Name or No-Name?

Is there a difference between the name brand and the no-name brand? I recently went to the store to buy allergy pills, and in the past, I have always saved a couple of dollars by buying the no-name brand. Sometimes I saved more than a couple of dollars, since the price of certain name brand medication is very over-priced!

In the last few weeks however, I've been bombarded with TV commercials for Benadryl, Reactine, Claritin and all the rest of the allergy meds out there. So, for the first time I was actually thinking about branching out and trying one of those names instead of my usual pills that have worked great for years! (How commercials rob us of our sense and logic...)

I spent a few minutes looking at the smorgasbord of allergy pills on the shelf, and then I decided to ask the pharmacist. I told him my allergy symptoms, and asked him if the no-name brand was as good as Benadryl, Claritin and Reactine. Let me tell you, none of those TV commercials could have prepared me for what he told me!

He cleared his throat, nervously looked over his shoulders and then said, "I shouldn't be telling you this, but... (How many times have I heard that delicious phrase!) ...the no name brand is no different than any of the name brands - in fact, it actually can be better for you."

Well, you could have knocked me down with a baseball bat. ;) My only regret is that I didn't ask him how the no-name brand is better for you...or maybe I didn't really want to know the answer to that one! I walked away once again having saved myself a few dollars, and I am once again using my trusty no-name allergy pills. (That work!)

It's amazing how much trust we put into "them." Who are "they?" The people or companies who tell us that something is good for us, or is needed by our bodies. How do we know they are telling us the truth? But I could write a novel on this topic, so I think I will save it for another day!