Generic and trade names of drugs

Vorsprung

Because I'm too cheap to buy a BNF, I'm wondering if anyone knows a site where they list the trade and generic names of drugs side by side.

Thanks

John

if you google any drug name (trade or generic) you will get the names of both. Are you looking for a list or are you looking for a particular drug?

Vorsprung

I'm doing a cardiology rotation at the mo, so basically drugs used for all heart conditions.

DrIndy

The bnf is available online.

www.bnf.org

buy a copy, it is invaluable.

wheresthebeef

yeah. BNF.org is good. you can probably rob a MIMS from somewhere in the hospital as well, they are two a penny. RxList is a good website also. Most hospitals will have a little folder with lists of drugs by category, and their trade and generic names for reference. usually left by the drugs cabinet or on the wall near it.
The brand names always throw me off, I can decipher the drugs using their generic names like the way the -olols are often beta blockers, and the -prils are often ACE inhibitors for whatever reason. I hate brand names. Although i think hospital doctors are supposed to always prescribe using the generic, but they dont.

DrIndy

we're supposed to prescribe generically unless the different formulations of the brands have different bioavailability due to their manufacture. Lithium must always be prescribed by brand and likewise any slow release or modified release formulation someone is on should always be prescribed by brand.

prescribing generically allows the pharmacist to dispense the lowest cost formulation to the patient. If a brand is prescribed then it must be dispensed as that brand.

angeldelight

bigjimthefirst wrote:

Because I'm too cheap to buy a BNF, I'm wondering if anyone knows a site where they list the trade and generic names of drugs side by side.

Thanks

Ah come on, they're only thirty euro!

Chucky

This page is comprehensive enough for the lay-person:

http://www.merck.com/mmhe/appendixes/ap3/ap3a.html

John

DrIndy wrote:

prescribing generically allows the pharmacist to dispense the lowest cost formulation to the patient. If a brand is prescribed then it must be dispensed as that brand.

And that's how aspirin became such a success. Bayer advertised the aspirin brand so well that doctors were automatically prescribing the brand over the generic name. There's a really good book about the history of aspirin, I'll dig it out when I go home.

Ag marbh

By right everything should be named generically, damn capitalism.

When buying drugs from a pharmacy in Asia it's vital to know the generic names for everything.

Chucky

I agree. With each drug having two names surely errors can and have been made. And if the generic name is too long then surely they can abbreviate it instead of giving it a completely unrelated trade name.