Emma: Starting and changing medicines – Generic medicines

Emma
Female
Age at interview: 41
Number of medicines: 19
Cultural background: Anglo-Australian

Emma tried generic medicines, but she had reactions to one of them and had difficulty opening the package and swallowing the tablet of another one.

I think the only time I've had a problem with taking medicine, I had an Epilim brand. It was a generic. The packaging was really hard to get the tablets out of, like very hard. I actually had to cut the tablet out because I couldn’t push it out with my thumbs. I just said to the chemist, don’t give me that brand again because I just can't. It's like I don’t have the strength of my thumbs to do it … The tablet seemed to be slightly bigger than the Epilim brand. So that was a bit of a problem. Like, I'm okay like because I tend to swallow a few things at a time. But if they are just that bigger, it's quite, you know, annoying to the throat … I used to take Losec but the colouring in the tablet, for some reason, didn’t agree, was actually giving me reflux just because of my food intolerance. So the doctor has actually suggested breaking open the capsule and throwing the capsule away and swallowing the granules. I just ended up just swallowing the capsule anyway. It's been fine. It was quite funny taking things for reflux that actually give you reflux. So every time they've tried to swap to another brand of omeprazole, I'm just like, no. So, yes, just stick with one that [you know] … it makes you feel okay.

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The Living with multiple medicines project was developed in collaboration with Healthtalk Australia.