Generic Medications are those drugs that are developed after the patent of a innovation drug, known also as brand drugs, for they are released by big pharmaceutical companies with a name that is easy to remember and catchy for doctors, pharmacists and costumers. Both, brand and Generic Medications, share the same active ingredient, that’s why it is said that they must be bioequivalent, that is, they have the exact same reaction in the organism even if their presentation and name are different. In some cases the presentation changes because the inactive ingredients, that are those that contain the active ingredient, that’s why you can find generic versions of a pill in the form of liquid or creams.

To be consider a Generic Medications, it must contain the same composition, that is, the same active ingredients that the original formulation has, this condition make them be bioequivalent to their counterpart, the brand name drugs, like generic Viagra. Knowing this, you can infer that generic medications are pretty much the same in dose, route of administration, strength, efficacy, intended use and safety as normal brand drugs are. This means that you can take a generic medication of any pill and it will work as good as any other drug, also having the same side effects and allergic reactions, it is important to mention this as a recommendation before buying this drugs. This doesn’t mean however, that Generic Medications are unsafe as any level, they are just as unsafe as the same brand name is for you.

You can use simple keys that are mandatory when a medication is becoming generic, the first of it is that they need to prove the bioequivalence to the original product, and this may take several years of experimentation to show that they have not only the same effectiveness but also that they are as safe as brand name drugs. The biggest advantage of Generic Medications is that they are less expensive than brand name drugs, saving a lot of money to costumers and insurance companies. For a generic pill to be approved and sell by any pharmaceutical company, first have to be approved by ANDA an application of the US government, that verifies its safety and efficacy.

Both, generic and brand medications are both effective for your health and will certainly help you to improve your condition, however, the main difference exposed before, should make you take a better decision when buying drugs again, not because your help, but because the money you can save taking the right choice.