FWIW, I always specify the brand I want. The one time I inadvertantly left out the brand name (it was empagliflozin) the vendor sent me some brand I never heard of, that looked kind of funky. I don’t blame the vendor, because it was my fault.
Of course, I immediately threw it in the trash. There is no way on earth, that I am going to put some dodgy med into my body - have you read the horror stories of how generic brand manufacturers have abysmal standards? There’s even a book Bottle of Lies, by Katherine Eban (she’s also been on various podcasts). The risk is extremely high. I’d gladly waste the $200, it’s only money - chalk it up to an expensive lesson learned. But put it in my body? Inconceivable. Would you accept some dodgy component subsitution in your parachute? You only got one body. No way in the world am I going to worry about that $200.
Then I read how folks get some off-brand med and forever try to figure out how to twist it so that it’s OK to take it, maybe lower dose, maybe experiment. Mind blown. It’s $200. How much is your health worth to you? A medical procedure, even a blood test can easily cost multiples of that - thousands. And here I’m going to worry about $200? Different strokes for different folks. To me it’s extremely simple - buy an established brand from an established vendor, validated by other users who tested etc. No exceptions. Established brand, established vendor (avoiding fakes) and even so, you may go wrong - hence FDA recalls. But Russian roulette with an unknown local brand somewhere in India??
Look, buying meds from India is already an increased risk. Quite apart from quality issues, you have to add transportation and storage risks, what with tropical heat and moisture. The only reason to do it, is if you simply cannot for whatever reason get it in the USA/Europe. But there is no sense in adding to the risk by taking a chance on some unknown generic manufacturer that may not even have a website.
All the saved money in the world is not worth your health. I accepted that I made a mistake, took the $200 loss, and moved on, extremely happy that I have access to a brand that is marketed by a reputable German company in India (empagliflozin - Jardiance by Boehringer Ingelheim). I only felt bad in case raccoons got into my trash bin and snacked on the dodgy brand empa - otherwise good riddance to bad rubbish.
RapAdmin created a list and thread of reliable pharmacies, where everyone has a chance to exchange experiences with meds and vendors, and I benefitted hugely from that. I selected the vendors based on people’s feedback, and in turn provided my own to contribute to the general store of knowledge.
Not to misunderstand - I’m not criticizing anyone, just providing one perspective. Of course everyone should do what they feel is right for their situation, and every situation is unique, so no criticism here - and by sharing knowledge we can all benefit. YMMV.
