Generic Medications

These days, most prescriptions written by your doctor will be filled at your pharmacy with a generic equivalent. Generics are not the brand name of the drug but a similar chemical structure of the active drug. The reason for this is simple: Generics cost less and act much the same as the name brand.

• You have seen this at the supermarket with, for example, acetaminophen. If you buy the Tylenol name brand, you may pay about twice that of the store's generic equivalent. They both contain the same active drug and because the active ingredients in the medication are the same for both, the off-brand drug costs less.
  
  
• A few drugs are better in their name brand form than in their generic equivalents. A primary reason for this is the inert compounds packaged along with the active ingredient, which make them more or less likely to have unwanted side effects.
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• Ask your doctor about choosing a brand name or a generic. Depending on your insurance plan and the medication in question, you may be able to get the name brand form of the drug instead.