Blog #5 - Alissa Carlson (insert upbeat tone) "Heartburn, Nausea, Indigestion!"..

So good news - I actually work in a pharmacy and I just love to debate the name brand versus the generic. It is a little different when it is a prescribed medication, but over-the-counter medications are highly debated between individuals and everyone prefers a specific brand or name. One of my absolute favorite medications (only because it has a great tune in the commercials), is Pepto-Bismol. The "5 symptom relief" relieves the most common symptoms and provides relief to symptoms of acid reflux. Pepto-Bismol has branded itself as being the pink liquid that tastes like a wintergreen lifesaver mint, and that relieves heartburn, nausea, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea, you know the tune. The actual chemical component of Pepto-Bismol is Bismuth subsalicylate and is used as an antacid, bactericidal, and an anti-inflammatory. Pepto-Bismol started in the early 1900s and was originally marketed as "Bismosal: Mixture Chloera Infantum," because it was a treatment for life threatening diarrhea in infants with cholera. The name changed to Pepto-Bismol in 1919 and is produced by Procter & Gamble today. 

If you visited your local Lunds and Byerlys grocery store (actually, drug store area), you would notice that in the same aisle that they sell the brand name Pepto-Bismol, Lunds sells their own brand (known as TopCare) of Bismuth subsalicylate. A regular size, 16oz bottle of brand name Pepto-Bismol sells for $5.39, and the "5-symptom digestive relief" by the TopCare brand is $2.89. But, aren't they the same thing? Exactly. The pharmacist that i work with at my Pharmacy will get people that bring up two different brands of a medication (a brand name and a generic) and asked, "are these the same?" and I can tell she just wants to roll her eyes and say yes for the god knows how many times.
Comparing the two bottles, they are of similar color and composition, and the only physical difference is the price.

I found something very interesting in that the TopCare brand and the brand name Pepto-Bismol contain similar chemical contents in a 30mL cap full, but not the same quantity. Here, I compared the brand name Pepto-Bismol MAX strength, and the TopCare brand of Stomach Relief in the Maximum strength. In the brand name Pepto-Bismol MAX Strength, a 30mL dose cup contains 25mg Magnesium, 8mg Sodium, and 437mg of Salicylate to provide relief to symptoms. However, the TopCare brand contains, in a 30mL dose cup, 15mg Magnesium, 5mg Potassium, 12mg Sodium, and 461mg Salicylate. TopCare not only has a higher quantity of Salicylate, but even has Potassium. The purpose of potassium in the generic brand is that Potassium has a lot of different purposes within the human body. It aids in the transmission of nerve signals, muscle contractions, fluid balance, and can aid in chemical reactions. I asked the pharmacist I was working with and she said that there was no substantial difference between the generic and the brand, and that there wasn't much of a purpose of Potassium in the generic. She said that it could potentially be to add nutrients back into your body when you lose it from defecation. So which one is better? The TopCare brand has larger quantity of Bismuth subsalicylate, but Pepto-Bismol is a well known brand (with a great commercial tune) and is very well trusted by its consumers. Although they both have very similar chemical composition, it comes down to the consumer, their wallet, and if they are attracted to flashy things. The brand name Pepto-Bismol has cartoon-like lettering, is a bright pink medication, and (at least to me) it looks like something that I would purchase. The TopCare brand uses Times New Roman to describe what it is, says that it is "Stomach Relief" and says that it is maximum strength. Sounds very promising, but some consumers may be confused by what exactly is the relief that it provides in the stomach, and maybe wish that it was a little more flashy and their eyes would be attracted to it. However, there is the difference with price. With Bismuth subsalicylate, there is not a huge price jump from generic to brand in comparison to other medications. There is about a $3 difference from the brand to the generic, which may not be as significant as the Prilosec and the generic Omeprazole (which at Target, might I add, is like $8 and some change).

In conclusion, what really is better, generic or brand? This is really just up to the consumer and the price that they are willing to pay for a pain reliever, acid reducer, fever reducer, whatever. It is clear that there is a generic and a brand name and that in most every case, the brand name is a couple dollars more. But, do you see advertisements, funny lingo, and catchy tunes with a generic medication? If you do please send it to me because for the life of me I cannot find one. Being that the brand name is most common and well known, there is a higher demand. So, really, tell me, which one is better? There is really no argument because it is evident that they are virtually the same and it is up to the consumer, their wallet, and their attractiveness to flashy lettering.