When I first took Fosamax, the 70mg table size several years ago, it was a small rounded rectangular shape. After about a 2 years the size of the table changed to a larger more pointed rectangular shape. What was the cause of this increase in size. Then a few months ago, it was changed to a generic tablet (Watson - a pharmaceutical co in India) that was again the small rectangular shape.
I inquired about the size at the Long's pharmacy where I shop and also asked about the recently recalled Indian Pharmaceuticals. No one knew anything about the change. This month when I went to get my refill, again the company changed to an East coast Pharmaceutical co. and the tablet is now the larger size.
What is the reason for the change in size and is the mg. per table the same? I find it curious because early on when I first started taking this medication, they had also made a mistake and had gaven me a packet of 10mg tablets. Please let me know.
- Find
Q: originally took Fosamax 70mg and the table size has changed several times. Why & is the okay?
I would not worry about change in size or even color for generic medicines. Each manufacturer has a unique shape, color and marking on the tablets, capsules or other product that they produce. The one thing you have to make sure is the dosage strength. For example if you are prescribed the 70mg generic version of Fosamax, just make sure that is what is marked prominently on the package along with the manufacturer.
Watson happens to be an American company, which according to Wikipedia is "the 5th largest pharmaceutical company in the United States based on number of prescriptions dispensed. Based in Corona, California..." They have manufacturing and distribution at numerous locations around the US and the world.
The generic Fosamax that I have is manufactured in Canada for Apotex in Weston, Florida. I believe all generics have to be approved by the FDA for distribution in the US.
I hope you can be relieved that medicine sold by prescription in the US has been approved by the FDA and is NOT the same as a drug from a distributor outside the US and manufactured in another country. Any drug not meeting quality standards is subject to recall... I recently had a change in another prescription because the original was recalled because the manufacturer did not meet certain quality standards.
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