I'm a newbie but have posted here several times about my facial rash that I think is a result of my numerous food allergies. Two weeks ago when I was at my GP, she asked me if I was depressed about all my new food allergies to which I said yes. She prescribed Prozac for me. This was my suggestion because I'd taken it years ago and it was very effective.
This morning the rash on my face seemed worse than yesterday so I tried to think about what it could be other than food. When I got the prescription I asked the pharmacist if there was any wheat, eggs or corn in either the Prozac or the 50000 weekly Vitamin D prescriptions I was having filled and he assured me there wasn't. This morning I decided to look it up myself on the internet and right there in the first inactive ingredient it said starch which I'm sure is either corn or wheat.
In any case, I called the pharmacist and spoke to a different pharmacist who said since I was taking a generic it might be different so looked at the bottle it came from and said the drugs were manufactured in India so she couldn't tell what was in them. She said they buy through someone in the U.S. but they come from India.
I had no idea that generic drugs were not manufactured here. Not sure if anyone else knew this or not but I think going forward I'm going to find out where a generic is made before I let them give it to me. I think insurance has different policies on generic vs. non but I think we should at least know what we're getting and have the choice.
In any case, i'm not taking it as of this morning so am hoping my rash is going to clear up soon and that this was the culprit.
Good idea. Generic drugs are supposed to have the same "main" ingredients as the name brand but they can add fillers.
I have a BIG Bone to pick with drug and insurance companies on Generic Druigs. I about swear I will sock the next one who says "generic drugs are absolutely the same as the name brand". Urrrr >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( They Are NOT! I know for a fact because my mother almost went in the hospital due to taking a generic BP med instead of the brand name. Also I take Synthroid and if I go to the generic dose I need at least 3-4 blood tests to get my thyroid levels correct. Why would you need that if they are the same? Duh?
You have a right to know exactly what is in your medicine and it is Totally Unacceptable for the pharmist to not know! We are starting to get way too lax getting medicines from overseas and trusting it.
I'd call a couple pharmacies and ask if the get it from a local manufacturer made here! I'd also see about contacting that place your drugstore is getting it from. Oh gosh your circumstance has made me sooooo mad. and the sad thing is it is geting to be the norm even with people developeing more allergies now.
Good Luck!
Blue Hydrangea, I'm sorry about your rash. I'm surprised that your pharmacists were so careless and/or non-helpful; especially since your allergies are pretty common. I am shocked that just because it's made in India they can't access that information for you.
Almost all the minerals and vitamins that you buy are made in India and China -doesn't matter whether it's an American company or not, they are coming from abroad. Fillers in pills can be manufactured anywhere in the world as well as in the US - we process a lot of starch some of which ends up in medication. American made starch may even end up in a pill made in India. I don't work for or know much about the pharmacy business but I suspect that there are few or no pills with all American ingredients, even if they are compounded in the States.
Well, I have asked several pharmacists opinions and ALL have said they are the same ingredients. I ALWAYS take generics now and they work just fine.
The net of it for me is that I'm not taking any generic drugs where I cannot check the ingredients myself. I'm going to always ask the doctor to prescribe non generics and see how that works with the insurance. I'm still upset about this situation particularly when they made me wait for 10 minutes while they supposedly check the ingredients before filling the prescription in the first place AND because I figured you could trust a pharmacist.
Since I stopped the Prozac the rash on my face is almost gone. Still on my scalp but at least no one can see it there.