Last updated on October 11th, 2024 at 06:17 pm
People with diabetes frequently take various medications, such as insulin, blood-glucose-lowering, blood pressure, and cholesterol-lowering medications. The price of all these medications might add up quickly. If generic versions of the medication are available, taking them can help you save money.
Generic medicines are pharmaceutical drugs produced and distributed without a brand name. They possess the same active ingredients as branded ones and work in the same way and in the same amount of time.
Both patients and healthcare professionals have different information about brand-name and generic medications. On the one hand, pharmaceutical companies invest a lot of money in marketing their most expensive and newest medications. On the other hand, doctors get their share of the split by recommending branded medicines as they have a lobby with MRs (medical representatives). Therefore, it is ideal for patients with diabetes to inquire about generic alternatives in the market.
Understanding Diabetes
Diabetes is a condition in which the blood glucose level is consistently greater than normal. The eye, heart, kidney, and skin are just a few organs that diabetes can adversely affect. A heart attack (a primary cause of mortality in the case of diabetes) is said to have a two times higher probability of occurring in a person with diabetes. The expense of managing diabetes rises as multiple chronic conditions (like heart disease, sleep disorders, cancer, obesity, and dyslipidemia) increase with diabetes.
Diabetes has costs associated with it. The direct cost comprises the cost of the consultation, the medication, and the hospital stay. The use of generic medications is one strategy to reduce the cost of medications for chronic conditions like diabetes.
Generic medications are identical to branded ones in terms of dosage, intended use, effects, adverse effects, route of administration, risks, safety, and strength. Branded medications have the same pharmacological effects as their generic equivalents. However, they are considerably more expensive than generic medications.
Generic Medicines for Diabetes
There are generic versions of some of the medications used to treat diabetes, including the following;
- There is also a generic version of glipizide, marketed under the brand names Glucotrol and Glucotrol XL.
- Only the generic version of the rarely used first-generation sulfonylurea acetohexamide is offered. Drug interactions are more likely with first-generation sulfonylureas.
- Another first-generation sulfonylurea, tolazamide (Tolinase), is offered in generic form.
- Generic glimepiride (Amaryl) should be accessible.
- There is a generic version of glibenclamide, known by the brand names DiaBeta, Micronase, and Glynase.
The medication metformin, solely offered under the brand names Glucophage and Glucophage XR is also available in generic form. Metformin, glipizide (Metaglip), and glyburide (Glucovance) are accessible as generic medications.
However, only brand-name medicines are available for the combinations of metformin and rosiglitazone, metformin and pioglitazone, metformin and sitagliptin (Janumet), metformin and repaglinide (PrandiMet).
What is the right drug for you?
Talk to your doctor and pharmacist about switching to a generic for diabetes if you currently take a branded medication that helps reduce prescription costs. Conversely, talk to your doctor and request them to prescribe the content for your diabetes medicine instead of a brand name. This will give you the right to choose your medicines, opening up multiple options to buy generic medicines. The goal is to shift to generics with the same content as the brand name.
On the prescription, the doctor must put “Do not replace.” If not, our pharmacist at Medkart can provide a generic version of a brand-name medication for diabetes.
How can you tell if you’re taking a brand-name or generic drug? Even though the generic name may be much more difficult to pronounce, it’s great to be familiar with your medications’ generic and brand names. Some companies mark a drug’s bottle to indicate whether it is generic. Your pharmacist is the best person to ask to find out.
At Medkart, we have 100+ stores pan India that offers generic medicines for diabetes that can bring down your expenses. You can also order it online at medkart.in or use the androidand
Be prepared that your generic pill will look different from the brand-name pill if you transition from a branded drug to a generic one. Generic medications for diabetes are not authorized by law to resemble brand-name medications. Shape and color can differ between various generic versions of the same medication.
Generic medications are frequently a cost-effective and safe alternative to more expensive name-brand medications. Ask your doctor if generic medications are best for you.
