Community Forum Archive

The Epilepsy Community Forums are closed, and the information is archived. The content in this section may not be current or apply to all situations. In addition, forum questions and responses include information and content that has been generated by epilepsy community members. This content is not moderated. The information on these pages should not be substituted for medical advice from a healthcare provider. Experiences with epilepsy can vary greatly on an individual basis. Please contact your doctor or medical team if you have any questions about your situation. For more information, learn about epilepsy or visit our resources section.

Keppra generics, change in manufacturers

Mon, 10/03/2011 - 06:40

Newbie here, first post.  I am a parent of a daughter who is a college freshman away from home.  She takes 1000 mg generic Keppra 2x day to control seizures (tonic-clonic, absence, partial complex) that started 7 years ago when she was 11 (cause of seizures is unknown).  We have to get our long-term prescriptions from Medco, and the generic Keppra she has taken for the past 18 months has been manufactured by Teva.  Medco has just switched manufacturers to Torrent.

Has anyone had any issues with generic Keppra manufactured by Torrent?  We can't be the only ones who have to use Medco.  My daughter has about 20 days left of the Keppra manufactured by Teva, then she will have to switch over.  The switch will happen after her midterms, so she has that going for her. 

Thank you in advance for any input.

Comments

Re: Keppra generics, change in manufacturers

Submitted by sweaverling33 on Thu, 2011-11-17 - 14:19
I too have Medco and refilled my Rx this week and realized that the pills didn't look the same. I checked the manufacturer and it was Torrent. I was taking the Teva generic before today. I've got an appointment with my neurologist today, and I plan on bringing it up. A friend of mine who is a pharmacist said as long as the "Inert/inactive" ingredients stay consistent it would not be a problem. I have had problems before with generics not acting the same, so I become very leery when things change. Hopefully, I'll have something to post after my appointment. BTW... I was looking for the same info you were about the generics and came across this website, so I'm a newbie too. Looks like there's a lot of info on here. Will let you know what the "doc" says! --Shawn p.s. Been dealing with seizures since I was 8... I'm now in the 40 somethings =)

Re: Keppra generics, change in manufacturers

Submitted by ez064662 on Thu, 2012-07-19 - 15:52
Hi! I know it's been a while since these were posted and I hope everything has worked out for everyone. I came across these posts while researching the Teva form of Keppra. I had Medco last year for my generic Lamictal (lamotrigine). It was like pulling teeth to get a regular supply of pills from them. "Worry free refills" my foot! Eventually I ended up at Sam's Club for their lamotrigine by Teva. Because lamotrigine isn't working, my doc is switching me to Keppra. Sam's Club's generic Keppra is by Teva also. Did you notice any differences between Teva and Torrent?

Re: Keppra generics, change in manufacturers

Submitted by spar10 on Tue, 2012-08-28 - 23:56

Hi, finally got my password figured out.  Your post caught my attention, my daughter was taking Lamictal for several months.  Her neurologist kept increasing the dosage, but she was having seizures (sort of ran the whole spectrum, we never knew which one she'd get) every eight days, right on the date, but we wouldn't know the hour.  She could plan her schedule based on her seizures. 

We complained that taking Lamictal was like taking no meds at all, and we were proven correct.  My daughter was sent to an epilepsy monitoring unit, and there exists over 400 hours of monitoring data that prove Lamictal was ineffective for controlling her seizures.  (That's 17 days, by the way.  The neurologists never did figure out where in the brain her seizures originate.  They gave up looking and placed her on Keppra.)  

I hope Keppra is working for you.  It gave my daughter the chance to leave home for college & hold down a job, although she doesn't drive.  In my other post tonight, I mentioned about side effects we have noted.   

No differences in the generic Keppra from Teva or Torrent, according to my kid.

Hi, finally got my password figured out.  Your post caught my attention, my daughter was taking Lamictal for several months.  Her neurologist kept increasing the dosage, but she was having seizures (sort of ran the whole spectrum, we never knew which one she'd get) every eight days, right on the date, but we wouldn't know the hour.  She could plan her schedule based on her seizures. 

We complained that taking Lamictal was like taking no meds at all, and we were proven correct.  My daughter was sent to an epilepsy monitoring unit, and there exists over 400 hours of monitoring data that prove Lamictal was ineffective for controlling her seizures.  (That's 17 days, by the way.  The neurologists never did figure out where in the brain her seizures originate.  They gave up looking and placed her on Keppra.)  

I hope Keppra is working for you.  It gave my daughter the chance to leave home for college & hold down a job, although she doesn't drive.  In my other post tonight, I mentioned about side effects we have noted.   

No differences in the generic Keppra from Teva or Torrent, according to my kid.

Sign Up for Emails

Stay up to date with the latest epilepsy news, stories from the community, and more.