Posted by Cam W. on August 30, 2001, at 17:48:32
In reply to Re: But are different benzos different?, posted by Squiggles on August 30, 2001, at 17:28:21
Squiggles - Sorry, sometimes I get bogged down in the science and miss the question.
Technically, a molecule is a molecule is a molecule. The Roche brand of clonazepam is the same molecule as the generic version. What does change is the binders and excipients; the stuff they put in to color the tablet and hold it together. Sometimes people can have an allergy to one of these; sometimes the generic product does dissolve as well as the brand name; sometimes the generic company only does minimal quality control.
The above are supposed to be controlled for by the government (at least in Canada), but I do here people say that the generic version of Valium is not as good (but I don't know why - some of it could be psychological). I have not heard of problems with clonazepam, though.
A way around the brand/generic problem, is to find an ultra-generic version of the drug. An ultra-generic company is one set up by the brand name company to sell a generic version of their product. In Canada, the biggest ultra-generic company is Alti-Med. Rivotril™ and Alti-Clonazepam™ come out of the same vat, but have different markings pressed into them. Therefore, they are essentially identical.
Hope that this answers your question. - Cam
poster:Cam W.
thread:76985
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010828/msgs/77005.html