I've been on Yaz now for over a year and really like it. When my last RX got filled they gave me a generic called Gianvi. From all the research I could find online it was just released at the beginning of the summer or so and cost wise the generic is WAY cheaper.
Is anyone on Yaz that got switched to the generic Gianvi? If so, I just wanted to see if you noticed any changes. This is my 1st pack of it and I feel like its not quite the same. I sometimes had spotting right at the 2 weeks mark of the old packs but w/ this new one I feel like its been most of the month. That and my chest has been really sore most of the pack, which I rarely got before. I feel like I should stick it out and get through at least one more pack to see if regulates, but I was hoping someone else might be having similar concerns. TIA!
Re: BC Question
When you say your "chest is sore," do you mean your breasts or a deep pain in your chest?
If it's the first, technically the doc is supposed to have you take it for 3 months before giving up. But, if you hate it, you don't have to wait.
If it's the second, you should call your doctor ASAP.
Sorry, yes I did mean my breasts are sore. Just that tenderness that's annoying. I did end up calling my dr's office and they said they have had some patients say no probs and some w/ the same symptoms I have on the generic form. They said, as you mentioned, that I can call my mail order RX and tell them that I don't want the generic, only the brand name, but after thinking about it and talking to them I'm going to at least stick it out through this 3-pack. If its still happening once they are all gone, I'm going to switch back. Hopefully I won't have to b/c the generic is saving me $90! Even though the majority of the ingredients are the same, apparently you can feel like its a new medication. Thanks for your suggestions.
I'm a pharmacist and I hear complaints like this often...the generic has the same amount of hormones (may not be exactly, but has been tested to be within a certain range) in it and you should have no problem switching from brand to generic.
That being said, some people are very sensitive and might have problems with spotting or nausea or headaches at first. I say stick it out for the 3 months and it should resolve itself. HTH
Why were you switched to a generic?
I would switch back. I am not on Yaz, but something similar and I was given a different generic than I was used to, and within that 3 month pill pack I had sore breasts, horrible cramps(which is the reason I went on the pill in the first place) spotting that lasted 2 weeks and a 9 day period. It was hell.
I'm back on my "normal" generic and all is normal again. No matter what the pharamacist tells you all BC generics are not created equal.
Apparently they recently came out w/ a generic for Yaz so b/c my original RX didn't specify it had to be brand name only, they automatically switched me to the generic. I remember having the same symptoms when I initially started on Yaz (tender breasts and some spotting) but as pp said it cleared up within a few months once my body got used to it. I'm guessing that my body is pretty sensitive to even the small change b/c I generally don't have too much of an issue (the spotting I do get every month or every few months but not bad). I'm going to keep taking the generic I have (I'm only in the 1st of the 3 pack) until its gone and see if it clears up back to what it used to be. If not, I will switch back to Yaz. I'm hoping it goes away on its own b/c the generic is saving me $90! Yaz is expensive!
Thanks for the suggestions ladies!
When I went to pick up my Rx for the first time after having my most recent annual exam (that's also when I get my script for the next 12 months) I, too, received Gianvi. I was told that they just came out with it, which is why it hadn't been offered before. The pharmacist said that even though my Dr. wrote "Yaz" for the script, she didn't check off "DAW" (dispense as written) and the pharmacy is required to give you a generic unless specified otherwise. As far as price goes, Yaz cost me $69, Gianvi cost me $65...so much for saving $$$ with generics.
My boobs are sore to some degree the vast majority of the time, but I guess I've just gotten used to it. Wearing super supportive bras helps. I didn't have any breakthrough bleeding, though. I've actually not even had a period on this BC in almost a year b/c the dose is so low. On a positive note for me, the "moods" I would get from time to time on Yaz have been greatly reduced since on Gianvi. While the hormones are the same in the two, there are differences in certain regards with what else is added to/left out of the pill.