Medication QUESTION!

[Diesel]

Hi everyone:

I have a question for everyone who is taking some form of coumadin...

As most know i last week went through a mitral valve replacement (to a mechanical) and also a pacemaker was put in because my heart wouldnt wake up i have whats known as "heart block"

Well now im on coumadin.. BUT when my pharmacist filled it they gave me generic form called JANTOVEN

Now ive been following along with alot of your stories on here and i realized that it seems that most of you take WARFARIN instead of coumadin.

HAs anyone else taken or heard of JANTOVEN??? im a little nervous since ive not heard of this one yet.. Im taking it, but i think i might ask to switch to the WARFARIN cause i know more people who are on it.

Is there much of a difference?? I hate to bug you with something so minor, but its been on my mind this week, everytime i swallow the darn thing...

They are slowly raising my INR levels to 3.0-3.5 right now i am at 2.08 but my cardio said by next month he would like to see it higher... so any thoughts??

Thanks so much
Diesel

 

[geebee]

Jantoven is a brand name for warfarin, like Coumadin but from another manufacturer. It shouldn't be any different from taking the generic warfarin.
You should be fine.

 

[Ross]

Jantoven is fine! As geebee said, it's a brand name for the generic Warfarin. Al Lodwicks even spoken about it.

Check out their website for any additional info:
http://www.jantoven.com/home.html

 

[DebbiN]

New one on me

New one on me

I work at a doctors office and had never heard of it but realize now it is just different name for Coumadin. On a personal note, my doctor WILL NOT allow me to take generic Coumadin under any circumstances. He says it does not work as well.....

 

[ALCapshaw2]

Debbi -

MANY of us have had NO observable difference when changing from Coumadin to generic Warfarin (usually because insurance companies often will not pay the difference in price).

There has been MUCH discussion on this topic in previous posts so you may want to look throught the AC Forum or SEARCH for Coumadin vs Warfarin threads. Al Lodwick (Coumadin Clinic Manager and contributor to this Forum) has written several posts on this topic.

It sounds like your doctor has had too many lunches with the Coumadin Sales Rep! There have been two or three companies who bought the rights to the Coumadin name over time. One of them LOST a major lawsuit for claiming they had better tolerances. In fact, some of the generic manufacturers showed better control in tests!

I've been VERY stable on the generic warfarin I get from my mail order pharmacy which is made by TARO in Israel. BARR is another reputable generic manufacturer.

'AL Capshaw'

 

[Barry]

I tend to have more difficulties with an unstable INR on generic warfarin than when on brand name coumadin.

There was some sort of lawsuit against coumadin with regard to false info its manufacturer was putting out regarding generics - forget the specifics. Anyone here know what it was?

 

[Karlynn]

I work at a doctors office and had never heard of it but realize now it is just different name for Coumadin. On a personal note, my doctor WILL NOT allow me to take generic Coumadin under any circumstances. He says it does not work as well.....

My doctor will not either. But Al Lodwick (who's knowledge I trust implicitly) says there is no difference. A very small amount of people say they have noticed a difference, but most do not.

I will abide by my cardio's wishes until Coumadin just gets too expensive.

 

[DebbiN]

Coumadin

Coumadin

Debbi -

MANY of us have had NO observable difference when changing from Coumadin to generic Warfarin (usually because insurance companies often will not pay the difference in price).

There has been MUCH discussion on this topic in previous posts so you may want to look throught the AC Forum or SEARCH for Coumadin vs Warfarin threads. Al Lodwick (Coumadin Clinic Manager and contributor to this Forum) has written several posts on this topic.

It sounds like your doctor has had too many lunches with the Coumadin Sales Rep! There have been two or three companies who bought the rights to the Coumadin name over time. One of them LOST a major lawsuit for claiming they had better tolerances. In fact, some of the generic manufacturers showed better control in tests!

I've been VERY stable on the generic warfarin I get from my mail order pharmacy which is made by TARO in Israel. BARR is another reputable generic manufacturer.

'AL Capshaw'

FYI- Drug reps do not come in to detail Coumadin any longer as it is available in generic form. He has, as do all my doctors, extensive information regarding brand name vs. generic. The doctors I work for also are researchers developing new medications so they are on top of all the latest information.

 

[geebee]

I have a feeling the discussion of Coumadin vs Generic can get as intense as the discussions of whether to have a tissue or mechanical valve. Those of us who have found there to be no difference are confused as to why people would pay 3 or 4 times the price to buy Coumadin. Those who take Coumadin quite often have not tried generic so there is no data for comparison. Some have tried both and have varying opinions.

I started taking the generic because I just flat out couldn't afford Coumadin when I was on Cobra coverage. Since I wasn't working, I had to cut back on everything. I was a bit concerned about switching but tested frequently to make sure everything was fine. It was and still is, 6 years later.

The FDA has determined there is no difference and I agree. I am sure there are doctors out there who feel they have more information but I would think that may be limited to a couple of people who had variations on the generic. Those variations could be due to other factors than changing brands.

I would really hate to see people frightened if they are in a situation where they cannot afford Coumadin.

I take either Barr or Taro and both work fine.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[ALCapshaw2]

. He has, as do all my doctors, extensive information regarding brand name vs. generic. The doctors I work for also are researchers developing new medications so they are on top of all the latest information.

As Reagan said to Gorbachov: "Trust but verify"

Can you share this information that alledgedly supports the notion that Coumadin is "better, safer, whatever" than Generic Warfarin? I'm sure all of us who are being anticoagulated would be interested in learning the basis for this claim. Also, which manufacturer of Coumadin do your doctors believe in? (There have been 3 to my understanding).

'AL Capshaw'

p.s. If you are interested in reading evidence supporting the notion that there is NO difference, you may want to SEARCH through some of Al Lodwick's posts. He is a Coumadin Clinic Director and Registered Pharmacist in Pueblo, CO, has written a book on Anticoagulation Management (see his website www.warfarinfo.com), and monitors this Forum.