Counterfeit Medication: How can you tell?

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Is there a way to tell if you are taking counterfeit medication? I have been taking Wellbutrin (Bupropion) for a long time and it has always worked until recently. We recently switched healthcare providers (Aetna), and initially they would not pay for the brand name product (which costs $400 for one month supply). My doctor specifically told them to give me brand name only, and after a week or so they sorted everything out and sold me the one I was asking for (at 1/10 the full price). But I've been taking it for a month and it doesn't seem as affective. The bottle is the same with the brand label on the side, and the pills look like the brand name. I should note that the generic Bupropion is widely known to not be as affective as the brand name, which I found out last year. I like Wellbutrin because it helps me deal with my anxiety and depression without making me apathetic or anhedonic. I should also also note that the label on the bottle said this particular supply I am on now was manufactured in Canada, but I'm not sure where any of my previous supplies were made. Does anyone know if there is a way to tell if a drug is counterfeit, or if Aetna has ever had a history dealing counterfeit drugs?

Check with the pharmacy and keep records of your medication purchases/prescriptions.

You could do an online in-depth research of Aetna and the drug you're looking up. Not sure if you can get anything that way, but it's better than nothing. Besides that or knowing medical information/consulting with a trusted doctor or such, do not think there is really an easy way to tell. It's generally a safer bet to stick with things that are sold in the US than many other countries.

One lesson I've learned is that you cannot hope to get any useful information on specific medicines by doing an online search. All you turn up are a million "online pharmacies" offering deals for x-drug without a prescription.

If it was purchased through anything other than a reputable pharmacy, then it is probably fake.

It it has a "Made in China" label, then it is probably fake.

If the pills or capsules seem to be of different shapes, colors and consistencies, then it is probably fake.

If one commercial label is pasted over another, different label, then it is probably fake.

If it is advertised as a "Homeopathic" product, then it is probab ... no, it IS fake.

If they switched you from wellbutrin xl to regular (or vice versa), that could do it too. Your bottle should say GlaxoSMithKline somewhere on it. If it doesn't, you can inquire with your pharmacy about what their big bottle says. It is also possible that it is starting to quit working for you.

Having had 2+ years of gen and O. chem in college, I highly doubt they'd sell generics that were that different. In the U.S., you are NOT going to get a placebo or counterfeit over the counter. If you're into chemistry and have some basic equipment, you can test for the presence of compounds based on their functional groups but you might find it impossible to titrate to find any potency difference. Until I see a large scale, double-blind study in a peer-reviewed medical journal, I'm going to chalk it up to placebo effect making any difference in efficacy.

When you drop dead or never get better. There was a 60 Minutes episode which talked about counterfiet drugs from china and mexico. I believe there was a place you could mail a sample of of your meds and they run a tests. They were using dry wall and powdered metalic paint as replacement or as filler. Do a google or youtube search for the 60 Minutes episode.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Djftj0bwus[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5JSSDqp55Y&feature=related[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaX69OPEN6Q[/youtube]

The ultimate Trusted Source of a drug is a certified manufacturer. The only guarantee of getting a genuine medication, rather than a counterfeit is a chain of Trusted Agents starting with the certified manufacturer all the way to your pharmacy. At every link the source is certified. If you deal with strangers you are taking a chance. Getting one's drugs on-line gives no assurance of genuineness or quality.

ruveyn

Though this topic is old, it is still useful, especially today when we have a possibility to order medications sitting at home. Personally I like buying necessary pills online. I should say, it took me some time to choose a reliable and trustworthy site. What I like about online pharmacies is that it is possible to read the detailed information about all meds that are sold there. Usually I use

Last edited by B19 on 14 Nov 2019, 3:03 am, edited 1 time in total.: spammer

Short of chemical analysis, no clue