Monday, December 15, 2008 joyce asks

Q: what is the difference, if any, between methotrexate 2.5mg tab barr and methotrexate 2.5mg tab myl?

i was being prescribed methotrexate 2.5mg tablet myl, after my last refill my new prescription was for methotrexate 2.5mg barr... what's the difference?

the dosage is the same, 4 tablets every monday.  the only difference is that the first one was a round red pill, and now its an oblong yello pill?

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Answers (2)
12/16/08 11:51am

Could possibly be two different drug manufacturers.  My husband takes MTX and the manufacturer is Mylan.  His pills are round and orange in color.  Since he just was diagnosed, we haven't experienced another brand.  I would look closely at the prescription bottle and see if it states the manufacturer's name. 

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9/ 1/09 2:26am

Barr signifies Barr Laboratories, while myl signifies Mylan Laboratories.  They are just two different manufactures of the same generic drug.  While each manufacturer is responsible for making sure the active ingredients of their drug meet legal requirements, bio-availability and other unique factors specific to the individual can make one manufacturer's version of the drug more or less potent.  If you had a good result with myl, and a lesser result with barr, then stick with what you know works.  For me, Barr was by far superior to Mylan.  But each person is an individual and should find what works best for them.  You can ask your pharmacy to stick to one brand or another if one or the other gives you a better result.  

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By joyce— Last Modified: 12/26/10, First Published: 12/15/08