Generic Zoloft Anyone?

Nurses General Nursing

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Specializes in OB, M/S, HH, Medical Imaging RN.

Not asking for medical advice just wondering if anyone has any experience with generic Zoloft?

I've been on Zoloft for 8 years. It has helped me to live a normal life. I know that generics are supposed to be chemically equivalent and I choose generics whenever there is a choice. I've been hearing that the generic Zoloft does not work? Psychological or Real? Thanks!

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I actually wasn't aware there was a generic Zoloft but will look into it. Supposedly as you noted the generic and brand name drug is the same chemically but I know some people who respond better to a certain brand name over the generic like in the case of BCPs. Whether it is psychological or real I don't know but if the generic doesn't work for you and the brand name does, so be it-take the brand name one. As hard a time I have believing how strong our minds can effect our bodies and moods it is possible.

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I've been taking Zoloft for 3 1/2 years and I just started the generic about 3-4months ago and i havent noticed any difference between the two-whatsoever :)

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You can check pharmacy regs but for something to be generic is has to have the same active ingredients. In LTC we switched all patients to it last month.

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Specializes in High Risk In Patient OB/GYN.

My sister switched a few months ago when it came out-she said it upset her stomach a lot. (And she hadn't noticed that they switched her to the generic). She originally thought she had a virus, but her doc switched her back 2 weeks later and it's better. She had to have "permission" from her insurence company, and her copay is still a little higher.

As far as her depression management, she saw no real difference.

Yes, active ingredients are the same-but the inactives can be very different.

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Specializes in OB, M/S, HH, Medical Imaging RN.

My shrink told me that generics, although chemically the same, have fillers to change the size and shape and that by law they can be up to 25% different in the amount of chemical. i.e. a 100mg pill can actually only be 75mg and it's perfectly legal. He is very against generic antidepressants but has yet to hear of a patient negatively affected.

I took one brand of generic Zoloft (Pfizer) for the past 3 months with no problems. It's the second company (Teva), to make it, their version is the one I hear is the problem and that's the one my pharmacy is now carrying. According to the pharmacist name brand Zoloft will drop 80% in cost in 6 months once many manufacturers have their brand of generic Zoloft ready to sell. Pfizer being the manufacturer of Zoloft makes their own generic version through their Greenstone sister company, Teva won/has the exclusive rights to manufacture generic Zoloft for the first 6 months so at present those are the only two versions of generic Zoloft currently available.

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All of our patients have been switched to the generic et I have not heard any of the nurses say there has been a difference. But everyone is different. My mom takes the generic et it seems to help her. She even tried to stop taking it et had to go right back on it.

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Specializes in High Risk In Patient OB/GYN.
I took one brand of generic Zoloft (Pfizer) for the past 3 months with no problems. It's the second company (Teva), to make it, their version is the one I hear is the problem and that's the one my pharmacy is now carrying.

Wow, I just looked at my sisters bottle (I"m at her house right now), and you're right--It's Teva that gave her the upset stomach. Manufactured in Jerusalem by Teva pharmacies. How strange.

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Not sure about Zoloft generic form. But something kind of funny happened concerning the side effects of Zoloft. I was triaging one day. When I asked the pt what she was here to be seen for she said, "I have an STD because I take gereatric Zoloft." With my intrest peeked, I asked her to explain. She said she was watching TV and they said Zoloft could cause sexual side effects. So that was what her green drainage came from. Kind of sad, frustrating and funny all at the same time. Good luck with your findings.

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Specializes in OB, M/S, HH, Medical Imaging RN.

I'm back on name brand Zoloft. I had been taking the generic made by pfizer (greenstone) x 3 months with no problem what-so-ever. I was thrilled to pay $10/month vs $35/month.

I started taking the generic made by Teva a week ago. My pharmacist said it's the the best. Teva is the largest manufacturer of generics in the world. Ok, no problem I'll take it.

I began noticing a huge difference by Friday night. I had strange electric shock-like feelings in my head and arms and legs. It was really creepy. I looked online and it is a symptom of sudden SSRI withdrawal. I thought I'll just not take anymore of it and call my doctor Monday morning to get a new script for brand name Zoloft. By this morning I was crying about "everything". I called my doctor, who I knew wouldn't mind, he called me in a script.

I wouldn't have minded going back to the generic made by pfizer but my drug store no longer carries it and I can't be searching all over town for that brand of generic Zoloft as the market is about to be flooded with generic Zoloft made by God knows who. I'm happy to be back on Zoloft. If my insurance is not going to cover it I'm ordering from Canada. Today a month's supply was almost $200. A 6-months supply from Canada is $180.

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Specializes in OB, M/S, HH, Medical Imaging RN.

I saw my shrink today and he said I had had classic abrupt withdrawal symptoms. Again he was telling me that by law generics are the same chemical but can be off by as much as 25%. So I ask "ok if I'm getting 75mg of Zoloft rather than 100mg why the abrupt withdrawal symptoms? The filler used by companies who produce name brand products use filler designed to increase absorption. Generic manufacturers can use whatever they want as long as it's not toxic. Some of the fillers they use actually block absorption. That really stinks! :angryfire

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Specializes in Neuro ICU, Neuro/Trauma stepdown.

I had taken Zoloft in the past so last week at my Dr's appt re: Welbutrin not working as well for me, we decided to try the generic Zoloft. It's the kind made by Teva and I took it the first day a couple of hours before going to work. I was so naseous all night long. It was awful!!!!! Ironically at one point when I was calling a doc for a phenergan order for one of my patients I thought I was done for and was literally about to lose my cookies. It sucked, and lasted my whole 12hr shift. Being that this was over the weekend, I didn't want to not take anything, so I did take it again in the morning before I went to bed for the day. I haven't been sick anymore, but time will tell whether or not this is the med for me.

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