All medications originally had generic names before the companies that developed them marketed them under their brand names. As long as patent protection applies to a drug, only the creator of the medicine can sell it under that brand name. When the patent protection expires, other pharmaceutical companies can market the drugs under the generic name or their own brand name.
Naprosyn
Doctors may prescribe Naprosyn, the original brand name of the prescription-level medication naproxen sodium. This non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug works as a pain reliever by decreasing inflammation that induces pain. While people can buy naproxen sodium without a prescription over the counter, in higher doses physicians still may prescribe it for more severe pain, such as that experienced with different forms of arthritis, MayoClinic.com reports.
Prozac
Prozac, with the generic name fluoxetine, was the first of a new kind of antidepressant categorized as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor and was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1987. Fluoxetine increases serotonin activity levels in the brain. Fluoxetine also may appear with other brand names such as Rapiflux, Selfemra and Sarafem.
Zestril
Lisinopril, the generic form of Zestril, classifies as an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, also known as an ACE inhibitor. Also sold and marketed under another brand name, Prinivil, lisinopril works in the body to decrease blood vessel constriction, which allows the heart to pump at a gentler pace and lowers the blood pressure.
Glucophage
Metformin, sold as Glucophage, Riomet, Fortamet and Glumetza, works in the body of a person with diabetes Type II to decrease the levels of glucose in the blood. This helps to control the balance of insulin with sugar to keep the person in good health.
Prevacid
For people with ulcers, gastroesophageal reflux disease and Zollinger-Ellison disease, lansoprazole helps treat the conditions by reducing the levels of acid production in the stomach. Originally marketed as Prevacid, the medication remains a prescription-level drug, although a less potent over-the-counter version exists.
Avinza
Morphine sulfate, sold as a pill with such brand names as Avinza, Roxanol and Kadian, has helped relieve severe pain since before the American Civil War. It was the first opioid, a medication created from the opium plant. People may take it for severe pain such as that associated with major injuries and cancer.
