I used to take the blue westward 787, which seemed to actually do better than the other white one. I’m not sure why but that was what worked for me.
Watson blue tabs are the original Fioricet – they actually say it on the tablet on one side and the other there is an image of 3 heads. The Westward generics are also blue, but only have “Westward 787” stamped on them. The other generics from both Watson and Qualitest are white.
For some reason, it is the white tablets that I find do not work as well… You would think that the Watson tabs would work since they are the original manufacturer of Fioricet, but I guess their cheap version leaves out some magic that the blue Westwards have…
Yes, in my opinion, it is and here is why. While all generic medications have the exact same active ingredients as their name-branded counterparts, the stabilizers and other inactive ingredients they use can be very different; it is these ingredients that result in a different metabolism of the drug itself. Of course, metabolism also depends on people (i.e. if you have Crohn’s disease or other digestive difficulties and are taking a drug that now metabolizes in your gut rather than your kidneys, this will certainly affect the process).
After taking the Westward (blue) generics of Fioricet for many years, I was also switched to the Watson (white) pills. Even doubling the dosage did not compare to the Westwards for me. I’ve physically gone into my pharmacy to request the Westwards, but was told my doc needed to make the request. If you let your doctor know that the new generic version “does not metabolize the same” as what you’ve had previously, they will switch. If you have Kaiser, they do honor this request and won’t charge more.
The inactive ingredients are indeed different between Watson 369 and the old blue Westward 787. Watson ones have crosprovidon listed first. Magnesium is listed first on West Ward. Check it out. I bet if you increased your magnesium, you would do well!!! Magnesium is so beneficial to the nervous system. I will do that!!!
Interesting that the 787 one has Sodium Starch Glycolate in it.
I love the Fioricet by Westward 787, it’s the only one that works for my headaches, which are mostly tension ones now instead of full blown migraines. You can’t get them anymore because the manufacturer stopped making them. I called and asked why and the customer service person didn’t know, said it was a sales & marketing issue. Maybe we should all band together and call the company and tell them WE NEED YOUR FIORICET !!! Watson and Qualitest did nothing. I took both of them for 2-3 years around 2013, hoping they would work. I should have stopped long before that. See my information below.
Now a possible WARNING. When doing some research on the “filler” ingredients, I found out (2) of them were not good, in my opinion. Croscarmellose sodium says “There is a link between this and high blood pressure.” Crospovidone says “The long term effects of this in the lung are unknown.” Be sure to check out ALL INGREDIENTS in a drug you are thinking of taking.