[stephaniej2011]

When I started taking birth control pills, I was prescribed Lutera. Everything was perfect, I had no side effects, my periods were short and painless, and my sex drive was up. Then I transferred my prescription to a pharmacy that didn't carry Lutera, and they gave me Sronyx. My periods are now long (sometimes up to two weeks) and more painful than they ever were before and most importantly, my sex drive is gone. I thought maybe it was the transition, but its been 11 months, and nothing has improved. When I miss a pill ( very rare) or when I'm on the inactive pills, my sex drive comes back, and I feel normal again. I know they are supposed to be exactly the same, but I really feel like there is a difference. Has anyone has a problem with one brand of generic over another?

[Little]

Generics aren't always exactly the same as name-brand pills. BC is one of those cases where the exact formulation seems to really change the side effects. It sounds like you've given the generic enough of a chance to see if that's a likely cause of your problems - is there any way you can switch back to the name brand?

[kira]

Actually it doesn't look like Sronyx is the generic of Lutera. Lutera is itself a generic of Alesse which is no longer available in that brand name. Sronyx is the generic of Levlite, also discontinued in that brand name. They have the same main ingredients in the same amounts which is probably why whoever prescribing thought it would work the same but they are not designed to be the same pill and very tiny differences can cause very different results.

[stephaniej2011]

Thank you guys for the encouragement. I talked a couple of pharmacies and they treated me like I was an idiot for requesting a specific brand over the other. I had trouble finding lutera anywhere near me, but I located a pharmacy that carries it and got it filled today. I think I was just scared that nothing would change when I switched, so I was putting it off.

[kira]

When yasmin went generic and people got switched without warning there were side effects popping up all over the place. Didn't bother me but about half the people I talked to switched pills. I had a doctor who specifically wrote on prescriptions that I needed the brand name of things. My insurance would not pay for it otherwise. He didn't trust generics to be as dose accurate and have as safe of secondary ingredients.