I have to agree with CJ on this. The generic shuffle has more to do with your insurance and the drug companies they align with than the pharmacy or even the doctor. I work for a GYN office and I cannot tell you the hours I have spent on the phone dealing with these ‘big box’ mail order pharmacies who substitute meds without telling the patient or even flat out LIE and tell us that the patient CHOSE the generic. I now do follow up calls just to check and see if the patient did in fact want the generic. It’s insane. Unfortunately, our meds are expensive and they will always try and push the generic on you. The programs that the drug companies provide now are great in helping financially when your insurance plan won’t cover the cost of brand. I’m not sure how things work in Canada, but I have also had to have my meds prior authorized by my doc, and I do it here at my job all the time. They ask a few questions, to verify that you in fact NEED the brand name (ridiculous, I know) and typically with authorize the med for up to a year.
The irony is that the best advice I can give is the achilles heel for us. Make sure you double check the Rx before you leave the doc’s office. Docs get so used to writing script, sometimes they are on autopilot. I encourage our patients at checkout to read their scripts to make sure they are correct before they leave. Checking or signing DAW or Do not sub. takes a second, and sitting in the lobby for a few minutes while you wait for the doc to fix the Rx beats battling ANYONE for your meds 