New Worry... Expired Zoloft Vs Generic Zoloft

[Mew Face]

So I got a new script for Zoloft (was on name brand 50mg) but now my insurance won't pay for it and gave me the generic name. I have "expired" zoloft 100mg from 2009, would it be easier to stick with the name brand even though its rather old or try the generic? I'm worried the generic will make me ill (you know like when you first try a new med and go through the 2 week process of side effects).  Any ideas or info would be good. I also have xanax 1mg as needed and valium 10 mg as needed but RARELY take em.

[WiSp]

Meds are like food, they "expire" with time. Each day passing, the med becomes less efficient. If you take one recent zoloft and the day after an old zoloft, you may feel it. Also, generic is + or - 20% efficient than original. So to go from original to generic, you may also notice a little something. However I doubt that to be so big, and you may even just notice something if you are hyper sensitive like me. I would take the generic and surely not take old stuff to risk to screw up everything.

[BusuB]

as wisp said, drugs expire because they lose their efficacy.  While you may not get ill taking an old Rx, they won't work as well (if at all).  Stick w/ the Rx for the generics.  I do just fine on my paroxitene vs name brand paxil.

[WiSp]

I tried an expired xanax in the past. I was not sick, but it has done nothing for anxiety.

[Mew Face]

K well I finally got around to eating and took the generic zoloft. hopefully this upset stomach is due to anxiety about the pill and not the pill itself *crosses fingers*

[Daisy131]

i had no idea there was a difference between generic and name brand? i mean i know it's regulated and has to be super similar, but i haven't taken name brand zoloft to know the difference?

[Mew Face]

Daisy: I was scared of the generic brand because long ago when i was still a teenager and was prescribed generic zoloft I got so incredibly sick from the side effects that I was put on something else; however, when I was later put on name brand Zoloft it was was like a miracle drug for anxiety for me.

[Krisse]

I started out on the generic Zoloft and when it didn't seem to be working very well, my doc suggested trying the brand name (just to see if there was a difference).  WHAT A HUGE DIFFERENCE!!!  I am ONLY on the brand name now, as it worked a million times better for me than the generic. 

On Paxil, I was able to switch to the generic, so go figure!

[WiSp]

Daisy, the difference is not big. I see no problem taking a generic. The only problem is to switch. Because of the + or - 20% (this is legal), you can feel a difference. So for example, if you take zoloft from company A, stay with A and don't go for B. If you started on B, stay on B. My zoloft acted strangely during a year when my drugstore decided to buy zoloft only from another company than the usual one. I was wondering what was happening until I read the name on the pill. It was not the same as usual. Then I discovered that my meds are made by 3 or 4 companies around. My doctor confirmed that I could feel the change. She also said that the materials used for the pill itself can change, and reacts differently in the stomach.

Don't misunderstand. 100mg of zoloft is 100mg with any 100mg pills. But the efficiency change with companies. For example, I assume that 25mg of the original could be equivalent to 30mg of the generic. The difference is so small that a lot of doctors will not talk about it. After all, if 25mg generic is not efficient enough, you can go to 50mg. It's not a problem. Just don't switch. You could feel a kind of withdrawal by switching companies with 25mg to another 25mg.