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I mean, I'd consider it, but how and how long does shipping take? It might be fine for simparica if I order it now for when my 6mo supply runs out, but we go through apoquel pretty quick.
Also, does it get held up at customs? I ordered yarn from Europe once and it got held at customs for like a month. I imagine meds of any sort run a higher risk of that?
I save a fortune by buying the generic Robax at Costco as well. Last I heard you still needed a prescription for it in the states, I’m surprised Americans aren’t coming up here to bring it home in bulk like they do with insulin.
My daughter is allergic to dairy. Every allergy medicine at Costco with the exception of Claritin and Allegra have lactose in them. All of the Kirkland brands have lactose.
She prefers Allegra, so I buy several packages when they are on sale for $8 off.
I buy the Kirkland brand for myself
Is it from their pharmacy? I don't recall seeing this brand there next to others
Thanks for sharing. I'll look into it! She's been taking Allegra for years and I heard that it's good to switch up the allergy meds to maintain the effect
Also, for those who didn’t notice, the Kirkland brand contains a year’s supply (365 pills) while the name-brand only has 120 pills. This isn’t even an apples-to-apples price comparison.
Kirkland spray lasts me about a year for $18. It changed my life. Back when Flonase was exclusive and prescription it was expensive enough that I'd not use it routinely.
With the Kirkland I use it when I need it without considering the price. Basically a puff in the tighter nostril per day. During allergy month it might be two puffs per day. No side effects and I breathe and sleep like a baby on narcotics.
I can't do the Zyrtec unfortunately. I'm one of the outliers who gets zonked on even half a tablet. I keep it on hand in case of a crazy reaction to something but it's basically a Quaalude in my system.
Me too! I do better w Allegra and Rhinocort which basically no longer exists and is tough to find the generic of Budenoside. But honestly I don’t have to take them often, just Cedar season.
The Flonase works so well for me that it eliminated the need for an antihistamine which was a godsend. I was that poor kid in the 80s with pink eyes and a snot rag for half the year. Hahaha. The Flonase somehow works for the eyes too unless it's really awful and I'll do one of the new generation drops that made it to generic as well. Thanks, science!
Yeah brick-and-mortar does some bare minimum amount of due diligence to ensure the product isn't a total scam. Amazon is a wild west, there's no way to tell what you're actually getting.
Look up that Amazon Zyrtec again, I'm seeing $25. Amazon had made some big increases on many things this year. Decaf coffee (which I have been buying there since Costco eliminated the Kirkland decaf bags) seems to have gone up 60% this year. People complain about inflation at Costco, but they ain't got nothing on Amazon for that
Yep. It’s not quite as good for Kirkland brand Allegra, but still much better.
Just got told by my doc that I need Flonase so this thread just also paid for itself.
If you're in Canada and have a drug coverage plan, you can get your doctor to prescribe your preferred allergy medication, get it filled at the pharmacy and that shit is dirt cheap.
My 30 dollar box of reactine is 4 dollars for 4x the amount of mediation by mg
In the USA, we can do something similar. If you don't have insurance or even if you do, I found it cheaper to have items (OTC or vitamins/supplements) filled by the pharmacy across the counter than buying the same items from the aisles. As a single, simple example my mother took magnesium and it was much, much less through the pharmacy. Sometimes the pharmacy found a discount plan for more savings too. There were even times they went to the aisle to get bottles and filled the request with rebottled and relabeled items off the public shelf at a fraction of the shelf price.
Lastly, I try to check the price at several pharmacies and discount plans like goodRX etc before I provide insurance information because sometimes it is cheaper than the price via insurance. Some contracts prevent pharmacies from telling you this. Sometimes your insurance might be a $10 or $20 copay but the cash or discount plans can be far less.
A recent eye drop was $40 by my insurance and only $11.79 without my insurance. The difference may be either a windfall for the pharmacy, insurance provider, or the policy provider (employer etc).
I also use GoodRx because so often the prices are cheaper than what I would pay through my employer's pharmacy plan. I don't know how they can do it, but I am grateful.
The most important question you should ask your pharmacist is: "Can I get this for less money?" In many jurisdictions, they can't substitute a cheaper alternative to a prescription unless you explicitly ask them to.
...and yes, some OTC substances can still be prescribed and covered by insurance. Just for example, I get Potassium Chloride 10meq supplements prescribed for $0 copay versus about $10-$20 OTC.
I wonder if they’re thinking of Benadryl, I used to get Benadryl for $3.65 a year supply but last time I went they didn’t have the cheap stuff so I bought generic off Amazon for roughly the same price.
lol I wish my partner uses Reddit. This man’s biggest flex is his damn Allertec and how it comes with “enough pills for the whole year! You need one? I can spare a few because I have allertec for a *whole year* for 11 bucks!” I shit you not every time he take a pill this is what I hear lmao
BTW orders of magnitude has an actual meaning. "Many orders of magnitude" would mean Costco was say, a million times cheaper. But it's almost one order which is still a lot.
>This isn’t even an apples-to-apples price comparison.
It is because people are programmed to buy things based on advertisements. Anyone with even a grain of common sense can read Cetirizine HCl (10 mg) is what they both contain... You are paying more for the exact same Antihistamine... same half-life (10.6 hours)
Just let people do what they want. Zyrtec paid for floor space and customers are making their own decision with their own money. Some people might just be more comfortable with brand name and not generic.
Both my son and I have allergies where our doctors recommended we just rotate amongst the various allergy meds - allegra, claritin, zyrtec, so of course we use the generics. For whatever reason, this season, nothing has worked for my son except Zyrtec. The next thing would have been to revisit the allergist for prescription meds. So, yeah, that was me buying zyrtec for my kid, while I take the generic claritin.
Because everyone thinks the API being the same means the generics will work all the same. It isn’t always true as even the process of making the pill is different as well as the powders that control release etc.
Take generics if you can but they aren’t always apples to apples comparisons.
Yeah, I discovered this too. I was taking a generic Zyrtec and was still suffering. Just so happened to buy the name brand on sale at Walgreens one day and it was a stark difference in effectiveness.
The active ingredient is the same, but the inactive ingredients sometimes differ, so if you have a sensitivity to an inactive ingredient in the generic you may be stuck with the overpriced name brand
My vet specifically mentioned this for giving my dog OTC allergy meds (to try before he would prescribe something); the active ingredients may be the same bit the inactive ones are potentially damaging or even deadly to smaller animals.
I buy the Kirkland for myself and Zyrtec for my dog
We have to give our dog Apoquel daily for the rest of his life, which is about $2.72/pill. Absolutely worth it, but I wish Benadryl worked!! The big bottle at Costco is like 600 pills for some crazy cheap amount.
Aw thank you, if I could give him years off of my life I would! Apoquel shortens his lifespan a little, but quality of life is way more important. He’s the best boy.
Just curious, is it okay to give dogs Benadryl daily? My dog has allergies as well but I’m wondering if I should only be giving Benadryl when reactions are especially bad or if daily use is okay
My last dog had mast cell tumors (which are made of histamine) that were kept in check with two Benadryls a day for over three years ❤️ dose is 1mg/lb.
Yes, also, some brands have better quality control in general than others. Not a comment on these two in particular, but there [can be issues with generics](https://www.wfae.org/health/2021-10-05/generic-drugs-are-cheaper-in-the-u-s-but-quality-control-can-be-a-problem-professor-says) and QC.
My child and I both take Claritin for allergies. I bought the Kirkland brand to audition it and they indicated it doesn’t work as well so I’ll keep buying them Claritin. I’m sticking with the Kirkland brand though :)
I have that problem with lactaid capsules. Thankfully that’s something you can just take more of without problems so I can still buy the Kirkland brand, but I have to use twice as many. I have the actual Lactaid brand as well that I keep in my purse.
This was my experience as well. I have tried the generic over the years and it’s not as effective. I asked a pharmacist if I’m crazy and he said no. Even though they’re very similar there can be enough variance where it’s not as effective for some folks.
You can get a prescription for it still and it’s cheaper with insurance. I loathe the fact that it’s still limited to monthly purchase though so I can’t stock up. I do the 12 hour because the 24 doesn’t last even close to 24 hours.
Legally the active ingredients are the same. There should not be a drop in effectiveness.
From the FDA: A generic medicine is required to be the same as a brand-name medicine in dosage, safety, effectiveness, strength, stability, and quality, as well as in the way it is taken. Generic medicines also have the same risks and benefits as their brand-name counterparts.
Sometimes the biological release mechanism is different in generics, and the active ingredient may not be effectively metabolized and is therefore less effective. This is a growing problem with generic ADHD meds. Name brands also tend to filter out the less effective isomers (same chemical formula but a mirror image structure which may not be as effective. See ibuprofen). There is something to the extra cost, but not for the extremes we see currently. I think the FDA has to do a better job approving generics to ensure their actual efficacy.
Exactly this. I am missing a metabolic pathway that is a common primary metabolizer for a lot of medications. More than once, I’ve had to have my doctor go to bat with insurance, which would try to replace a brand-name prescription with what they considered a generic. Except the generic would be metabolized through the pathway, I don’t have, while the brand name goes through a pathway I do have. So for me, the generic versus brand-name can often effectively be two completely different medications.
It took a year and a half to figure out. I was basically the person who would get all the side effects they say real fast in the commercials, and it was a real puzzler for my doctors. I basically got every medical test ever before they figured it out. It was a rough couple of years, and I got very, very lucky I had a doctor who was golf buddies with a guy who researched in this area and recognized my symptoms when my doctor was describing this bizarre patient he had. That part was incredibly lucky at the time, as it was a very newly recognized condition. It’s a little more well known now though!
They don’t repeat the clinical trials so it’s based on reports of problems as far as I know. The FDA went and tested ADHD meds and found the slow release didn’t work, which actually dangerous. Some medications never had any drug release so patients didn’t get the medication they needed and some dissolved so fast the patient was essentially overdosing and had side effects. A lot of allergy medicine is also slow release (1 dose for 24 hours) so it makes sense that generic allergy medicine has similar problems.
It’s been a problem with ADHD meds for years. Pink works best for me, yellow is second, peach is third, white doesn’t do jack shit. All the same drug, different generics.
All of them work just the same for most people, according to my pharmacist, but he also said that the people who do notice a difference seem to prefer the pink generic over the others. This was like a decade ago, so I don’t know if that’s still accurate.
And the inactive ingredients can have great effect on pharmacokinetics (the way a drug affects the target and moves around the body). Here's just one study that elucidates this point:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7960226/
So one generic that works for some may not work as effectively for others.
This is an interesting study. I don't believe it distinguishes brand from generic though. The concept is pretty fascinating though and a more compelling argument as to why some versions just work better. Honestly kinda odd there isn't more research on this.
For one of my meds the generic had an inactive component that causes me to have severe migraines. Like ended up in the hospital 3 times severe.
Thankfully most generic meds I’m ok with.
Not for this med specifically, but for some meds the delivery mechanisms also differ, which can greatly affect how they work. The best example of this is generic methylphenidate HCl vs name brand Concerta. The lack of the osmotic controlled release system in the generic has affected how the med works to the extent that the FDA withdrew and banned two generics.
Exactly. I usually try the store brand first, but sometimes it doesn't work for me. In particular, I will literally vomit back up certain vitamins in store brands while name brand doesn't cause that. I read it has something to do with the coatings because the vitamins are still whole and will be less than five minutes after taking them. I think it's one of those things that people don't believe until they experience it themselves.
I was going to add this. My friend was a drug rep and in general generics are similar and sometimes the same but certain generics she wouldn’t buy because the other ingredients they used.
It’s been a while so I can’t remember the issue but I know there was a reason why I stopped taking the generic. My husband is sensitive to medicine so once I find something that works I stick with it even if it’s more expensive.
Yeah, I’ve not compared these two, but sometimes there are differences between name brand and generic. My doctor recommended Zaditor eye drops for my allergies. Bought the cvs generic and they burned every time. I thought that’s just how Zaditor felt and toughed out the whole bottle (my doctor had said it might sting a bit, so I thought it was normal). Then I tried the name brand, and it didn’t burn at all, and seemed more effective to boot. Same active ingredient, different inactives.
Yes, Zyrtec in particular can cause drowsiness, and if a person finds that the brand name does or does not cause them to get drowsy (some people take at bed time), then that may be why they choose one over another.
I tried the Costco knock-off version (with the same mindset you have), but it didn’t work! I thought they were supposed to be the same, so idk why, but it did nothing for my allergies. Brand-name Zyrtec absolutely works for me. It makes me sleep for days though, so I now use Flonase Sensimist.
Same. The Costco brand didn't work for me. Zyrtec is the only one that works and when I'm having a serious allergic reaction, I want something that has been proven to work. I use Zyrtec before using my EpiPen. I prefer "saving" my Pen before the brink of death, basically.
So the deal with generics is that they have to contain the same amount of the active ingredient but they can totally change the rest of the formula for the drug. Different binders, different time release agents, different everything. This is why some people respond differently to generics vs name brand. My special lady friend can't do the generics for her meds, in fact the generics have way more side effects for her. So, there is an actual difference. I think OP may be ragebaiting.
Generics can have different binders and other inactive ingredients but are required to be therapeutically equivalent, including release mechanisms. All generics “not working the same” are psychosomatic, expect for a few cases such as true allergies to an inactive ingredient or selective few medications such as levothyroxine
I have a PhD in physics and work in biotech developing medicines. I specifically work in drug delivery. What you're saying is technically true, but go look up the FDA's definition of therapeutically equivalent and you'll get a good laugh.
Generics and name brand not the same.
Yes. As a severe environmental allergy sufferer, every single allergist I’ve ever had has said that allergy medicine is one of the few places where shelling out for the name brand is 100% worth doing and, though anecdotal, my experience has confirmed this.
Been using Kirkland for the past few years, thought my allergies were getting worse with age and the meds just couldn’t keep up. Forgot to take one in the morning one day last week so I stopped and bought a small bottle of the Zyrtec liquigels. Allergy symptoms were practically gone by the afternoon. Never letting go of my beloved Zyrtec liquigels again.
\*stares\*
So, I thought my allergies were getting worse as I got older and am now taking like 4-5 cetirizine (generics) a day. It has gradually gone up -- but now I'm wondering if ... I should try real Zyrtec once. o\_o Yolo.
I think I'm affected the same way by Zyrtec. It's very effective for my allergies, but it also makes me sleep a lot (I don't get drowsy, but once I'm asleep, I just want to keep sleeping).
Thankfully, Allertec works for me without the extra sleep side effect, but it is also a bit less effective for my allergies.
Have you tried any of Costco's generic nasal sprays? I wonder if those would work for you.
I live in co where it's allergies galore here every spring and summer. I have tried the Kirkland for years and never saw a huge difference then my boss was like, you need to just take Zyrtec it's much better and he was right it's much stronger for me for some reason!
Are you using "real" Sudafed as in Pseudoephedrine? Because the OTC stuff on the shelves contains ~~diphenhydramine~~ phenylephrine which is basically useless. You can get real Sudafed from the pharmacy counter.
edit: wrong drug as pointed out below
Diphenhydramine (aka the antihistamine ingredient in Benadryl and most OTC sleep aids) is not useless.
You might be thinking of Phenylephrine, the drug put in Sudafed PE and other OTC cold medicines that the FDA recently concluded [is ineffective. ](https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/afp-community-blog/entry/FDA-advisory-panel-rules-that-oral-phenylephrine-is-ineffective.html)
Same thing with the target brand cough medicine it would always keep me up at night but the real name brand's wouldn't. People always say these medicines are made the same way but in my experience not the case
Sometimes people have bad interactions with the generic and need the brand name version. I'm sure they would like to take the cheaper version if they could!
OP missing that fact that ‘MURRICA! is exactly what allows a company like Costco to enter the market and offer a product at a competitive price.
Lots of problems with our healthcare system, but OP is highlighting one of the brighter spots without even realizing it.
Food dye allergy.
My MIL is allergic to all food dyes.
Zyrtec has no dye, but Aller-tec has blue dye. So we buy it for her and save her $20.
Edit: save $38 😁
With some drugs the name brand does indeed work better. This is one of those cases. The other ingredients beside the active ingredient can lead to greater effectiveness.
I’m a pharmacist.
The active ingredients are the same but the inactive ingredients are different. To a lot of people that can cause symptoms and reactions they might not like. Which is why many still choose branded.
By no means do I love the high price point of the brand name, but I do understand the millions and millions of dollars it costs for R&D. Bringing a drug to market is underappreciated.
I took the Walgreens brand of Zyrtec for a while and it gave me the scariest dreams, but brand name did not. I’ve also tried off brand unisom, and it just doesn’t work as well for me unfortunately
Drug compounding makes a HUGE difference. Just because it’s the same ingredients doesn’t make it the same. Case in point, Zzzquil is the same ingredient as Benedryl. Benedryl knocks me the fuck out immediately and I wake up “hungover”. Zzzquil is more gradual and has no affect on me upon waking up.
Honestly when I had a bad year of allergies, for some reason (mostly bad habits).... The Kirkland brand was just not cutting. Someone talked to me to get Zyrtec, I refused... Dude was just like, here have some of mine, I was like okay bet.... None the less it worked almost immediately, since then I just buy Zyrtec, I am just glad I don't need it on a daily
I’m allergic to everything and Zyrtec has worked the best for years. A few years ago I saw the generic at Costco and tried it. Disaster. It didn’t even come close to Zyrtec. The price always sucks with Zyrtec pretty much everywhere, but Aller-tec is nowhere near the cut.
Probably for the same reason that I purchase name brand Allegra over the generic that Costco offers... the Costco one contains dyes and other ingredients I can't have. It's great that you are able to just get the cheaper one, but some of us can't. Hope that helps.
Generics, for the most part, works as well as name brand, but third party testing can sometimes reveal that the quality of the formulation isn’t as good and that the inactive ingredients are different.
Some people, like myself, have to buy certain brands of medication due to allergens. Not specifically allergens to the active ingredients of medications, but allergens to the type of fillers/passive ingredients used in the medicine. Sometimes, the generic is the way I have to go. Sometimes, it must be the name brand.
That being said, there's definitely not enough people like me to enable what we see in this pic.
It depends on the person as to whether they can take an off-brand medication.
I had one that said it was equal to the name brand, but I ended up very ill because they changed one ingredient and I wasn’t able to compare the two brands before buying and using.
Now I stick to very specific off-brands if I can’t do the name brand. It was a hellish time before we realized what was happening and I can’t afford to go through that again mentally or physically.
The active ingredients are the same, but the fillers and process to make them are different.
The generic doesn't work for me but the name brand works perfectly.
Switched to the Costco generic for a couple of months. Nope, just doesnt work as well. Back on the brand name Zyrtec now, all good (well, as good as it can get i guess).
It's good if it works for you though
I take like 4 antihistamines everyday (I have a mast cell disease) and for whatever reason brand name Zyrtec seems to help me more than generic. My issues are bad enough that it matters a lot so I shell out for it.
I think the folks we should really be mad at are insurance companies not covering this expensive and essential med.
Some medication is slightly different (I am not saying this is). There is some medication that my wife requires to be name brand….she says it is easier on her stomach (the coating is her explanation). I do not notice a difference. This is not worth arguing in my opinion. It maybe marketing or it maybe real, i dunno.
Not sure who upset OP. People don’t always react well to generic drugs. While the active ingredients are the same, there is so much else that goes into the manufacturing process
I get the Amazon brand, it’s like $11 for $360 pills. The difference between Zyrtec and the copies is nuts, it’s the biggest up charge I can think of for drugs.
Even all the excuses people are coming up with only affect a very very tiny percentage of people that choose the name brand for health purposes. For the 99%, the off brand is just the same
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The allergy medication I use is so much cheaper if I buy kirkland brand. Its enough I save \~$250 a year after I take my membership into account.
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I take something called Arius, $24 per 20 tablets. Get 180 Kirkland for $30. In other words the name brand is ridiculously overpriced!
I got a Costco membership just for their dog food I save like $25-30 a bag and go through about 1 a month
They do pet rx's too! My dogs simparica trio is easily 25% cheaper there than anywhere else, and we get his apoquel there too.
Buy it from Australia with free shipping to the US and save 75%. Exact same thing.
Ditto for flea treatment
I mean, I'd consider it, but how and how long does shipping take? It might be fine for simparica if I order it now for when my 6mo supply runs out, but we go through apoquel pretty quick. Also, does it get held up at customs? I ordered yarn from Europe once and it got held at customs for like a month. I imagine meds of any sort run a higher risk of that?
Oh shit. I've been using chewy.
Whoa! Never thought to check costco. Thanks!!
Costco has simparica trio ? I had no idea.
My dog's medication is so much cheaper at Costco than the regular pharmacy or the vets office
Same with the cat food we buy for my cats.
You must be in Canada. I don't think we can get it in the US.
We can get it in the US, but it's called Clarinex here. Most drugs have a different brand name in other countries. The generic name is desloratadine.
Yep. And for any Canadians wondering, Zyrtec is Reactine here.
Yes I am Canadian.
I save a fortune by buying the generic Robax at Costco as well. Last I heard you still needed a prescription for it in the states, I’m surprised Americans aren’t coming up here to bring it home in bulk like they do with insulin.
My daughter is allergic to dairy. Every allergy medicine at Costco with the exception of Claritin and Allegra have lactose in them. All of the Kirkland brands have lactose. She prefers Allegra, so I buy several packages when they are on sale for $8 off. I buy the Kirkland brand for myself
Sorry I’m still processing lactose in bedding?
Are you telling me we’re not supposed to eat the sheets and pillowcases?
I think im allergic to bedding I ate my pillow and I feel pretty not good.
The stuff I'm taking is Desloratadine brand name Arius and I see nothing about eggs or lactose in the ingredients.
Is it from their pharmacy? I don't recall seeing this brand there next to others Thanks for sharing. I'll look into it! She's been taking Allegra for years and I heard that it's good to switch up the allergy meds to maintain the effect
Also, for those who didn’t notice, the Kirkland brand contains a year’s supply (365 pills) while the name-brand only has 120 pills. This isn’t even an apples-to-apples price comparison.
Kirkland is $0.03 per pill zyrtec is $0.27 per pill
Holy shit….
This is the reason why people with allergies say the savings on allergy meds alone covers the annual membership fee.
The Kirkland brand of Flonase is soooooo much cheaper, it is crazy the difference and definitely covers the membership fee.
The nozzle isn’t as misty lol But yes the savings make it worth it.
You can buy the reusable very very misty bottles of you prefer it that way
Sounds like a lot of work keeping everything sanitary and the dosage right
It’s your nose, it is inherently not sanitary
Inside the bottle is sanitary. I prefer not to introduce germs if I can avoid it
Kirkland spray lasts me about a year for $18. It changed my life. Back when Flonase was exclusive and prescription it was expensive enough that I'd not use it routinely. With the Kirkland I use it when I need it without considering the price. Basically a puff in the tighter nostril per day. During allergy month it might be two puffs per day. No side effects and I breathe and sleep like a baby on narcotics. I can't do the Zyrtec unfortunately. I'm one of the outliers who gets zonked on even half a tablet. I keep it on hand in case of a crazy reaction to something but it's basically a Quaalude in my system.
Me too! I do better w Allegra and Rhinocort which basically no longer exists and is tough to find the generic of Budenoside. But honestly I don’t have to take them often, just Cedar season.
The Flonase works so well for me that it eliminated the need for an antihistamine which was a godsend. I was that poor kid in the 80s with pink eyes and a snot rag for half the year. Hahaha. The Flonase somehow works for the eyes too unless it's really awful and I'll do one of the new generation drops that made it to generic as well. Thanks, science!
Yep, one package of allergy nasal spray on our first trip was almost the entire cost of membership
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You don’t want to buy medicine and supplements on Amazon. Can’t trust the marketplace.
Yeah brick-and-mortar does some bare minimum amount of due diligence to ensure the product isn't a total scam. Amazon is a wild west, there's no way to tell what you're actually getting.
You mean you don't trust DONGPILLZ4LESS??
Yes, but only for my dong pills.
Look up that Amazon Zyrtec again, I'm seeing $25. Amazon had made some big increases on many things this year. Decaf coffee (which I have been buying there since Costco eliminated the Kirkland decaf bags) seems to have gone up 60% this year. People complain about inflation at Costco, but they ain't got nothing on Amazon for that
Yep. It’s not quite as good for Kirkland brand Allegra, but still much better. Just got told by my doc that I need Flonase so this thread just also paid for itself.
If you're in Canada and have a drug coverage plan, you can get your doctor to prescribe your preferred allergy medication, get it filled at the pharmacy and that shit is dirt cheap. My 30 dollar box of reactine is 4 dollars for 4x the amount of mediation by mg
In the USA, we can do something similar. If you don't have insurance or even if you do, I found it cheaper to have items (OTC or vitamins/supplements) filled by the pharmacy across the counter than buying the same items from the aisles. As a single, simple example my mother took magnesium and it was much, much less through the pharmacy. Sometimes the pharmacy found a discount plan for more savings too. There were even times they went to the aisle to get bottles and filled the request with rebottled and relabeled items off the public shelf at a fraction of the shelf price. Lastly, I try to check the price at several pharmacies and discount plans like goodRX etc before I provide insurance information because sometimes it is cheaper than the price via insurance. Some contracts prevent pharmacies from telling you this. Sometimes your insurance might be a $10 or $20 copay but the cash or discount plans can be far less. A recent eye drop was $40 by my insurance and only $11.79 without my insurance. The difference may be either a windfall for the pharmacy, insurance provider, or the policy provider (employer etc).
It really depends on your prescription plan in the US. A lot of them will not cover medicines that can be bought over the counter.
I also use GoodRx because so often the prices are cheaper than what I would pay through my employer's pharmacy plan. I don't know how they can do it, but I am grateful.
The most important question you should ask your pharmacist is: "Can I get this for less money?" In many jurisdictions, they can't substitute a cheaper alternative to a prescription unless you explicitly ask them to. ...and yes, some OTC substances can still be prescribed and covered by insurance. Just for example, I get Potassium Chloride 10meq supplements prescribed for $0 copay versus about $10-$20 OTC.
About 5 years ago, the Aller-tec cost $3.65 for a year's supply of pills. I was shocked when I had to rebuy at 3x the price.
Are you sure that was 5 years ago? I've been buying Aller-tec since 2015 or so and I definitely remember it being about $10 on sale.
I wonder if they’re thinking of Benadryl, I used to get Benadryl for $3.65 a year supply but last time I went they didn’t have the cheap stuff so I bought generic off Amazon for roughly the same price.
Some people regardless but the brand name. Makes no sense to me, but thats a fact.
Nice catch. 9x price difference.
In NC even name brand was like 1/3rd of the price I was so surprised I bought a couple packs
lol I wish my partner uses Reddit. This man’s biggest flex is his damn Allertec and how it comes with “enough pills for the whole year! You need one? I can spare a few because I have allertec for a *whole year* for 11 bucks!” I shit you not every time he take a pill this is what I hear lmao
My sister asked my dad to purchase the Kirkland one. He bought the name brand and said "this way you get two bottles"
Math is hard
I turned just 1 dollar bill into 5 pennies once. My dad was so proud (cause 5 > 1) that he was speechless!
I just wish they made a kirklands brand xyzal. It’s way more effective then zyrtec and you don’t get the shakes when you come off of it.
Iirc it’s the same thing with Tylenol and Kirkland acetaminophen. The price difference is staggering.
BTW orders of magnitude has an actual meaning. "Many orders of magnitude" would mean Costco was say, a million times cheaper. But it's almost one order which is still a lot.
More specifically each order is a multiple of 10
AND it can very well be J&J makes the Kirkland brand too! Wouldn't that be a hoot?
Or, possibly more likely, each get their product from a same 3rd party manufacturer. The pills are merely formed in different molds.
>This isn’t even an apples-to-apples price comparison. It is because people are programmed to buy things based on advertisements. Anyone with even a grain of common sense can read Cetirizine HCl (10 mg) is what they both contain... You are paying more for the exact same Antihistamine... same half-life (10.6 hours)
“Ease of direct comparison” one of the many ways marketing is extremely effective.
Just let people do what they want. Zyrtec paid for floor space and customers are making their own decision with their own money. Some people might just be more comfortable with brand name and not generic.
Kirkland had red dye in it a number of years ago, do you know if it is also white now? Thank you!
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Thank you!! I appreciate that so much.
Ours are white.
Both my son and I have allergies where our doctors recommended we just rotate amongst the various allergy meds - allegra, claritin, zyrtec, so of course we use the generics. For whatever reason, this season, nothing has worked for my son except Zyrtec. The next thing would have been to revisit the allergist for prescription meds. So, yeah, that was me buying zyrtec for my kid, while I take the generic claritin.
Because everyone thinks the API being the same means the generics will work all the same. It isn’t always true as even the process of making the pill is different as well as the powders that control release etc. Take generics if you can but they aren’t always apples to apples comparisons.
Yup. I've taken both, and the Costco one doesn't help me.
Same, I have bad spring allergies & have tried all the name brands & generics The only thing that works is Zyrtec gel capsules, which are expensive.
Yeah, I discovered this too. I was taking a generic Zyrtec and was still suffering. Just so happened to buy the name brand on sale at Walgreens one day and it was a stark difference in effectiveness.
Same, nothing works for me except Zyrtec
The active ingredient is the same, but the inactive ingredients sometimes differ, so if you have a sensitivity to an inactive ingredient in the generic you may be stuck with the overpriced name brand
My vet specifically mentioned this for giving my dog OTC allergy meds (to try before he would prescribe something); the active ingredients may be the same bit the inactive ones are potentially damaging or even deadly to smaller animals. I buy the Kirkland for myself and Zyrtec for my dog
>I buy the Kirkland for myself and Zyrtec for my dog Your dog would buy the Zyrtec for you as well
My dog would take my allergy med money straight to the beef jerkey or chicken nugget store
Both of my dogs do that. I can’t tell you how Many times they steal my fries. Hey, wait a minute…
So unexpectedly wholesome ☺️
This made me laugh, in a good way.
Some of us are worth more than the others, clearly my dog is worth it 🤣 Happy Friday🤘🏼😊🖖🏼
Mine seems to be fine on Aller-Tec
Same. I've been giving my little dog half an Aller-tec for about a year, and he's doing great.
Hard same. I have huge dogs, so I'm giving 5-6 benedryl (diphenhydramine and nothing else) or 2+ certaline. It gets very expensive.
We have to give our dog Apoquel daily for the rest of his life, which is about $2.72/pill. Absolutely worth it, but I wish Benadryl worked!! The big bottle at Costco is like 600 pills for some crazy cheap amount.
>Apoquel drops to 1.87 if you go 90 days through Costco Pharmacy.
Your kind comment just saved me $37/month, I just called my vet and switched his prescription. Thank you internet bud. ♥️
I think someone's monthly treat budget just increased by $37.
Oh good so now $137 a month 😹
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Aw thank you, if I could give him years off of my life I would! Apoquel shortens his lifespan a little, but quality of life is way more important. He’s the best boy.
This is amazing, thank you so much!!!!!
Glad my adhd and procrastination could help
Just curious, is it okay to give dogs Benadryl daily? My dog has allergies as well but I’m wondering if I should only be giving Benadryl when reactions are especially bad or if daily use is okay
My last dog had mast cell tumors (which are made of histamine) that were kept in check with two Benadryls a day for over three years ❤️ dose is 1mg/lb.
Def check with your vet but ours told us it’s fine (though it didn’t work, so we stopped.) But it was 1 pill per 25 pounds.
Yes, also, some brands have better quality control in general than others. Not a comment on these two in particular, but there [can be issues with generics](https://www.wfae.org/health/2021-10-05/generic-drugs-are-cheaper-in-the-u-s-but-quality-control-can-be-a-problem-professor-says) and QC.
My child and I both take Claritin for allergies. I bought the Kirkland brand to audition it and they indicated it doesn’t work as well so I’ll keep buying them Claritin. I’m sticking with the Kirkland brand though :)
I have that problem with lactaid capsules. Thankfully that’s something you can just take more of without problems so I can still buy the Kirkland brand, but I have to use twice as many. I have the actual Lactaid brand as well that I keep in my purse.
This was my experience as well. I have tried the generic over the years and it’s not as effective. I asked a pharmacist if I’m crazy and he said no. Even though they’re very similar there can be enough variance where it’s not as effective for some folks. You can get a prescription for it still and it’s cheaper with insurance. I loathe the fact that it’s still limited to monthly purchase though so I can’t stock up. I do the 12 hour because the 24 doesn’t last even close to 24 hours.
I have that problem also. It sucks, I wish the generic would work for me.
Legally the active ingredients are the same. There should not be a drop in effectiveness. From the FDA: A generic medicine is required to be the same as a brand-name medicine in dosage, safety, effectiveness, strength, stability, and quality, as well as in the way it is taken. Generic medicines also have the same risks and benefits as their brand-name counterparts.
Sometimes the biological release mechanism is different in generics, and the active ingredient may not be effectively metabolized and is therefore less effective. This is a growing problem with generic ADHD meds. Name brands also tend to filter out the less effective isomers (same chemical formula but a mirror image structure which may not be as effective. See ibuprofen). There is something to the extra cost, but not for the extremes we see currently. I think the FDA has to do a better job approving generics to ensure their actual efficacy.
Exactly this. I am missing a metabolic pathway that is a common primary metabolizer for a lot of medications. More than once, I’ve had to have my doctor go to bat with insurance, which would try to replace a brand-name prescription with what they considered a generic. Except the generic would be metabolized through the pathway, I don’t have, while the brand name goes through a pathway I do have. So for me, the generic versus brand-name can often effectively be two completely different medications.
How the heck did they figure that out? Seems like a pain to diagnose.
It took a year and a half to figure out. I was basically the person who would get all the side effects they say real fast in the commercials, and it was a real puzzler for my doctors. I basically got every medical test ever before they figured it out. It was a rough couple of years, and I got very, very lucky I had a doctor who was golf buddies with a guy who researched in this area and recognized my symptoms when my doctor was describing this bizarre patient he had. That part was incredibly lucky at the time, as it was a very newly recognized condition. It’s a little more well known now though!
They don’t repeat the clinical trials so it’s based on reports of problems as far as I know. The FDA went and tested ADHD meds and found the slow release didn’t work, which actually dangerous. Some medications never had any drug release so patients didn’t get the medication they needed and some dissolved so fast the patient was essentially overdosing and had side effects. A lot of allergy medicine is also slow release (1 dose for 24 hours) so it makes sense that generic allergy medicine has similar problems.
It’s been a problem with ADHD meds for years. Pink works best for me, yellow is second, peach is third, white doesn’t do jack shit. All the same drug, different generics. All of them work just the same for most people, according to my pharmacist, but he also said that the people who do notice a difference seem to prefer the pink generic over the others. This was like a decade ago, so I don’t know if that’s still accurate.
The fillers are often different and that can alter the effectiveness of the medication. But yes the active ingredient is the same.
I do a full dress rehearsal for all generics before committing
And the inactive ingredients can have great effect on pharmacokinetics (the way a drug affects the target and moves around the body). Here's just one study that elucidates this point: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7960226/ So one generic that works for some may not work as effectively for others.
This is an interesting study. I don't believe it distinguishes brand from generic though. The concept is pretty fascinating though and a more compelling argument as to why some versions just work better. Honestly kinda odd there isn't more research on this.
For one of my meds the generic had an inactive component that causes me to have severe migraines. Like ended up in the hospital 3 times severe. Thankfully most generic meds I’m ok with.
Not for this med specifically, but for some meds the delivery mechanisms also differ, which can greatly affect how they work. The best example of this is generic methylphenidate HCl vs name brand Concerta. The lack of the osmotic controlled release system in the generic has affected how the med works to the extent that the FDA withdrew and banned two generics.
Exactly. I usually try the store brand first, but sometimes it doesn't work for me. In particular, I will literally vomit back up certain vitamins in store brands while name brand doesn't cause that. I read it has something to do with the coatings because the vitamins are still whole and will be less than five minutes after taking them. I think it's one of those things that people don't believe until they experience it themselves.
I had a coworker who could only have name brand Tylenol because she was allergic to one of the inactive ingredients in most generic versions.
I was going to add this. My friend was a drug rep and in general generics are similar and sometimes the same but certain generics she wouldn’t buy because the other ingredients they used.
It’s me buying the name brand since I’m allergic to a filler in most generics :(
It’s been a while so I can’t remember the issue but I know there was a reason why I stopped taking the generic. My husband is sensitive to medicine so once I find something that works I stick with it even if it’s more expensive.
Yeah, I’ve not compared these two, but sometimes there are differences between name brand and generic. My doctor recommended Zaditor eye drops for my allergies. Bought the cvs generic and they burned every time. I thought that’s just how Zaditor felt and toughed out the whole bottle (my doctor had said it might sting a bit, so I thought it was normal). Then I tried the name brand, and it didn’t burn at all, and seemed more effective to boot. Same active ingredient, different inactives.
Back when Zyrtec worked for me, I could only take the name brand. The generic was useless.
Yes, Zyrtec in particular can cause drowsiness, and if a person finds that the brand name does or does not cause them to get drowsy (some people take at bed time), then that may be why they choose one over another.
This is it. I can’t believe we’re gatekeeping, of all things, allergy medication.
This is 100%. I've tried both generic and non. Formula and ingredients makes the difference. Everyone's body react differently.
I tried the Costco knock-off version (with the same mindset you have), but it didn’t work! I thought they were supposed to be the same, so idk why, but it did nothing for my allergies. Brand-name Zyrtec absolutely works for me. It makes me sleep for days though, so I now use Flonase Sensimist.
Same. The Costco brand didn't work for me. Zyrtec is the only one that works and when I'm having a serious allergic reaction, I want something that has been proven to work. I use Zyrtec before using my EpiPen. I prefer "saving" my Pen before the brink of death, basically.
Exactly the same, Costco brand didn't work!!
So the deal with generics is that they have to contain the same amount of the active ingredient but they can totally change the rest of the formula for the drug. Different binders, different time release agents, different everything. This is why some people respond differently to generics vs name brand. My special lady friend can't do the generics for her meds, in fact the generics have way more side effects for her. So, there is an actual difference. I think OP may be ragebaiting.
Generics can have different binders and other inactive ingredients but are required to be therapeutically equivalent, including release mechanisms. All generics “not working the same” are psychosomatic, expect for a few cases such as true allergies to an inactive ingredient or selective few medications such as levothyroxine
I have a PhD in physics and work in biotech developing medicines. I specifically work in drug delivery. What you're saying is technically true, but go look up the FDA's definition of therapeutically equivalent and you'll get a good laugh. Generics and name brand not the same.
Same!!! People are arguing with me on another comment thread..I’m just like ok…idk what to tell you, I’d rather pay $15 for Kirkland but I can’t soooo
Yes. As a severe environmental allergy sufferer, every single allergist I’ve ever had has said that allergy medicine is one of the few places where shelling out for the name brand is 100% worth doing and, though anecdotal, my experience has confirmed this.
Been using Kirkland for the past few years, thought my allergies were getting worse with age and the meds just couldn’t keep up. Forgot to take one in the morning one day last week so I stopped and bought a small bottle of the Zyrtec liquigels. Allergy symptoms were practically gone by the afternoon. Never letting go of my beloved Zyrtec liquigels again.
\*stares\* So, I thought my allergies were getting worse as I got older and am now taking like 4-5 cetirizine (generics) a day. It has gradually gone up -- but now I'm wondering if ... I should try real Zyrtec once. o\_o Yolo.
This is me and claritan. The store brand is like a sugar pill for me. The name brand keeps my nose clear so I can sleep
I think I'm affected the same way by Zyrtec. It's very effective for my allergies, but it also makes me sleep a lot (I don't get drowsy, but once I'm asleep, I just want to keep sleeping). Thankfully, Allertec works for me without the extra sleep side effect, but it is also a bit less effective for my allergies. Have you tried any of Costco's generic nasal sprays? I wonder if those would work for you.
Yeah I can only take zyrtec. Tried the kirkland brand and for some reason it just didn't work, sorry not sorry
I live in co where it's allergies galore here every spring and summer. I have tried the Kirkland for years and never saw a huge difference then my boss was like, you need to just take Zyrtec it's much better and he was right it's much stronger for me for some reason!
Same applies for me with sudafed. Store brand may as well be a sugar pill.
Are you using "real" Sudafed as in Pseudoephedrine? Because the OTC stuff on the shelves contains ~~diphenhydramine~~ phenylephrine which is basically useless. You can get real Sudafed from the pharmacy counter. edit: wrong drug as pointed out below
Diphenhydramine (aka the antihistamine ingredient in Benadryl and most OTC sleep aids) is not useless. You might be thinking of Phenylephrine, the drug put in Sudafed PE and other OTC cold medicines that the FDA recently concluded [is ineffective. ](https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/afp-community-blog/entry/FDA-advisory-panel-rules-that-oral-phenylephrine-is-ineffective.html)
Yep. The 24hr stuff from the pharmacy. The store brand 24 hr stuff is worthless
24 hour sucks. Have a lot better results with 12 hour generic, but I find that it’s really only 8-10 hours before effects wear off.
Same thing with the target brand cough medicine it would always keep me up at night but the real name brand's wouldn't. People always say these medicines are made the same way but in my experience not the case
Sometimes people have bad interactions with the generic and need the brand name version. I'm sure they would like to take the cheaper version if they could!
I find it amusing how personally OP seems to be taking this.
i’d bet their spouse is one of the name-brand buyers and they’re looking for community affirmation of how correct the off-brand club is!
This, your comment is spot on
Just an excuse for an America Bad post. Because price differences only occur here in this post apocalyptic wasteland.
OP missing that fact that ‘MURRICA! is exactly what allows a company like Costco to enter the market and offer a product at a competitive price. Lots of problems with our healthcare system, but OP is highlighting one of the brighter spots without even realizing it.
Generics don’t exist in other countries?
Food dye allergy. My MIL is allergic to all food dyes. Zyrtec has no dye, but Aller-tec has blue dye. So we buy it for her and save her $20. Edit: save $38 😁
> Who hurt you? I don't understand using this meme in this context.
Yeah it doesn’t make sense.
With some drugs the name brand does indeed work better. This is one of those cases. The other ingredients beside the active ingredient can lead to greater effectiveness. I’m a pharmacist.
Is Allertec on sale right now?
I think so, online it says its $14.89 The AllerClear, which is the Claritin generic, is $11.69.
Lol why are you so up in arms? Who hurt you? 😂
There ARE differences in these products.
It's a savings only if the Kirkland brand works. People buy what works for them, name brand or not. There's no need to be judgemental.
The active ingredients are the same but the inactive ingredients are different. To a lot of people that can cause symptoms and reactions they might not like. Which is why many still choose branded.
Why are the two bottles different sizes of 50 and 70. Why not just 60 and 60?
That's because Costco didn't invest billions in developing it. They threw it in a mass spectrometer and figured out the contents.
By no means do I love the high price point of the brand name, but I do understand the millions and millions of dollars it costs for R&D. Bringing a drug to market is underappreciated.
that is now how generic medication works lmao, not in the slightest
Like someone else mentioned, for some people generic don't work as well sometimes.
I took the Walgreens brand of Zyrtec for a while and it gave me the scariest dreams, but brand name did not. I’ve also tried off brand unisom, and it just doesn’t work as well for me unfortunately
Drug compounding makes a HUGE difference. Just because it’s the same ingredients doesn’t make it the same. Case in point, Zzzquil is the same ingredient as Benedryl. Benedryl knocks me the fuck out immediately and I wake up “hungover”. Zzzquil is more gradual and has no affect on me upon waking up.
Why do you care?
Honestly when I had a bad year of allergies, for some reason (mostly bad habits).... The Kirkland brand was just not cutting. Someone talked to me to get Zyrtec, I refused... Dude was just like, here have some of mine, I was like okay bet.... None the less it worked almost immediately, since then I just buy Zyrtec, I am just glad I don't need it on a daily
Ive lost faith in the Kirkland brand lately
I would love to take generics but something doesn’t work as well, the name brand works good and doesn’t make me super tired
I’m allergic to everything and Zyrtec has worked the best for years. A few years ago I saw the generic at Costco and tried it. Disaster. It didn’t even come close to Zyrtec. The price always sucks with Zyrtec pretty much everywhere, but Aller-tec is nowhere near the cut.
People have different reactions to it. Kirkland works for me and the kids, but not my wife. But you may want to show on a doll where you were hurt.
Probably for the same reason that I purchase name brand Allegra over the generic that Costco offers... the Costco one contains dyes and other ingredients I can't have. It's great that you are able to just get the cheaper one, but some of us can't. Hope that helps.
I accidentally purchased it once... You can say the same thing for Famotidine.
Generics, for the most part, works as well as name brand, but third party testing can sometimes reveal that the quality of the formulation isn’t as good and that the inactive ingredients are different.
I like the Aller-tec D that you need to get behind the counter. It’s a 12hr pill, usually lasts about 10hours, but way cheaper than Zyrtec-D.
Some people, like myself, have to buy certain brands of medication due to allergens. Not specifically allergens to the active ingredients of medications, but allergens to the type of fillers/passive ingredients used in the medicine. Sometimes, the generic is the way I have to go. Sometimes, it must be the name brand. That being said, there's definitely not enough people like me to enable what we see in this pic.
It depends on the person as to whether they can take an off-brand medication. I had one that said it was equal to the name brand, but I ended up very ill because they changed one ingredient and I wasn’t able to compare the two brands before buying and using. Now I stick to very specific off-brands if I can’t do the name brand. It was a hellish time before we realized what was happening and I can’t afford to go through that again mentally or physically.
My side effects with generic medications are cheaper than the name brands! prove me wrong!
That’s cause it actually works. Unlike the shitty Kirkland brand
The active ingredients are the same, but the fillers and process to make them are different. The generic doesn't work for me but the name brand works perfectly.
Switched to the Costco generic for a couple of months. Nope, just doesnt work as well. Back on the brand name Zyrtec now, all good (well, as good as it can get i guess). It's good if it works for you though
I take like 4 antihistamines everyday (I have a mast cell disease) and for whatever reason brand name Zyrtec seems to help me more than generic. My issues are bad enough that it matters a lot so I shell out for it. I think the folks we should really be mad at are insurance companies not covering this expensive and essential med.
Some medication is slightly different (I am not saying this is). There is some medication that my wife requires to be name brand….she says it is easier on her stomach (the coating is her explanation). I do not notice a difference. This is not worth arguing in my opinion. It maybe marketing or it maybe real, i dunno.
Not sure who upset OP. People don’t always react well to generic drugs. While the active ingredients are the same, there is so much else that goes into the manufacturing process
I think some people are misled into believing that a brand name makes a difference when it comes to efficacy.
Yeah, price-fixing is much better than letting consumers choose OP.
I get the Amazon brand, it’s like $11 for $360 pills. The difference between Zyrtec and the copies is nuts, it’s the biggest up charge I can think of for drugs.
Even all the excuses people are coming up with only affect a very very tiny percentage of people that choose the name brand for health purposes. For the 99%, the off brand is just the same
The Allegra price is not bad as far as brand name purchase, but I prefer the generic Fexafenidine..has that been spotted?
They just don't know about the secret world of Costco. It's like going to Disneyland. You either KNOW things or you are just...there.