What are some items that really aren't worth paying the expensive version for?

Keith@lemmy.zip to Asklemmy@lemmy.ml – 367 points –

I saw this post and wanted to ask the opposite. What are some items that really aren't worth paying the expensive version for? Preferably more extreme or unexpected examples.

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Medicine. The house brands and generics are the exact same, tested the same, made the same.

But real Advil has the candy coating on the outside, and I haven't found a generic that does =(

Otherwise 100% identical yes.

A few years ago, I wondered why that was and googled it. I came to an Advil site with an expandable FAQ, and one of the questions was “why does Advil taste sweet?”

So I expanded it out to reveal this shocking answer (or something similar): “Advil tastes sweet because it is lightly coated in sugar.”

Thanks, I guess. I just closed the tab in mild irritation and moved on with my day.

That sucks for those of us trying to avoid sugar.

I asked AI to do better:

Advil has harnessed the power of delectable sweetness to transform the pain relief experience for millions worldwide. This cutting-edge coating, meticulously crafted by our team of expert scientists and flavor engineers, is not just a tantalizing treat for the taste buds but a testament to our unwavering commitment to enhancing the well-being of humankind.

Advil's Sweet-Flavored Coating is not merely a sensory delight; it serves a profound purpose in the realm of pain management. By seamlessly integrating the delightful essence of sweetness into our iconic pain relief formula, Advil has successfully elevated the overall experience of taking medication.

"We believe in pushing the boundaries of what's possible in healthcare, and our Sweet-Flavored Coating is a testament to that commitment," remarked [Spokesperson Name], spokesperson for Advil. "This breakthrough not only addresses the physical discomfort but also caters to the emotional aspect of pain relief, making the process more palatable and enjoyable for our consumers."

Advil's proprietary Sweet-Flavored Coating is meticulously engineered to engage the senses positively, creating a holistic pain relief experience. Whether it's a headache, muscle ache, or any other discomfort, Advil's innovation ensures that each dose is not just a remedy but a moment of respite and indulgence.

As the pioneer of this groundbreaking advancement, Advil continues to lead the charge in redefining the standards of healthcare, ensuring that the journey to relief is as delightful as the destination itself.

I loved every sentence of this meticulously crafted bullshit.

That reeks of chatGPT 4. It came come up with some pretty expressive nonsense prose.

Problem with the candy coating is you can't enjoy it, unless you want to suddenly learn what pure poison tastes like. It's such a tease. Doesn't help that they look like scrumptious little caramel-y morsels.

Yep

There may be a difference in things like pill shape, texture, release mechanism / time to absorb (if it's not very important for how the medication works)

So it's ok to have a preference for one brand over the other when one of those points is relevant to your situation. I know some people also prefer the generic brand version over the regular (even if prices were the same)

Wait, what? I have no idea what advil is, but sugar coating any drug is a recipe for disaster.

Sugarcoating pills is fairly common, especially for pills which are frequently ingested or target older demographics. It's because sugar coatings are much gentler on the esophagus (i.e.: less likely to cause esophagitis, "pill burn"). Advil (i.e.: ibuprofen) is a cheap, well tolerated, and non habit-forming pain reliever -- it's about as safe as such a thing could possibly be, so hopefully that helps to explain why a sugar coating might be warranted given the aforementioned upsides (for the love of all that is holy; always read the directions on the label, it's still quite possible that Advil is not safe for you specifically). FWIW: the bottles also have childproofing mechanisms built into the caps (... at least in U.S. markets. Not sure about elsewhere?)

I've never heard of sugarcoating pills, is it a US thing maybe?

I think you have a wrong image of how this looks/works. It's not like there is a cany-shell or something. It's a regular, smooth pill. You usually do not notice this coating because you don't keep a pill in your mouth. If you were to, the pill would taste sweet.

If you ever have gotten a pill of some sort that dd not feel chalky on the outside but smooth and looked kinda shiny, that probably has been a sugarcoated pill.

I think you're right then, and honestly I can't say I've noticed.

many birth control pills are sugarcoated for example. Or anti-histamine allergy medication like Cetericine

Not exactly. Just a fun fact and disclaimer that I use generics if at all possible. But my pharmacology class taught that generics can have higher tolerance of error in % of active ingredient. Not usually a big deal unless the drug has a very narrow therapeutic range, meaning too little doesn’t work and too much will harm you. 99.9% of generics is fine. But if you ever wonder if one batch of your med doesn’t seem to work as well this it’s likely that batch was on the lower end of acceptable.

I think this depends where you live, having worked a summer as a trolley runner for blister pack production, we produced thousands of blisters, and at the end of the line half got pharmacy own brand foils and the other half got name brand foils.

Same pills, same packs, same factory same standards and testing, just different ink on the foils. But the pharmacy brands would have shorter contracts so they would only be identical to this name brand for 6 months, then try might get a contract with another factory and be identical to another name brand there.

I know with some drugs (Warfarin is the only one that's instantly coming to mind) it is important to pick a brand and stick with it because the slightest change can effect the therapeutic value.

For myself, I have allergies so sometimes a certain brand or manufacturing company will use a filler, binder or dye I can't have. And frustratingly there are no ingredients lists on pills for fillers and dyes.

That's true but the difference is exceedingly small.

According to 1 FDA study, the mean difference for AUC values between test and reference products was found to be 3.5% in the 2-year period following the Waxman-Hatch Act, and 80% of the absolute differences between generic products approved since 1984 and the corresponding innovator products were within a 5% range.

Debunking a Common Pharmacy Myth: The 80-125% Bioequivalence Rule Jun 8, 2016

Depends on the meds. I take concerta for ADHD and as I understand it, the generic doesn't use the same release mechanism.

I'm also on concerta (ADHD highfive) and I've found lower efficacy with the generic... I sure wish it was the same though.

Crunched the numbers years ago for cost per mg of a med in question, and unsurprisingly generics were the best deal, but Costco's generics (Kirkland) specifically blew the competition out of the water. Comparing it to the most expensive options (name brands from places like Walgreens) was pretty comical - no exaggeration, some of them were literally over 100x more expensive per mg than the Kirkland equivilent. Comparing it to other generics, Kirkland still won by a factor of 5 to 10 sometimes.

Between that and gas, a Costco membership pays for itself before you even step foot into the food aisles or other random shit they sell.

Caveat: they do also sell a lot of fancy, stupid expensive shit, so don't let the comment paint the picture that everything in that store is a super good deal - it's not - but the things that are good deals, are crazy good deals, pharmaceuticals in particular.

Aspirin and paracetamol I don't think are patented by any one company now. Supermarket brand is super cheap.

Off brand Tums (and some newer flavors of Tums) is made with dextrose instead of corn starch. Sugar gives me heart burn, so generic and newer stuff does absolutely nothing for me.

Also, a cheaper alternative is to eat less and eat healthier. I know we can't all afford expensive healthy foods but just simply cutting out excess fats, sugar and empty carbs from your diet will add years to your life and also add better years to your life.