GENERIC DRUGS

My thoughts on part 2:
Test strips: do a check using strips for both meters. I'm pretty sure that it will be OK , it is only in the last 4or so years that the meter companies have been forced by legislation to fix the meter in either mmol or mg/dl. Until then y.ou could change them from one to another
Certainly with one touch strips it is possible to use 1 touch strips from a French pharmacie, in a meter sourced from the UK, the UK meter is fixed in mmol, mg/dl are used on 'French' meters

French meters cost so much because of the health service system. Meters are available on prescription. one every 4 years, guarenteed to be replaced quickly by the manufacturer. All presciption products have a price fixed by the government, all models cost the same. There is no competition to get custom, no freebies either and a very small choice of models.They have to be governmnet approved, and theres no incentive tosubmit more than a couple of models for approval. (the fixed price has actually gone down slightly in the last 5 years but the companies seem to have negotiated a very high price).
I' m somewhat surprised you could get compact strips, the only 2 accu chek models in France at the moment are the nano and the performa , strips are available for the 'go' as people still have it. . The official French price for strips is €39.40 for 50 .

Hi tosbf.

As Phoenix has answered question 2, I 'll answer Q.1.

There should be no difference in generic and branded drugs. However, we have had other members who have been switched from one make to another and have found that things can go a little 'haywire ?'

If this is the case with you I would suggest that you discuss this with your GP and get the prescription made out for the previous drug which you had no problems with. Then make sure that you are given the exact same thing as listed on the prescription every time.

It ddoesn't happen to everyone, I have a prescription for Generics and every time I collect, the packs look quite different and the pills are different shapes and sizes and colours. I've never had any trouble.

My wife swears that she can tell the difference between 2 differing makes of her tablets(anti depressants) she finds one brand to be less effective than the other, this has happened several times over the past 6 months.!!

I get varying brands of my hayfever tablets and I've never once noticed a difference. Actually come to think of it, I found the generic loratadine more effective than branded desloratadine.