Things You Should Always Cheap Out On

[Jumbie]

Originally Posted by odoreater

I'm curious if your former colleague pharmacologist friend worked for a brand-pharmaceutical manufacturer. I suspect that he did, because that's some bullshit right there.

There are certain meds that I have to write daw on which means dispense as written (or check the box that says no substitutions) otherwise the pharmacy will fill the prescription with a generic. In some instances the brand name is preferred e.g. the patient does actually do better on it or has less side effects. However this is not usually the case in my limited experience thus far.

FWIW I buy generics for myself on those odd occasions I do needs meds.

 

[odoreater]

Originally Posted by Jumbie

There are certain meds that I have to write daw on which means dispense as written (or check the box that says no substitutions) otherwise the pharmacy will fill the prescription with a generic. In some instances the brand name is preferred e.g. the patient does actually do better on it or has less side effects. However this is not usually the case in my limited experience thus far.

FWIW I buy generics for myself on those odd occasions I do needs meds.

Yeah, that's right, but as far as the generic having "less of the biologically active isomer," that's a bunch of bs. The FDA has strict guidelines on the bioequivalence of generics and it has to be the same active ingredient with very little margin of error.

There are very limited circumstances in which a person has to get a brand over a generic. One such circumstance is drugs that have a narrow therapeutic index (meaning a very small difference between the effective concentration and the toxic concentration) because the minor change in the concentration of the active ingredient between the brand and the generic can be toxic (ibuprofen is certainly not one of these). And even in this circumstance, it's not that the brand is preferred over the generic, it's that the patient shouldn't switch between brand and generic, so if they start on brand they should continue on brand, and vice-versa.

The only other circumstance is if the patient is allergic to one of the fillers in the generic.

 

[StephenHero]

sports tickets

 

[GQgeek]

Originally Posted by odoreater

Yeah, that's right, but as far as the generic having "less of the biologically active isomer," that's a bunch of bs. The FDA has strict guidelines on the bioequivalence of generics and it has to be the same active ingredient with very little margin of error.

There are very limited circumstances in which a person has to get a brand over a generic. One such circumstance is drugs that have a narrow therapeutic index (meaning a very small difference between the effective concentration and the toxic concentration) because the minor change in the concentration of the active ingredient between the brand and the generic can be toxic (ibuprofen is certainly not one of these). And even in this circumstance, it's not that the brand is preferred over the generic, it's that the patient shouldn't switch between brand and generic, so if they start on brand they should continue on brand, and vice-versa.

The only other circumstance is if the patient is allergic to one of the fillers in the generic.

Did your wife jack your account?

 

[Threak]

I've bought a bottle of ibuprofen at the 99 cent store and it did the trick.

I buy batteries there too (for low-power devices, like remote controls).

 

[Milpool]

Originally Posted by odoreater

Yeah, that's right, but as far as the generic having "less of the biologically active isomer," that's a bunch of bs. The FDA has strict guidelines on the bioequivalence of generics and it has to be the same active ingredient with very little margin of error.

There are very limited circumstances in which a person has to get a brand over a generic. One such circumstance is drugs that have a narrow therapeutic index (meaning a very small difference between the effective concentration and the toxic concentration) because the minor change in the concentration of the active ingredient between the brand and the generic can be toxic (ibuprofen is certainly not one of these). And even in this circumstance, it's not that the brand is preferred over the generic, it's that the patient shouldn't switch between brand and generic, so if they start on brand they should continue on brand, and vice-versa.

The only other circumstance is if the patient is allergic to one of the fillers in the generic.

Well, here is a paper that says racemic ibuprofen has been thought to be ok, but their evidence does show that using the bio-active isomer only can result in less dose necessary.

I don't know the formulations of the generics vs name brands in terms of percentages of R and S isomers.

http://www.springerlink.com/content/m30xr127286t2224/

 

[HRoi]

clothes

btw i couldn't resist Googling "butter dog".

 

[cptjeff]

Originally Posted by GQgeek

Sometimes rescue dogs work out, and sometimes they don't. It's a gamble. If you're ok with that then go ahead. A well bred dog might just be the cheaper route a lot of the time though, especially if you're looking for a particular breed. Too many breeders just breed any two dogs that look the same together.

You are aware of the numerous health problems in many purebreds right? Genetic defects typically abound, and medical care can get very pricey very fast. And those genetic problems are perpetuated in the name of carrying on the breed with no mixing whatsoever. Study after study has shown that mutts tend to be much healthier. Also, if you get a rescue dog as a puppy, it can be trained. If you get one as an adult, you can learn it's personality before you choose to take him home, and most rescue groups offer a trial period where they'll take the dog back if things go wrong. The one we got ours from certainly did, and they made sure we could provide a suitable home as well.



And drug store ibuprofen kills my headaches just as well as the name stuff, so I don't really care about the specifics. I trust the FDA to keep them from putting rat poison in there, and as long as it works I don't give a **** about stuff that basically amounts to "take our word for it and pay 3x the price".

 

[odoreater]

Originally Posted by GQgeek

Did your wife jack your account?

Haha, no, but back when I was a products liability defense attorney, I represented a lot of pharmaceutical companies (and still do to some extent) and so I learned a lot from my wife and from other reading about the issue. Also, when a pharmaceutical question comes up on here, I just ask her.

 

[crazyquik]

Go with cheap generic batteries for your low-draw uses like TV remotes and perhaps the backup batteries in an alarm clock.

Premium batteries are worth it, but only so, in high-drain devices like digital cameras.

 

[snesmario]

Originally Posted by holymadness

A few more:

Pets. Who needs some kind of purebred stuck up asshole dog that costs $20,000 when you can go to any Mexican border town and pick up a perfectly serviceable stray for nothing?

Tampons. This is basically just cotton stuffed into a tube, right? DIY.

Canadian merchandise. USA will invade them one day, just be patient.

Dignity. If you are a woman you don't need to pay for anything, if you know what I mean.

If I was a woman I'd live my entire life by that statement, but when choosing a woman, I avoid all the ones who are like that. Does that make me a hypocrite?

 

[kruze]

As mentioned before, peripheral cables [usb, hdmi, rgb, vga, rca, microphone xlr, etc.]. No difference between monoprice vs. monster cables except marketing/name.

Bathroom stuff like toothpaste, shampoo, etc.. I won't cheap out on toothbrush, I'll get what works [have had cheap ones lose bristles which ive never experienced before], tp [the **** at public restrooms i would never buy], lotion [can't stand the cheap ones since they are usually loaded with scents that just smell cheap].

I also cheap out on my dishes/silverware [all ikea].

 

[Mblova]

All materialistic things. Build your house with your hands, sew your clothes, and grow and cook your food.

Was on a hike in Nepal, when some guy told me this.

 

[imatlas]

Originally Posted by snesmario

If I was a woman I'd live my entire life by that statement, but when choosing a woman, I avoid all the ones who are like that. Does that make me a hypocrite?

No, it makes you a happy and healthy man.

 

[GQgeek]

Originally Posted by cptjeff

You are aware of the numerous health problems in many purebreds right? Genetic defects typically abound, and medical care can get very pricey very fast. And those genetic problems are perpetuated in the name of carrying on the breed with no mixing whatsoever. Study after study has shown that mutts tend to be much healthier. Also, if you get a rescue dog as a puppy, it can be trained. If you get one as an adult, you can learn it's personality before you choose to take him home, and most rescue groups offer a trial period where they'll take the dog back if things go wrong. The one we got ours from certainly did, and they made sure we could provide a suitable home as well.
Notice that I specifically referred to a well bred purebred, not some random purebred from a BYB with no paperwork in a breed that has major health issues. Some breeds, like bulldogs, and probably several of the very large breeds, are going to be very problematic no matter what. That said, a GOOD breeder, not just some puppy mill or random BYB trying to make cash on the side, will be able to provide you with a lineage going back several generations. They will provide paperwork to prove good hips, elbows, heart etc., as determined by specialists, usually going back several generations for both parents. They give you contact info for past customers if you ask for it so that you can talk to past owners to talk about their dogs. Ya, there's lots of purebred puppies out there that will have health issues because they were poorly bred, but there are also quality breeders that you can use to stack the deck in your favor so that you minimize the chance of encountering major health or behavioural issues by as much as possible. I don't have any problem with rescues, but to suggest that they're always the best option is ridiculous. And maybe YOU have the skills and experience necessary to pick up on things that might be a problem with a rescue, but I guarantee you that most people have no clue how to behave with dogs and do not know enough about them to pick up on issues that could become a problem in the 10 minutes they spend with a dog before they take it home. They just pick whatever is cutest to them and that's the same as gambling imo. So, like I said, sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. A lot of rescues end up right back at the shelter. If you go to a good breeder and let them pick a dog for you, you vastly minimize your chances of getting a dog that will give you problems, either health or behavioral. The breeder can also match a puppy to you on a personalized basis, so that they don't give a hyperactive dog to a sedentary customer, for instance. Lastly, did you ever think that maybe some people value the specific characteristics found in certain breeds? 1500 really isn't a lot of money for everything that a good breeder will provide.