If you have ever had to buy drugs for any ailment, whether it be prescription or over the counter, then it became obvious to you the number one advantage of generic drugs, which is the much lower cost. Cost is by far the overriding reason that anyone would buy generic. So, if generic drugs are such a big discount on price, then why are so many people reluctant to buy generic or switch from brand to generic drugs. For the most part the reason is a general misunderstanding of the facts as well as the stigma attached to the term “generic” as it applies to consumer products.
So, what is the misunderstanding? To get a clearer picture lets look at the definition of “generic drug” as it applies to medicine. Generics are copies of brand name medicines that have had their patents expire. Many people feel that the generic version is not as good as the brand. Not true. Generics are every bit as pure as the name brand. The Food and Drug Administration regulates the production of generic medicines just as it does brand names, and both, by law, must have the same active chemicals. It is not like generic foods such as cereal where the generic is not the same quality as the brand name cereal. Everyone knows that when you buy generic foods they usually do not taste as good as the brand name because of lower quality standards. Again, not true for generic medicines. This is what really causes such a big misunderstanding to people about generic medicines. They have these preconceived ideas of what “generic” means and relates these ideological concepts with generic drugs. In addition, people that are already taking brand name medicine which is working for them are reluctant to change. It is the ole “If it is not broke, then do not fix it” mentality. The combination of these two factors is the overwhelming reason most brand name medications out sell their generic counterpart.
However, neither of these contributing factors hold any formidable reasoning to not use generics over brand name medicines to get a huge discount on drugs. Let us look at some current price differences as an example:
This is just a small sampling, but enough to demonstrate the huge cost difference between brand name and generic medications. If a person lacks insurance coverage and is paying this difference out of their own pocket the savings is astronomical. Even with most insurance companies the out of pocket deductible for buying generic is much less than buying the brand name medicine. Once the facts are known about the quality of generic medications then it becomes clear as to which to choose when purchasing your own medications. Results are what counts and to get the same results with more money in your pocket is a win-win situation for everybody. If you want to get a big discount on drugs buy generic and feel safe knowing that it works just as good as the higher priced name brand.
