Some doctors and consumers worry that generic brand blood pressure medications may not perform as well as name brand. Naturally, people often think that less expensive products are not as good.

Bioequivalent drugs have chemical actions that are equivalent to their original brand name counterparts. Generic medications for high blood pressure are considered to be bioequivalent. The differences in generic and brand name medications are limited to the types of inactive fillers that are used and the appearance of the medication – like the color and the shape. Consumers often feel confused when they see that their brand name medication looks different from their new generic medication.

It seems, though, as if generic heart and blood pressure medications are quite similar to their brand name counterparts. This month, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a study that analyzed several of the drugs that are used in the treatment of cardiovascular disease and hypertension. They did an analysis that covered 47 different studies comparing generic blood pressure medications with name brand medicines. The analysis showed that the two options have the same clinical outcomes. There has never before been a truly comprehensive analysis published discussing a comparison of generic and brand name high blood pressure medications and their equivalents.

The results of the study indicate that generic blood pressure medications and those designed to treat heart related conditions seem to provide the same level of treatment benefits as costly brand name medications provide. Nonetheless, a lot of doctors hesitate to prescribe generic medications, especially when they are treating high blood pressure.

Ask your doctor about trying generic blood pressure medications if you would like to save some money on your prescriptions. If your doctor agrees to put you on a generic medication, you will want to watch your blood pressure closely for the next several weeks to make sure it stays the same on the new medication. This procedure should make both you and your doctor comfortable with trying out generics at a lower cost.