Epilepsy & Seizures Support Group

I have to take 250mgs. twice a day of lamictal and 1500mgs. of keppra twice a day. I also take 100mgs. of vimpat twice a day. Actually I take the generic form of lamictal, because it is only $10.00 a month. The generic form of the lamictal that I take comes in 25mg. chewable tabs. so I have to take 10 at a time. I also take the generic of keppra which is also only $10.00 a month. The vimpat however, is $75.00 per month and quite honestly I do not like it. It gives me dizzy feelings about a half an hour after taking it. I am supposed to be having a temporal lobectomy done soon, so I am hoping the price of meds. will be going way down.

I use to take Lamictal and my insurance company changed it to Lamotragine. This didn't work for me I kept having seizures. The wierd thing was that I use to take Dilantin and had no problems at all. I guess it depends on the person and the drug. Good luck!

Hello Owl,

I have been on generic Phenobarbital for 20+ yrs. It works for me. Imagine my surprise when the news hit this yr about how 'unsafe' generics were for Epilepsy. One more worry to add to the mix. :(

Here is a news article by the Epilepsy Foundation. Please read! It is important info to know & discuss w/ your DRs.

http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/...

Love Candi

With most medications, there’s only a subtle change between a brand-name drug and a generic. And usually, the two drugs can be switched without any side effects.

However, with anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs), there can be as much as a 20% difference between the absorption and metabolization of the drugs. Which can effect seizure control and even lead to breakthrough seizures.

But it’s not just the prescribing of generic AEDs that appears to be the problem – it’s the switching between two brands. Usually, the switch is from an expensive name-brand drug to a newer generic. But the culprit is not necessarily the generic!

According to an Epilepsy Foundation report, more than 1000 consumers surveyed, reported an increased risk of seizures and side effects when:

1. They switched from one manufacturer’s formulation of an anti-epileptic drug to another…
2. They switched between different manufacturers’ versions of the same generic drug…
3. They switched from a generic to a brand-name drug…
4. Or they switched from a brand-name drug to a generic.

It’s all real confusing, I know. I’ve been there, too. But I think the bottom line here is consistency. If you have a medication that works for you, stick with it. Don’t let the pharmacist just change you over to a cheaper alternative. (It is tempting, I know!)

Ask your doc first. He or she may agree or they might save you from a whole new bunch of ugly seizures.

phylisfeinerjohnson
www.epilepsytalk.com

I have complex partial seizures & I'm on Depakote. I tried the generic Depakote but broke out in a rash. The only reason why I tried the generic was because the pharmacy that I purchased my medication from said that now that there's a generic for Depakote my insurance company prefers for me to take the generic & it is cheaper. So what I had to do was get my doctor's office to call in to the pharmacy & say that for medical purposes I had to take the bran. Even that didn't work so my doctor's nurse had to call my insurance company & fill out a form to get the approval for me to take only bran. The brand was going to cost me $30 a month & previously I was paying only $15 & this was because of the insurance company's inflation. I was very fortunate because my doctor's office sent me a card which was a secondary medical insurance & it covered the Depakote so between my primary medical insurance plan & the secondary one I got from my doctor's office, I don't have to pay anything. I was also told by my doctor that if you do take generic it makes a difference with the manufacture company so make sure you ask the pharmacy for the same one each time, it could make a difference. Good luck & let me know how you do. Aloha from Hawaii!!