to be due to a better price because MYLAN brand is still very readily available. Any comments?

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Hey MissMyBrandNameAmbien, Im in the exact same boat as you. My insurance used to have brand name Ambien at the highest tier, but at least it was on a tier where I could get it for like 50 bucks. Then they removed the brand name completely, so you cant even get it at all unless you pay $500! So ridiculous. For a good year after I was on Qualitest which I loved and now there is nothing left. Its frickin insane. All the other generics are horrible. Im currently on Mylan because its all I can find that kinda works. But its also terrible.

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You are absolutely correct regarding some generics. In essence, it is a huge scam for the public. Some are great and some are actually made by the brand manufacturer and either privately labeled for the generic distributor/manufacturer and work the same. Some are made having the same key ingredients-- but the pill fillers and casing are different---resulting in different absorption characteristics. Also, the FDA approval process is not as stringent as it was for the original brand version. Also, the generic manufacturing facilities --- especially offshore are often not as well inspected by the FDA for compliance. This was the case with one facility in India, which was banned for importation into the U.S. (I am not saying that Torrent was manufactured there -- it was some other generic and not the Dr. Reddy facility.

My daughter was on a generic birth control pill and then the pharmacy had switched her to another generic manufacturer. (Although the pill worked --- she broke out in terrible acne). She then demanded the original GENERIC that she was on and the pharmacy had to order it --- and that was one generic to another. In the case of generic Qualtest Ambien, I strongly believe that it was really made by Sanofi and then their marketing agreement fell apart with Endo/Qualtest, so that is no longer available. I truly wish that for all the good that generics do---lower pricing etc., more care is given to the actual approval process. Now you will also see the very expensive drugs (biosimilars) being offered as generic ---that is a total joke, as the manufacturing processes of those drugs are very stringent and difficult. Patent protection of the major pharmaceutical companies have now been shortened, so the incentive for research has suffered. (Not saying that they are still not making a fortune BUT the difficult drugs to manufacture will not be anywhere as effective as the original).

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You can have your pharmacy order you Sandoz 10. I'm in my 2nd month now and I can not speak more highly of Sandoz. This thing is as good if not better than Qualitest and rock solid consistent. After going through the ordeal of like trying 20 different brands after Qualitest I can finally be at peace.

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The one from India the peach pill does not work......my doctor research it the close one is from TEVA...it's works ....made in USA....it all about money......

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The manufacturer of the generic Zolpidem definitely DOES matter. I've been taking 10mg/night from Torrent for the past 7 or so years without a single problem. Great night sleep pretty much every night. My company switched to another mail order pharmacy and I received 90 pills with Sandoz as the manufacturer and they do not work at all. I've tried to use them for 2 weeks now and haven't had a single night of good sleep. They do nothing at all. No feeling of drowsiness or anything. Now I've got 75 more of these worthless Sandoz pills to deal with. I've called the pharmacy and they told me that they only use Sandoz so I'm going to have to try and find one who carries the Torrent brand locally. This is such a disruption! The no sleep is compounding my situation. Ugh!!!

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Express scripts will still let fill using Rite Aid. They have both torrent and Teva there. I actually had my prescription transferred.
Most likely the decision not to give you Teva was a CVS local store one.
I have encountered this obstinacy on other drugs. (for me the Teva brand did not work) Torrent works marginally.

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I have had the exact opposite experience.. Teva has not worked for me AT ALL and the Torrent brand works great. Everyone is different... just a reminder.

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My opinion on the following generics:
1. Mylan - the worst
2. Teva - slightly better
3. Torrent - best generic so far

Qualitest was the best generic but is no longer available. With generics the FDA approves them based on same ingredients but not necessarily on the absorption factor of fillers etc. There are big lawyers engaged to defend generics so once they are approved it's almost impossible to get them unapproved. All you can do is try different generics and do not be afraid to exert pressure on your pharmacy and insurance company to enable different generic versions to fill the prescription.

Most workers just do not want to go through the extra step. Insurance plans have to enable different versions at no additional cost to you. Do not confuse it with your mail order fulfillment through your insurance company. All insurance plans enable you to fill your RX through chain retail pharmacies. Good luck and be adamant as there are a lot of grumpy sleepless people out there.

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Re: Jbeach413 (# 266)

Teva DOES NOT WORK AT ALL for me, neither does Mylan. I'm so disgusted that HMOs and Pharmas are jerking us around this way.

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Re: Pablo (# 296)

Is probably the manufacturer. Lots of zolpedim generics don't work. The drug is supposed to made to the same standards but FDA doesn't test them

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Re: Marian888 (# 297)

FDA does test them BUT they just have to have the main ingredient and even that is very variable in some manufacturing processes. FDA standard can have a 25 to 59% variability
Generics do work for some drugs but apparently Ambien is a big disappointment
It is interesting that few politicians ever take the generic version of drugs as their health plans pay for brand
Even Donald’sDr released the drugs ( perhaps only some) and one was 20 mg brand Crestor and the other was 10 mg brand Ambien manufactured by Danofi
It is

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As a worthwhile note I too am not having problems with the CVS Zolpidem version

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I am also trying to locate a pharmacy where I can get generic ambien by Mylan, the others are worthless. But CVS says they can't get it. I have not been able to find another pharmacy that carries it. Is there one online? I haven't been to sleep yet although I took the new generic 3 hours ago.

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I use Kroger and they carry the Qualitest version of generic Ambien which didn't work at all for me. I knew I had taken Mylan before and it seemed to work the best of the generics I had tried. I asked my pharmacist about it and they now special order the Mylan brand for me. I also had my doctor specify Mylan on my Rx so there wouldn't be any issues. I've heard other pharmacies will special order a certain manufacturer for you. It's worth a try!

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I've received various generics from CVS pharmacies... they, like many large chain pharmacies, are inconsistent in where they purchase generics. Yesterday, for the first time since the FDA brouhaha my 10 mg Zolpidem tablet is usual oval shaped, slightly off-white E 79. Manufacturer is Aurobindo (India). It seemed to work quite well. At various large chain drug stores, I've gotten generics from Mexico on multiple occasions -- I don't know what reasons there would be to complain about medications manufactured in India. What makes you believe Quality Control is not as good in New Delhi as it is in Mexico City?

I believe it is important to remember two things when taking this medication. The first is to take it ON AN EMPTY STOMACH and not eat anything substantial after taking this medication. The second point is to consider the possibility that grapefruit or grapefruit juice might delay the onset of action of this medication -- although this is not specifically stated, I believe it is best to exercise caution and avoid "anything grapefruit."

I've chosen to ignore the EMPTY STOMACH advice because it was late and I needed to sleep and... what a waste of a dose of medication! I took a perfectly good 10 mg Zolpidem tablet at 9 PM and was still wide awake (feeling goofy but not sleepy) at 3 AM!

So for anyone who takes Zolpidem without waiting at least two to three hours after eating a moderate meal, you WILL get inconsistent results -- and sometimes terrible (as in negligible) results. To get results that are like "speed", as someone wrote -- this is a paradoxical or allergic reaction and I would return the pills to the pharmacy in the event that you encountered a "bad batch" or were possibly given the wrong medication, entirely.

There are people who react in an opposite way to medications, so if you take Zolpidem and feel as if you've taken "something that keeps you awake" and haven't been taking other medications for sleep that may behave very differently (e.g.: Chloral Hydrate) and you have not done an appropriate titration from the different medication, you may react strangely to this drug.

Other medications one takes (including OTC drugs) might cause a person to react in strange and potentially dangerous ways to Zolpidem. Pharmacies usually check for prescription drug interactions, but won't know about OTC meds unless you specifically ask -- and it's simpler and less time-consuming to do an interaction check online yourself.

If you do not trust the generics you get from the large chain drug stores, I recommend you find smaller stores that accept whatever insurance or discount card you have -- I've found these stores have consistently higher quality generics and tend not to switch so frequently as the big chain stores do. For example, in NW Arizona, we have three Uptown Drug stores and I usually choose to go to Uptown Drug and only rarely to CVS -- Uptown's quality and generic brands are consistently very good. CVS is variable, as are Walgreen's stores.

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As I stated in my original post, I have been taking a 10 mg CVS generic from India that is not "Torrent" (it is Aurobindino", but had taken a peach-colored oblong tablet in the past (from Walgreen's) -- but do not recall the generic manufacturer's name. I didn't recall any problems with it, but it may not have been the Torrent product. I recommend researching extensively for information on generics and checking the Torrent and the FDA site for adverse effect reports.

I am concerned that CVS and other large pharmacies are uncaring and basically "profit-driven" and so all of my prescriptions are being moved to a small local pharmacy with three stores in the region where I live. I believe we are better off, if our insurance covers a large percentage of cost, or even paying a few more dollars out of pocket, to take our business to these small pharmacies. By refusing to buy from these "mega-pharmacies", we effectively boycott them and send a message that we will not take whatever they substandard generics they can supply.

If you are genuinely frightened of taking this medication, you may want to discuss this with your Doctor and ask him or her to fax another Rx to a different pharmacy which does NOT use the Torrent generic-- and email whatever evidence supporting problems with Zolpidem supplied by Torrent to your Physician.

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My perscription filled by CVS was changed from Mylan to TEVA. Not only do I not get proper sleep but experiencing side effects such as peripheral dark spots on eyesight; and sleep inducement works off and on, quite inconsistent. I will notify my primary doctor so that he can be aware and notify my pharmacy, and go to Rite Aid.

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We get them at Costco

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Thank you for this topic being addressed. I spoke to CVS pharmacy and was treated as though I was making this up.... I have been taking generic Zolpidem for 2 years now with NO PROBLEMS--- until now that I was given the new "peach" pill!! I have not slept the entire night since the switch. I feel so much relief in knowing I am not alone in this problem -- and not "crazy"!

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Of course it is because of price. Everything is about money.
They won't switch back until enough people complain. Tell your pharmacist.

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