Why was my girlfriend switched to Trinessa birth control?

[aychamo]

Hey guys

My girlfriend's doctor recently switched from OrthoTriCyclin (sp) to Trinessa birth control. She isn't fully aware of why she was switched. What do you know about this brand of birth control?

 

[aychamo]

Well, from what I've read, it seems that Trinessa is a generic form of the first type of birth control she is on.. Is there any difference in quality?

 

[Moonbear]

I just wanted to make a quick comment on this topic. If your girlfriend is at all uncertain why she was prescribed the generic rather than brand name pill or wants to confirm the quality is the same or that this was intentional on the part of the doctor and not a mix-up at the pharmacy, she should call her doctor and ASK. Any time a patient is prescribed anything, they should fully understand why they need the prescription, why that particular medication is the best for them, and know exactly which medication it is the doctor has prescribed, whether generics are acceptable, and if so, what are the names of the generics so they will recognize it when the pharmacist gives it to them. Some of those questions can also be asked of the pharmacist.

Usually generics have the same active ingredients as brand names and the only difference is the formulation of the inactive ingredients. For most people, this is no big deal unless the generic is adding something that changes the release or absorption rate of the medication. However, it is something to be aware of if you have allergies, because inactive ingredients can include things like corn starch, so someone allergic to corn products would need to find a specific brand without the corn starch, or have a compounding pharmacist specially formulate their medications for them to avoid things they are allergic to.

 

[aychamo]

Aye, I totally agree with you. She said something like he wanted to test it with her. I am guessing, with the information from your post, that he was seeing if the generic would act just as well with her.

But I totally agree. When she told me she switched, and I asked why, and she had no idea I got a bit upset. I guess the idea of autonomy is out of the window here. Wayy too much doctor trust. I'm not saying the doctor is wrong, just I agree with you, that the patient should know *exactly* what they are taking.

 

[Monique]

Well, I wouldn't know. Just a thought: the brand names usually have a patent on their active ingredients for a few years, from which they make the money to conduct research into novel medications. During this time they hold a monopoly. After a while this patent will expire and the smaller companies will be able to copy the active product used and put on the market a much cheaper version of the same medication (cheaper because they didn't have to do the research, didn't have to pay for the patent, and there no longer is a monopoly position). The brand name still has the good name it earned during the years of monopoly, so they will keep the price high.

So probably the doctor found out that the medication has the same activity, and prescribed the cheaper version. As Moonbear said, just check with the pharmacist or the doctor :)

 

[arebelongtous]

This may be a little late in coming but my mail order prescription service pulled the same "switcharoo" on me.

Some Ob/Gyns I know are generally of the opinion that generics are just fine if they are being taken to regulate cycles, PMS, etc. However, if they are being used for oral contraception, it is better to stick with the name brand. The thinking behind that is this: to qualify as a generic, the drug in question can vary in the neighborhood of 20 or 40% efficacy (I forget which). Frankly, that's a little scary to me...especially when the consequences could be pretty extreme.