Most of us think we’re right when we’re often wrong, but sometimes an argument comes down to an indisputible fact that one party won’t accept. Eric wants to know how to handle this sort of impasse.
Eric asks,
I want to preface this email by stating this is not a very important issue, but I do want a solution. My girlfriend insists on never getting generic medication, to the effect of wasting hundreds of dollars. She will never buy Naproxen, it always has to be Aleve (as if there’s a difference). When she gets prescriptions they cost $15 for the generic but she’ll pay upwards of $85 for the original. When I ask her why she tells me she trusts the company that came up with it and not some knock-off. She tells me it’s like buying an Insignia TV at Best Buy instead of a Sony. Except it’s not like that because generics are the same goddamn thing. Is there any convincing her? If she had millions I’d let it go, but we live together and she always complains about how poor she is, and she’d be a little less poor if she listened to me.
Dear Eric,
When someone insists they’re right, you can’t do much to change their mind. If it doesn’t affect you negatively, often the best course of action in a relationship is to just let it go. If she can afford $85 medications instead of the much cheaper variety and it makes her happy to waste her money, you should just let it happen. You may not be aware of the stupid things you do, but she probably tolerates a few of them.
Generic Drugs Should Be the Same, But Sometimes Aren’t
Furthermore, you’re not entirely correct on this specific issue. While the FDA and I agree with you that generic medication is exactly the same, that’s not always the case. For the most part it should be, but you have to remember that humans can screw up just about anything and, in this case, it’s somewhat likelier to happen with generic pharmaceutical drugs than the official brand name versions.
If you want the long version, Forbes can fill you in. The main issues is that generic drug manufacturers have failed to follow manufacturing guidelines and caused certain medications to miss their marks. To complicate things further, different binders and fillers are used in the production of drugs and some people have negative reactions as a result. That could happen with brand name drugs as well, but if you switch from the brand name drug to a generic you could, potentially, notice a difference. This is the case between different manufacturers of the same generic drugs as well, and the pharmacy can swap manufacturers whenever they like. Buying brand name (nearly) ensures you always get the same thing.
Of course, this is an issue behind the counter more than anywhere else. Non-prescription drugs like Advil (ibuprofen) or even combination drugs like Excedrin (acetaminophen, aspirin, and caffeine) have plenty of generic counterparts that shouldn’t run into these problems because they’ve been around for awhile. If she’s grabbing brand name drugs off the shelf, she’s almost assuredly wasting her money. Nevertheless, some people succumb to what is kind of a reverse-placebo effect. Because they believe the generic drug doesn’t work as well, they’ll essentially notice a difference that isn’t there.
Lastly, the Huffington Post covers a few specific instances in which generics actually do cause problems for some people. In those cases, patients have to go with the brand name options instead.
Educate and Let Go
The only thing you can do is try to educate your girlfriend and hope she’ll see the light, but you need to be okay with letting this go if she doesn’t. You don’t need to strain your relationship because of a stupid decision she makes that doesn’t really affect you. Sometimes proving you’re right is the wrong thing to do. You have to pick important battles and let others go.
That said, show her this response and have her read the articles linked within. She can read, learn, and make a more informed decision about her medical care later. But overall, unless she’s creating a financial burden for you then it’s really not your issue. She could be wasting her money on worse things, like Nazi memorabilia. Be glad it’s not worse, love her for all the reasons you already do, and save your ire for a battle that actually affects you.
– Adam