Is there any difference between the Generic versus Brand name drug as far as withdrawal is concerned?
Generic drugs are defined to be drugs that are the same as brand named drugs in strength, route of administration, quality and performance characteristics and intended use.
The law allows the bioavailability of a genetic drug to differ from a brand name drug by 80 – 125%.
Bioavailability is a measurement of the rate and extent that a therapeutically active drug reaches the systemic circulation and is available at the site of action. By definition, when a medication is administered intravenously, its bioavailability is 100%. However, when a medication is administered via other routes (such as by mouth), its bioavailability decreases.
Variations of 80 – 125% can cause problems for some disorders and some people when swapping between brand and generic drugs. This has been observed in anti-seizure drugs and blood pressure medication.
Another factor that may affect the switch from an original drug to a generic drug is the possibility of impurities being left behind at some stage during the manufacturing process. The manufacturing process of the drugs does not have to be identical. A good example of this was the Tryptophan contamination that occurred in the US in the 1990’s.
There has been discussion on the board that the average amount of drug in each pill or in each part of a pill may vary more with generics than in brand name drugs. There is some discussion but no scientific data on the Internet that suggests clonazepam may not be as strong as Klonopin.
It may be wise to avoid changing from brand to generic or visa versa while withdrawing if that is possible.
Some sites
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=161740