by Jack Lee
Generic switching is a common practice at pharmacies across America, but it’s not always the patient asking for the change. In many cases its the insurance carrier that requires a generic be substituted when available. In most cases the FDA says this is fine, but it allows a latitude of 80 to 125% potency and this can make a critical difference to patients who are sensitive to the medication.
If you are ordering from an overseas pharmacy the FDA does not monitor the potency and you must rely on the nation of origin for their quality control. A number of Americans now order through Canadian pharmacies for their long term prescriptions, however, more and more Canadian drugs are supplied by low bidders in places like India or Sri Lanka. In a recent case a friend of mine purchased generic Benicar only to discover the potency was less than 50% and the generic formula reacted so poorly his blood pressure went from 110/70 to 180/110. The company that sold the drug was contacted and replaced the order with a generic from England and the problem was solved. However, you can imagine if this wasn’t discovered early on, it might not have had a good ending. This is why you should always check to be sure the medication you are buying is what your doctor prescribed and not a substitute requested by your insurance company.