Teva Announces Launch of Generic Zoloft

The active ingredient maybe the same as in the brand name yet it is not uncommon for the generic not to be as effective as the brand in many different medications. This is common knowledge with many doctors and pharmacist I've spoken with.*The ones that are honest*, Generic did not work for me either. If the fillers in the pill are different how can it not effect the outcome? Also, the fillers are some of the reasons of the break outs. Do research and see what the fillers are. Some use corn starch, etc... look at where the meds. are coming from. There are some manufactures getting their meds in China. A major American company used this fake pharmaceutical company as their new source. They found out the "Heart" medication didn't work because it was nothing but filler. This Chinese company was punished and the owner went to prison yet it is still going on and showing up in our pharmacies. So...there are to many people having problems with generics not to believe them. Some generics work fine for me. Unfortunately Zoloft is not one of them.

Hi Gary-

Sorry I didn't see the reply notice in my inbox...hope you haven't been suffering.

It sounds like you might be allergic to the fillers they use in the new generic. A number of people have reported itching and hives:
http://www.topix.com/forum/business/biotech/T...
http://www.topix.com/forum/business/biotech/T...

The other symptoms are new to me, but they could easily be the result of allergies - after all, if you are allergic to something you are ingesting, it can show up in many different ways.

Good luck,

Sam

The problem feels more like nerve pain burning. Tingling in the head. I am on day 15 of 100mg I noticed that I felt a little better this week. But today not so good. Starting down to 75 now for 14 days. Is it possible to have good and bad days as I am coming down.

Hi. I am new to this thread. It popped up on a google search when I was looking for answers about my 16 year old daughter's depresion and ADD.
We had been filling her prescritions at Walmart for Sertraline (generic Zoloft) 175 mg at bedtime, and Adderall XR (for the ADD) 25mg the morning, for nearly a year with no problems. Both drugs worked well and her syptoms of depression were gone.
When we moved 4 months ago, we changed to an Albertson's Sav-on pharmacy, where we refilled her prescriptions but were given generics from a different manufacturer. I didn't think it would make a difference. Was I ever wrong!
After a couple weeks on the new generic meds, I noticed her cracking her knuckles, bouncing her legs like she couldn't sit still, and she became very moody and withdrawn. She began having frequent panic attacks, her grades started slipping, and we started living the nightmare all over again. Unfortunately, I didn't associate the changes to her medications until a week ago.
I talked to her doctor,because I thought my daughter might need her medication levels increased, and she explained that not all generics are created equal. She insisted that we go back to a Walmart and only accept the generic Sertraline that is a bright blue color. At Albertson's, we were getting Sertraline that was a cream color (100 mg) and light blue (50 mg).
After a few days on the generics from Walmart, I can already see a difference. She isn't as nervous or withdrawn and I believe we are back on the right path.
As a side note, her ADD meds were also coming from a different manufacturer when we bought them at Albertson's and they also didn't work as well, either.

@Mals_Mom we had a similar experience. Ask the pharmacist who the manufacturer is and make sure you get that generic only. We use only the generic MYLAN sertraline, and had a very bad experience with Greenstone.

You can request a specific manufacturer! Good luck!

I sure am glad that going back to the Walmart generic worked for your daughter Mals_Mom and so quickly. I wish I could re-try a generic, but after my bad experience with Teva and other people's varying experiences with other generics, I'm so afraid to. I wish there were a way to create a poll here to see which generics have and haven't worked for people to try and find out which one worked for more people than any of the others. It seems like enough medical professionals are willing to acknowledge that, as you said, "not all generics are created equal" (including the school nurse I work with), that I don't understand why this continues to happen. I sure hope that Pfizer's discount plan extends beyond the end of this year.

I have taken Zoloft for 10 years off and on, so I didn't think i'd have a problem going back on it. Boy was I wrong! I had a HORRIBLE time with the Greenstone brand in August. I took 12.5 for one week, and 25 for one week, trying to work my way up to 50. I had to stop it! It made me EXTREMELY dizzy, increased my panic attacks, had stomach issues, bad migraine,jittery, etc.... I went back to the doc last week and he wants me on Zoloft because I did so well on it before, so I thought ok i'll get a new prescription and just take 25 right away to get through the hellish side effects quicker. Well When they filled my prescription this time, the manufacturer is Northstar. I have to say, I have very minimal side effects on this, and I started at 25 mg. There must be something in the fillers that Greenstone uses that just doesn't agree with my brain. I had read on another forum that someone's psychiatrist told them that they have seen alot of people "crash and burn" on the Greenstone brand. I'm steering clear of that from now on, i'm going to ask my doc for a script for Northstar brand only since it seems to be working well at this point. I have only been on it for 3 days so far, but have not had any side effects worth complaining about(knock on wood).

I have been on Zoloft for about 13 years. After 10 of those the generic came out. Of course I tried it b/c it was so much cheaper. I slept for the entire 2 weeks I took the generic. So I switched back. We tried again at a later date, me hoping I could tolerate a couple weeks of sleeping to get past the initial side effects. Finally I did, and I have been ok until recently (although the dosage is higher with generic). Now I am sweating profusely, I am having problems swallowing, I can't sleep, I get Restless Leg Syndrome, and some other things. This is CRAZY! I finally realized (as I was laying awake again) that these are many of the symptoms I had during the first few weeks of starting the meds. Is my body deciding to reject the meds now, after I finally got used to it?

So glad I found this thread. I've only been on a generic for two days but it feels horrible. My heart is racing, my hands are shaking and I am really irritable and just all round uncomfortable. My dr didn't think it was from my switch when I called but I don't think it could be anything else. I'm going to try to get the brand name tomorrow, and not take this generic again. Hopefully it gets better as this feeling is horrible

The reaction of an individual to any drug, generic or not, usually varies. So for some people the generic drug of Zoloft would work but for others it won't. Read more about Zoloft at http://www.zoloftsertralinebirthdefects.com/s... . You can know more about the functions of SSRI when you read all about it.

sherry wrote:

I switched to generic in September and got a severe rash in October. After breaking through topical steroid and a shot of cortizone, they took a biopsy with revealed I was reactig to a medication. The only thing I have changed is switching from brand to generic zoloft. I have gone back on brand name last week and the rash is slowly going away.

There are differences in generic and brands. I was told this by a doctor that does research at Southwest Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. The FDA regulates brand but once it goes generic they do not.

Zoloft and its generic have the same side effects. You can know more about it http://www.zoloftsertralinebirthdefects.com/z... . Side effects usually varies with each person.

Zoloft has been one of the controversial medicines of today. Even generics of zoloft are reported to have the same side effects. Read about the warning against zoloft at http://www.zoloftsertralinebirthdefects.com/z... .

Harry Myers wrote:

Zoloft and its generic have the same side effects. You can know more about it http://www.zoloftsertralinebirthdefects.com/z... . Side effects usually varies with each person.

TROLL ALERT!

Harry Myers wrote:

Zoloft has been one of the controversial medicines of today. Even generics of zoloft are reported to have the same side effects. Read about the warning against zoloft at http://www.zoloftsertralinebirthdefects.com/z... .

TROLL ALERT!

Indeed "Doctor My Eyes". Yeah, women that are pregnant or are trying to get pregnant should do some extra research and serious contemplation with respect to what medications are the safest for them under the circumstances. But I was prescribed Zoloft NINETEEN years ago and am still alive and still relatively sane (imo...lol!), so Harry Myers can blow it out his ear.

Do you work for Teva?

Frank wrote:

Do you work for Teva?

Not sure who you were addressing that to Frank, but Teva doesn't even manufacture GENERIC Zoloft anymore.

Irene wrote:

<quoted text>
Not sure who you were addressing that to Frank, but Teva doesn't even manufacture GENERIC Zoloft anymore.

No, they don't. Hello, Irene, nice to meet you.

I had a terrible time with the Lupin generic of Zoloft. I don't know if any generic will work for me! However,has anyone tried the Northstar generic? How was your experience with it? I'm nervous about even trying it at this point.
Thanks!