Medications: brand names vs generic names

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Is it just because I'm a pharmacology student or are there other people here that wince when you see someone refer to a drug by its brand name? I.e. "I take Celexa", "Seroquel is....." ARGH

My inner pedant says: If they take the brand name, it makes sense to refer to the brand name. If they take the generic, they should refer to the generic name. It is a minor thing, however.

I think it's like how we all say we'll "Xerox" that paper, even if the copier at hand is an IBM or a Canon. Or we put something in the Fridge, even if we have a Whirlpool refrigerator (as opposed to the original Frigidaire).

Charles

People are more likely to be familiar with brand names than generics. If I were to mention "Prozac", everyone would know what I was talking about. If I said "Fluoxetine", the generic prozac, I doubt many people would know what that is.

I'm going to say what most are probably thinking.
EXTREMELY CONFUSING

Fair enough. I have the BNF (British National Formulary book) at home and I think it is terribly confusing to have multiple brand names for one medication. And different countries sometimes use different brand names. Too confusing

You're going to hate most doctors and nurses. They interchange brand names and generic names all the time, sometimes in the same sentence. I'm one of those nurses. All the places I've worked allow brand name and generic drugs to be interchanged. A doctor will give me a verbal order for "meperidine 50 mg IM q 3-4 hrs prn pain" and I'll write it as "Demerol." If I get an order for "Advil 200 mg PO q 6 hrs for fever >37.5°," I'll write it as ibuprofin."

Of course, to be precise people should use the generic name. But it may be several syllables long and contain hidden pronunciation traps that snare the uninitiated. The brand name is simple to pronounce and three syllables long, tops, and was designed to stick in the mind of consumers.

I agree. It would be clearer if everyone used the generic, but most people don't want or find it hard to remember such long words, I think.

Oh dear lol.

Fair enough