For years my mother has operated fairly successfully taking the round yellow 25/100 carbidopa & levodopa tablet made by Actavis. Within the past few months her mail-in pharmacy has sent her an oval yellow tablet made by Sun Pharmaceutical. For starters, the oval tablet is difficult to split and she mentioned to her PCP last week that something was wrong with the Sun Pharma product (though we didn’t realize at the time that it was a different manufacturer). She said it dissolved on her tongue and was less effective.
When we got home I checked the bottles, realized they were made by two different manufacturers and went to work getting her the pills that worked well in the past. The pharmacy requires a new prescription indicating that my mother receive the Actavis product only and that, while it’s too early for an insurance-covered refill, an override should be issued.
We talked to the neurologist yesterday who said that if the tablet is dissolving on her tongue it’s reaching her brain faster and may wear off more quickly as a result. Clearly generics are not identical to the original or to each other.
So, if you’re noticing that your medication isn’t working so well, check the manufacturer information on the prescription bottle. Better yet, if you notice that what you’re receiving has changed in shape or appearance, keep track of how it’s working and make changes more promptly than we did.
Excellent advice.