It is a common marketing tactic to sell several different products under the same brand name. This allows the company to take up more space on a store's shelf, thus increasing the likelihood that you'll pick one of their products instead of a competitor's product. That's why one cereal might come in honey nut, chocolate, multigrain, and fruit flavors. Or a brand of bread is available as white, wheat, honey wheat, 100% whole wheat, and 9 grain.
However, this becomes problematic when talking about medicine. For example, let's look at the brand name Mucinex. Generally, when people talk about plain Mucinex, they are referring to the medicine guaifenesin, which is a mucus thinner. But Mucinex is put on the label of several other medications. Mucinex Allergy is completely different. It is the medicine fexofenodine, which is actually the same as the brand Allegra. Mucinex DM has guaifenesin and the cough suppressant dextromethorphan. Mucinex D has guaifenesin and the decongestant pseudoephedrine (aka Sudafed).
Mucinex has several other products that mix and match those ingredients as well as acetaminophen (Tylenol) for pain/fever, phenylephrine (another decognestant) and diphenhydramine (Benedryl).
The whole situation is unfortunate and does nothing to help the consumer. Instead, people often find themselves unsure which product would be ideal, and may end up taking more medicine than they need to. Some people might take Tylenol PM to help them sleep, even though they have no pain, meaning the acetaminophen in the tablet has zero benefit.
It is always a good idea to look at the ingredients to make sure you actually need the stuff that is listed.
I would like to say that you should consult your pharmacist for specific questions, but your mileage with that recommendation may vary. Corporate pharmacies have increased the workload on pharmacists while decreasing their staff in recent years, so getting the attention of the pharmacist in a larger chain might be difficult. But most would be happy to help when they have the time. You may have more luck going to an independent pharmacy if there is one near you.
Dr Pasteur, PharmD
