Different Manufacturer Of The same Drug Giving Different Results?

[ToxicFox]

The first time I went to go get my HRT meds I was given this version of spiro http://www.drugs.com/imprints/an-515-16308.html but they changed it on me when I went in for a refill to this version http://www.drugs.com/imprints/r-673-479.html. Both should be the same pill and I don't know why they switched but I didn't think much of it. The new pills had a bad peppermint coating that is really nasty but it's not like I try to keep them in my mouth long. The thing is when I went to get my third refill they gave me the first pill again which I didn't realize until I got home. The thing is beside the taste these pills should be the same in every way but they aren't. I feel a lot better on the first pill and while the first is able to suppress random erections the second one has a hard time even reducing them. There should be no difference between these two and yet there is a big difference. One seems like sugar pills while the other is really spiro. So has anyone else been switched around on the maker of their pills and feel like there was a huge difference? Am I crazy? I'm a bit worried to have the maker changed on me again...

Hope I'm not breaking any rules here as I'm not saying how much of what I really take.

[Hikari]

Well I know some people swear up and down that the estradiol in Estrofem is more potent than the estadiol in progynova but I always assumed that it was really due to Estrofem dissolving easier giving effectively a higher dose rather than one companies estradiol being somehow better than another's.

As far as you specific situation I don't really know if there is some hidden difference, I know my spiro is a generic and has a nasty mint taste, which encourages quick swallowing.

[Jessica Merriman]

I have noticed this with over the counter Diphenhydramine. The name brand Benadryl works much better than store versions even though the ingredients are the exact same. Must be a proprietary ingredient in the name brand formulas so I can see how it could work in prescription meds as well.

[kelly_aus]

2 meds showing the same pharmaceutical at the same dose, should be functionally identical.

They may not taste the same or look the same, but the should have the same effect.

[luna nyan]

Kelly is right, there shouldn't be any difference.  One tastes worse than the other.  Personal example - I started on Aldactone (trade name for spiro) then switched to the generic.  Levels haven't changed at all.

Jessica - check the dosages - they may be different.

[KayXo]

One seems like sugar pills while the other is really spiro. So has anyone else been switched around on the maker of their pills and feel like there was a huge difference? Am I crazy? I'm a bit worried to have the maker changed on me again...

Sometimes, the inactive ingredients make a difference in how well the medication is absorbed, or could trigger different reactions from your body. So while the active ingredient is the same, the rest of the inactives can make a slight difference in some.

[ToxicFox]

Kelly is right, there shouldn't be any difference.  One tastes worse than the other.  Personal example - I started on Aldactone (trade name for spiro) then switched to the generic.  Levels haven't changed at all.

Jessica - check the dosages - they may be different.

My dose hasn't changed and the dose of each pill is the same. For the first two weeks I was on half dose which I think is part of the reason I didn't notice a difference at first.