Can patients usually tolerate generic medications?
Generic medications may have slightly different fillers that a patient can be sensitive to. It is well known in IC circles that hydroxyzine HCL (generic for Atarax) can be more irritating than hydroxyzine pamoate (brand name Vistaril) due to the fillers used. Changes in manufacturers or manufacturing facilities may also create slight changes. When a manufacturer of generic synthroid changed their formula slightly, some patients reported experiencing more side effects, such as dry eyes and dry mouth. This came as a surprise to ICN President Jill Osborne who, suddenly, couldn’t tolerate the medication and had to switch back to the brand name medication, Synthroid.
