Amaryl works, glimepiride doesn't - for me!

Chris9450

Member
Messages
7
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi everyone!

I want to share the news with you in case it helps someone else! I have been on Metformin and Amaryl for the past 10 years. Then the patent ended and I was transferred to the generic Glimepiride instead of Amaryl. Gradually I lost my reasonably good sugar control (7.2% Hba1c) with the blood test results climbing to 7.7% over about two years. As you can imagine, the problem was obviously ME! I had stopped exercising - NO. I was overeating, NO. I was getting older, well, yes, but why the sudden deterioration? We increased the Metformin to no avail.

Then in June this year, a pharmacist decided to give me the patented Amaryl on my repeat prescription. It was sitting on the shelf and was probably going to go out of date? I could not believe it, I suddenly was back in control. My latest Hba1C is 7.0% a drop of 10% within two-and-a-half months. The doctor and nurse have agreed it must be that the generic version does not work for me. No apology for blaming me for the deterioration over the last two years, of course!

I know the possibility of a generic not working is very small but hey, if one person reads this and gets to try the patented drug again to see if it makes a difference, it will be worth posting this info! I know of cases where blood pressure or migraine medications have not worked in the generic form. Just hope this helps someone out there!
 
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catherinecherub

Guest
We have had some reports on here about this problem There were several people who were given generic versions of Glucophage/and some BP meds and they did not work as well for them. Cost cutting?
 

Chris9450

Member
Messages
7
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi, CatherineCherub!

I am English and we are governed by the National Health Service. They always put you on generic medication as soon as possible. In this particular case, the patented medication is about four times the cost of the generic equivalent. The NHS has to save money where possible as they are always strapped for cash. I believe we expect too much 'coverage' for what we pay. I have also discovered that the rules for generics is that they only have to be 80% similar to the patented version. This can mean they have slightly less of the medicine in them as well as cheaper fillers. It may be that one of those filler caused an allergic reaction in me which interfered with the medication being totally effective. Unless someone wants to use me as a test subject (lol) we will never know. I believe there are two issues:

1. Do we believe that diabetics try their best to maintain control of their diet, medication and exercise regime. It is too simple to divert concern over rising blood sugar levels onto a blame of the patient being non-compliant.

2. All generics should do a similar job to patented medication and any unusual change in symptoms etc should cause a change back to the patented medication to see if that is the problem.

I certainly did not expect to be in such trouble and my research led me to suspect that Amaryl could stop working after several years of treatment. I wonder if that is because other people are experiencing problems with the generic version not that the actual medication has stopped working. This was certainly the case for me!

Regards to you and thanks for the reply! Chris 9450
 

Daphne917

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,320
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
I had a similar issue with my BP pills - they couldn't get my normal 80mg so the chemist gave me 2x40mg instead which resulted in an allergic reaction with my skin becoming extremely dry and itchy and anti histamines and emollient skin cream prescribed to clear it. Generics by their nature are cheaper which is why the NHS uses them and I guess they take the gamble that if 1 out of a 100 react it's still more cost effective to treat side effects as they occur than prescribe an expensive drug in the first place.
 

Chris9450

Member
Messages
7
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi Daphne 197

I am so sad that you also have been caught in the middle of this generic problem. I suppose we should be grateful for the care we receive from the NHS but honestly, it's tough when we suffer because of medication changes.

Can they get you the same company's 80mg now? Are you stuck with 40x2 tablets? Did they change to a generic at this point? Do you need to go back on the patented medication for a while to see what happens? Guess if it is the same company you will have to check the quantity of fillers or if it is a different company, compare fillers.

I was diagnosed with granuloma annulare ( skin biopsies to confirm) last year. Surprisingly, it is now clearing rapidly since I have changed back to the patented Amaryl. Skin is still recovering, gradually reducing thickness, improving moisture levels etc. I reckon it will take another few months before I have 'normal' skin. It might be more cost-effective on a generic but it sure causes some misery.

I just want people to be informed. If they have extra symptoms or a reduce reaction on a generic, they should ask to 'trial' a repeat prescription of the patented medication in case that is the root cause!

Regards
Chris