Wal-Mart has produced an extensive array of over-the-counter generic drugs that in general are cheaper than their name-brand counterparts. The Wal-Mart brand is called Equate. The company has medications for colds, allergies, indigestion and virtually anything else available from brand-name companies. Here are some of them.
Acetaminophen
Wal-Mart markets 11 varieties of acetaminophen as Equate drugs. Name-brand equivalents include Tylenol and Excedrin. It sells Equate Extra Strength Acetaminophen in 24-, 100- and 225-capsule packages. Also among the offerings are Equate for Arthritis Pain. For children, Equate has bubble gum and grape flavors of acetaminophen. There also is a Pain Reliever PM with the sleep aid diphendydramine HCL.
Cold and Flu
Wal-Mart also produces its own brand versions of cold and flu medications. Equate Day Time is the Vick's DayQuil equivalent in gel cap and liquid form. Equate Night Time is the NyQuil equivalent. The gel caps contain dextromethorpahn HBR, acetaminophen and doxylamine succinate, the same as the drugs found in brand-name products.
Laxatives
Five mg of bisacodyl usp is the main ingredient of Dulcolax laxative. It is the same ingredient in Equate Stimulant Laxative Tablets and Equate Women's Laxative Tablets. The Equate brand also has a laxative with 25 mg of sennosides called Equate Maximum Strength Laxative Pills and another with 8.6mg of sennosides, called Equate Natural Vegetable Laxative.
Antacids
Wal-Mart makes many antacids, each to correspond to a name-brand product. Equate Effervescant Antacid & Pain Relief contains 325 mg of aspirin, 1,000 mg of citric acid and 1,916mg of sodium bicarbonate. Those same ingredients are found in Alka-Seltzer. Equate Pink-Bismuth tablets contain bismuth subsalicylate, the same as in Pepto-Bismol tablets. Equate Extra Strength Antacid Tablets contain 750 mg of calcium carbonate, the same as in Tums E-X 750.
Nicotine Replacement
Equate Coated Nicotine Gum contains 2 mg or 4 mg of nicotine, just as Nicorette gum does. Equate Transdermal System Patches contain 7mg of nicotine just as the Nicoderm patch does.
