I have taken the same exact med from 2 different makers and one had no effect on my PD and the other gave me complete relief of my symptoms.
If you have a med that works for you make sure you get the same maker every time. Also if your med does not work as expected try another maker or try the name brand and use the one that works the best for you.
Hi
I have been having this problem in the uk, my husband is very sensitive to changes in his meds,had problems getting sinemet half and whole, he is also on Memantine lost count of all the different brands I've had. Have insisted on uk brands only,but not always right.
A generic drug does not have to have exactly the same quantities of the active chemicals as the original. Instead, the regulators look for bioequivalence based on key pharmacokinetic (what the body does to the drug) variables, such as CMAX, TMAX and AUC, which need to be within certain limits. How this is done gets technical, but it is explained in:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioeq...
As an estimate, simplifying the mathematics in the reference, differences of 5% are possible.
The other side of the coin is the pharmacodynamics (what the drug does to the body) of Parkinson's medication. It is typical on taking a dose of levodopa to find it has, initially, little effect. For the first hour, or so, plasma levels rise and a threshold is reached, where there's a rapid decrease in symptoms.
So, someone who was in the first place just reaching the threshold, could find that with a change of origin of the drug that they never cross the threshold.
The way around this is to increase the dose.
John
A 5% difference not enough to account for these disparate results.
I was taking only Ropinirole made by Dr. Reddy's at that time the . When i had my prescription filled they used a med made by Mayne. I did not know they had switch it. When i used the pills made by Mayne it did not work at all. I could not figure why i felt so bad and then i saw the maker. It could not have been me i did not know. Someone here had the same problem with the same 2 drugs but Mayne worked for her.
Would be very interested to know the medication and manufacturers.
You are so right. The manufacturer SUN works the best for me . My cd/ld gets into my system and works on a faster rate then any other. I was given the run around from several pharmacists saying they can only get what’s available at that time no special orders( which isn’t true) and I was also told by one of them that , Have you just maybe considered that your disease is progressing and your getting worse. ERRR! I almost came over the counter. I am an ultra runner and I know what works on my body . Fortunately I found a wonderful pharmacist that orders from that manufacturer every month just for me and I have 1000 pills on his shelf with my name it. Don’t ever let anyone tell you it’s all in your head because the manufacturers are different.
Our pharmacist couldn't get my dad's usual pramipexole brand of pipexus this week, so he's having to try generic. I know from experience with anti-depressants not all pills are made equal, hope he does ok on the new one.
This has been a big problem for me and Sinemet. It is amazing how much of a difference there is. After a few incidents of my meds just not working at all I realized that it was because the pharmacy had changed the manufacturer. I changed pharmacies, but it started to happen to there too. So I talked with them and they agreed to only fill my order with the Sinemet manufacturer that did work. I also double check that they gave me the right ones and mark any extra pills I have as the good or bad .
You can keep track because the manufacturer code , it is on the bottle. Mine is a 4 Letter code. It seems to be the shortening of the Manufacturers name. MYLA works for me, SUN worked the best, but I was told they were out of business and MAYN does not work for me. One pharmacist said that every manufacturer has a different filler along with the key ingredient or drug and that was the difference. Another said that the Manufacturers are being bought up by others and the quality has gone down.
I am sure it is like everything in Parkinson's. What Manufacturer works for one person with PD, may not work for another. I think the doctors are aware of it, but think it only happens in rare cases. My guess is that they might not bring it to your attention, and yes it could look like you are progressing, but that is only in my non Western Medical opion. Thanks for bringing this up Bailey.
Very true Bailey, they not all the same. I take Azilect with no issues but different pharmacy gave a generic Ragasilene and i felt rough for about 5 weeks till it clicked meds were different. Back on Azilect and all good again. Got to fight for the right meds.
This will make your blood boil
Had To Come Off All Meds and Supplements 5 Days
Where are the husband carers?
Ambroxol : Can we please hear from all those who are taking Ambroxol? 
