“It seems to me that many people might get a brand name thinking its safer or more effective than generic.”
Yup. It’s called advertising. and we’re swamped with it. Back in the day prescription drug companies weren’t allowed to advertise to consumers, only to doctors. Boy, has that changed.
Bottom line: generics are cheaper and just as good, except for a few people who have problems, and their doctors can take care of that. As a general rule, buy generic. If you do have a problem, ask your doc and probably get the brand name. Why pay more for some fancy printed name on the label?