Citalopram - different brand issues??

[David_Edin]

Hi

I've been on Cit for just over 4 weeks now - 1st week was terrible, 2nd week better and 3rd and 4th better still until I felt lime me again in the 4th week it was honestly brilliant!

Friday I started my 5th week - new prescription and a different brand - and since getting up Saturday morning I feel like I am right back at week 1 again! I feel so upset and anxious which is more maddening as up to bed tome Friday I felt great!

I spoke to the pharmacist at Boots who said whilst it's unusual it's not unheard of for people to have an adverse reaction to different brands of the same medication.

Has anyone else had similar experiences?

Thanks

David
x

[nomorepanic]

The generic makeup of the drug is the same though, it is just a different company making it.

I am surprised that they told you that advice at Boots.

[nomorepanic]

You may like to have a look at this as well....

http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=46980

[nomorepanic]

Ok I found these two posts for you as well:

http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=57976

In this next one the member was told the same as you so maybe Boots are right after all.

http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=43904

Are they both Citalopram and the exact same dose and it is just the manufacturer that is different?

[nomorepanic]

Oh and I found this

http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090407151921AATga3i

[eternally optimistic]

Hi

Ive done various "brands" and have never had any problems at all - the only problem I had was worrying that there maybe a problem :)

[JaneC]

Hi David, what you are experiencing could be coincidence but I found a particular manufacturer's fluoxetine didn't seem to work as well for me. I am now on brand-name Prozac. Perhaps you could ask your doc about doing the same with Cit - I think its original brand is called Cipramil x

[haz]

I had a problem with a particular generic brand of sertraline. My doctor now prescribes "Lustral" specifically which is the original manufucturer of sertraline in the UK.

Whilst, generic brands contain the same "active ingredient" they can differ in terms of the "total ingredients" i.e. colouring additives.

You can ask your doctor or pharmachist to fill out a "Yellow Card" reporting the problems you had with the generic brand in question.

Haz.x

[simons]

Generic brands of Citalopram have mostly the same ingredients. MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) which regulates licensing for drugs in UK and European Medicine Agency requires bioavailability (the rate and extent of availability of the drug after oral absorption) to be at 80-125% with 90% confidence interval for the ratio of the TEST (e.g. generic brand) and reference products (branded product).

In other words there may be a difference of how much drug is absorbed by your body, however MHRA and other healthcare regulatory agencies assume that 20% difference is not clinically significant.

[SarahH]

Yes I have had problems with different makers of Citalopram. And it possible. When I was first on it for 11yrs I felt a distinct change and when my pharmacist went back to the original brand I felt better again. It's added "products" like the coating that cant make a difference.

sarah