Generic OTC Medication

[Sowhat]

Is there any way to determine the efficacy of no-name drugs?  I wonder sometimes if Advil, for example is as good as no-name ibuprofin?  I am a big user of no-name, but wonder sometimes, especially on items that don't produce an immediate effect.

[Ergel]

Once an item is out of copyright protection, the formulas are essentially the same. Medically will have the same effect. Not necessarily mentally (placebo effect)

[Sowhat]

That's not always true.  Inert and inactive ingredients can play a role, and the amount of the main drug is not always the same.  Off-brand tums, for example, do not dissolve/digest as quickly or as completely as Tums.

[Achas Veachas]

Not necessarily mentally (placebo effect)

+1
An interesting quirk is that Brand name Placebos DO work better than generic

[mclovin]

i know a guy who is a medical supplier. he sells otc drugs to nursing homes and the like. he gets his stuff from the same factories where the brand name stuff is made. he actually then puts it into his own generic bottles. so many times it is the exact same thing

[YankyDoodle]

Generally speaking there should be no difference between generic and name-brand drugs. However as Sowhat points out there are various factors that can play a role in a medications effectiveness. This works both in the favor and at times detriment of the name-brand drugs. Often if a generic drug is not fully effective the doctor may switch the patient to a brand name and vice versa.