Name Brand Supplements vs. Generic (Drug Store) Brands

[maxell]

I'm buying supplements from drugstores with their own private label brands. For example, CVS' own vitamin B & C complex supplements vs. something from Swanson or Nature's Pride or Nature Made. Are these private label brands any worse than the name brands? I tend to think they're equal since vitamins and supplements tend to be commodity items. Or are they? Anyone aware of any quality problems associated with drug store brand supplements? Thanks.

[metqa]

Some are some aren't. Some of the fancy brands pride themselves on availabliltiy so they make their hard pills easy to dissolve. I prefer capsules. So in that case you just compare doses and fillers and source ingredients.

Some cheaper brands will use the cheaper available form of a vitamin, instead of a more expensive but more easily assimilted version.

Take calcium for example. there is calcium carbonate, calcium citrate, calcium lactate, and calcium gluconate. All of them are calcium, but calcium lactate/gluconate for example acts differently in the body and is absorbed in different areas of the body than carbonate or citrate. Some calciums end up precipitating out in the colon and causing constipation, and makes it harder to absorb.

Same with Iron. There is heme iron and non heme iron. Heme iron is the same as animal source, the other is from plant source like beets. The animal source iron takes two less steps to be available to the body than the non-heme iron, so it's 'better' if iron is your issue.

B12 is another, the most popular one is cyano, but actually methylcabolomin is the one that is recognized by the body immediately. the cyanocabolomin must be processed to remove the cyanide ion, and then recombined to be used. more energy output.

Those three examples, I have yet to see in store brand or generic options. I have get those formulas name brand.

But if you aren't impaired in any way it may not make a difference. I've used cyano B12 for years and loved it's effect. If I had lack of enzymes or digestive issues I'd have chosen Methyl instead. Most iron is suitable for most people, but an anemic my appreciate the effect of Heme-iron better. Someone with osteo doesn't need their calcium coming out in their poop. A good calcium supplement also has magnesium. if it doesn't, you might be wasting your money.

All that to say, If you are looking for a specific effect then a name brandmight be more specialized, but in general, if you can stick to capsulse instead of hard pills, you could save some bucks by using the generic for general vitamin needs.