Lamictal - switch to generic lamotrigine?

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Re: Lamictal - switch to generic lamotrigine?

Hello

We tried switching my son's medicine to the generic lamotrigine. It increased his seizure activity and ended up switching back. My son has peti-mal epilepsy.

hope this helps

Karen

By ckbpage on Wed, 01/25/2012 - 11:07am

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NotMyself _ I am a
brain injured (brain lesion) walking example of several generic to brand
medications over a period of time (appx) 18 months. First, dilantin (300mg to phenytoin 300mg)
compliments of my ignorance and my insurance company's "so called" wish
to save me money. Two years seizure free
on dilantintin without side effects and able to teach and drive. My insurance company's change through mail
order without my caring and within 3 weeks hospitalized status
epilepticus. Back to dilantin (300mg)
replete with DAW process and with the addition of prescribed lamotrigine. Not my doctor's decision but my whining to
her to try the generic and see what happens (300mg) resulting in a major
hospitalized status epileticus episode.
Increase of lamotrigine (350mg).
Seems to be working until I had to fly to another state for a family
emergency. This time after the plane was
situated for take-off another status epilepticus episode and the plane had to
return to the gate. At the hospital,
seizure within MRI machine. I never learn. Increase of lamotrigine with seizure
about every 2 weeks (almost drowned).
Increase from 350 slowly to 400.
Too much confusion, OD'ed resulting in fall and added brain injury.
Finally the switch to lamictal starting at 350mg. Dizziness, double vision, slamming into
walls. Reduction to lamictal 200mg
mornings, 100mg afternoons, 200mg along with 300mg dilantin evenings and
seizure free for 5 weeks (keep your fingers crossed). Like I said, I am a walking example of
generic versus brand and thinking I know better than my doctor.

By NotMyself on Wed, 11/23/2011 - 8:05am

my dr has Rx marked teva only. when i got mine filled Monday, iwas told they had to order it. I called the pharmacy Wed they said they had it in. Picked it up they said the teva brand was unavaiable. So they gave me taro. I went back fri and the tech told me teva is on back ordre. said if i felt the need bring it back and they will swap for the other brand they have. i have been taking the taro since sunday eve. i have been feeling kinda spacy.

By jdawgr... on Wed, 10/12/2011 - 1:33pm

I was on Teva generic for over 3 years without problem. They switched me to Taro and I had a breakthrough seizure within a month. I complained to the pharmicist and they ordered the Teva and I was seizure free for a year. They then switched me to another generic and I had a breakthrough in 6 weeks. Back on Teva again and seeing my neuro soon. I hope they don't report me and I lose my drivers licence(CA).
Be wary of substitutions. David

By SANDPOET on Tue, 01/24/2012 - 2:00pm

I was recently diagnosed as bipolar, depression, and PTSD. The doc prescribed lamotrigine stepping up from low dosage to the desired amount of 150mg. I took 1 tab for days then 2 tabs for 14 days and just started yesterday on 3 tabs for the next 14 days the start the 150 mg. Yesterday when I took the 3 tabs I really had a very bad day, dizzy, confused, stomach cramps, headaches, horrible dirrehea. This morning I debated on whether to continue by taking another 3 tabs or start to step back down and get off this med. My understanding is there's not many meds comparable to lamotrigine. Is that correct? I think this med has help stabilize my moods because I've not had an episode since taking it. I feel more calm, in fact a lot calm, but also my head feels woozy all the time and not really clear/crisp as it was before starting to take this med. Any advice would be appreciated.

By philusmc on Sat, 08/06/2011 - 6:27am

philusmc, if you don't mind, please provide a little bit more detail by letting me know the dosage amount of each one of those 3 tablets you are taking every day. The regular tablets of lamotrigine are available in 4 different dosage amounts. The lowest dosage tablet available is 25 mg, followed by the 100 mg tablet, followed by the 150 mg tablet, and the largest sized tablet is 200 mg. And approximately when in the day do you take those tablets? For example, did the doctor prescribed you to take the medication twice a day, with the first dosage amount being taken sometime in the morning, followed by your next dosage being taken approximately 12 hours later, in the evening.

Just because one medication is not greatly comparable to another medication, does not immediately indicate that one medication won't be better than the other medication. No one, not even the patient's doctor, will know what the results are going to be until the patient starts taking the medication.

Bruce (I'm not a doctor, but instead, an epilepsy support group leader, epilepsy advocate, who has epilepsy.)

By Spike. on Sat, 08/06/2011 - 8:01am

By philusmc on Sat, 08/06/2011 - 6:26am

Yes I have been on generic bio-equivalent of Lamictal (Lamotrigine). It is available in 100mg, 200mg OD and 25mg dispersible too.

By sandra... on Tue, 03/29/2011 - 12:22am

This month we were told that our 7 year olds lamictal would be $700 from $40 last month. We looked into the generic form from GLaxo Smith Kline called lamotrigine. Our Neuro-surgen tells that it is fine provided that the milligram dosage remains the same, and that the generic brand remain the same from the Chemist/ Pharmacy. The cost now for the 25 mg 150 chewable tablets was $20.
Ill report should there be changes in Sam's condition or behavior.

By axekat on Fri, 03/18/2011 - 10:44am

I now take the generic and have taken both over long term periods. The switch did not bother me at all. HOWEVER, I take two other seizure medications. So that may have something to do with the no effect that it had on myself.

By meloni... on Mon, 03/14/2011 - 2:09pm

When my son (10 yo) was diagnosed with epilepsy in Nov 2010 and was started on brand name Lamictal. He remained seizure free until being forced to switch to the generic just recently. He nearly immediately began to have more behavior issues and has now had 3 seizures in 4 days. Needless to say we are working with his neurologist to get approval from the insurance company to switch him back to the brand version.

No more generic seizure meds for us. They just plain did not work for him.

By CTMHsc... on Mon, 03/14/2011 - 9:52am

Same with my son. 4 years old was put on lamictol. He was doing fine 2 months with out having a seizure for us that was a new start. Then ins gave him generic within 4 days he had one and went back to having 1 to 2 a week until he had to be hospitalized for one grand mal that lasted more than 20 mins. Hospital and doctor got involved and got the insurance to put him back on non generic. We know generic has never worked on him and we tried letting them know. I guess that hospital bill to them could have been avoided.

By Evin2 on Sun, 03/20/2011 - 7:31am

Hi RG..
I switched to Lamotragin after i was sent to the ER after 5 seizures and didnt have health insurance because I was no longer eligable for county insurance for some reason. the price of the generic is alot lower than lamictal, and is the same thing. I've been on it now for a little over a year.

By Garzoni2 on Wed, 10/13/2010 - 2:38pm

I've been told by 3 pharmacists that once you start on a particular brand/form of AED to stick with it, whether it is generic or not. They tell me generic unto itself is fine, but that adverse reactions can be expected for a while when switching brands (including switching from Apo- to Novo-, or from a name-brand to generic, or from generic to a name-brand). This is just passing on what 3 pharmacists from three different stores have told me, so I figure they know what they're talking about.

By Masterjen on Fri, 09/24/2010 - 6:51pm

I have been taking a 150mgs of Lamotrigine also known as Lamitcal since 2004 it controls my bipolar and my seizures. I take 4 pills - 4xs daily. In my opinion it's a good medication. it controls my seizures and supresses my depression

I also take Tegretol(Carbamazepine) and Mysoline(Primidone)for my seizures and the Pristiq mainly to keep me calm and to control my nerves. At first I was just taking 150mgs..3xs a daily then I had a Grandmal seizure and they put me on 4 pills a day. You can take the name brand but my doctor changed me from name brand to generic. Yes name brand is better but I have the go by what I can afford.

But give it a try it is a good medicine. You won't regret it I don't. best of luck!

Marica

By Grace_... on Mon, 10/11/2010 - 10:22am

Hi everyone... just found this site as I was doing some research about coming off Lamotrigine... which, is like many here, what my insurance covers...

I have been diagnosed with E since February (petit mal/time loss episodes kind of like a slowdown of my thought processes, hard to think, confusion, etc...) was started on Keppra, irritability hit me hard. Hell I was downright MEAN on the stuff.... had another episode in June. Neuro, reduced keppra to 500 mg 2/day, added Lamictal to help offset the irritability and help with the seizures... got the generic from the pharmacy, first day (25mg dose) I felt the rush/nervousness that some have described... it went away for a while, but as time progressed i started getting at time a feeling of nervous apprehension, fear, like being on a rollercoaster... not too bad at first, and definitely not enough to concern me enough to connect the dots. then the (what I thought was) mild nausea struck... and I almost passed out at work(sep 8th, 75 mg dosage)... again didn't connect the dots... then sep 15th(100 mg dosage) another episode, pretty bad one, barely remembered my own name and birthday (wife has a set of control questions she asks me) and on the 19th another near fainting spell, this time i went to a different hospital than the one i had been going to, much better treatment... turned out that the queasiness, apprehension and fear were anxiety/panic attacks which i had never suffered from in my life before going on the Lamotrigine...

saw my neuro again today She's stepping down my dosages over the next couple of weeks to prevent problems, and my psychiatrist that i started seeing a month ago has me up to 20mg of Prozac to help with the irritability from the Keppra, which my Neuro bumped up to 1000mg twice a day...

all i can say is that for me thank god for my prozac.... and i can't wait for the anxiety episodes to subside i had NINE attacks on the 21st back to back while at work... made work REAL fun :\

thanks for listening, everyone... had to vent...

By wjm67x on Fri, 09/24/2010 - 6:10pm

Im 23 and have had epilepsy for about 2 years roughly 6 seizures (grand mal) and many partial. I take 300mg of Lamictal per day and because of the costs and insurance I recently tried to switch to the same dose of generic---- what a nightmare. I felt SO sick, like the flu combined with drinking 10 energy drinks. Jittery and sick and emotional and absolutely horrible.

I had no idea why this would have happened because as naive as I was, I thought it was supposed to be the same medication. When I told my doctor he just shrugged it off and said, "yea, sometimes those generic brands put in way too much of the active medicine" wtf? like it was no big deal!

My advice is if you can avoid the generic switch do so, this forum has helped me personally because now I know I can have my doctor request I stay on Lamic to the insurance company. Hope my experience helps!

Stephanie M :)

By stepha... on Thu, 09/16/2010 - 9:35pm

Whenever I've switched to generics (because of the cost), it definitely increased the amount of seizures I had. (have had E for 38 years) Although I cringe every time I have to pay for meds, I am thankful that the brand name prevents seizures I would have otherwise had.

By Terribee on Mon, 09/13/2010 - 3:39pm

Hello everyone, I am new to this site. I am consantly concerned for my daughter. She will turning 21 this year and has been through a lot since diagnosised with absence/parital seizures. Our insurance require us to changed her medication from Lamictal to generic lamotrigine. I can personally say from watching her take the generic, it was a horrible change to see. She wanted to sleep all day, had more frequent seizures and basically could not function daily. She went like this for almost a week. I called her doctor and was able to get her medicine switched back to Lamictal not generic do to the doctor's request. Since being back on the Lamictal she has been seizure free going on 1 year, active in her school and doing very well.

By isamva on Wed, 03/17/2010 - 7:36am

If possible, don't switch to generic. I recently had the same insurance dilemma. My previous nuero was strong in his opinion to stay on brand name. I complained to the provider to change to brand name and received the "you'll be fine" response. That said, after 20 years being seizure free, I suffered a grand mal after 3 weeks of going generic which, quite literally, took my life. I am blessed to be here. Ask your neorulogist for a letter of medical necessity for brand name. If you must switch, be sure and monitor your levels OFTEN (this is per my neuro with 37 years in the field).

By harvillo on Wed, 08/04/2010 - 7:03am

How often do you check your levels if you don't mind my asking?

Everytime you change dosage? Everytime you have an episode?

Or do you do it every couple of months? Do you have to request it?

Thanks

By CTG on Tue, 03/15/2011 - 10:17am

@harvillo - I agree wholeheartedly on getting regular levels. I think everybody has their own sensitivity. I've been on generic for several years. I have very controlled epilepsy and I get my levels checked. My levels are exactly in the middle so I have variance here and there. I also take 600MG a day so I'm pretty hefty in that regards. I get my levels checked at least every 6 months. Doesn't cost me a thing on my insurance. Generic is $10 and name brand is $45 so I really want to use generic if it works for me.

Sorry to hear about your breakthrouh. :(

Cheers,
Andrew

By apmast on Wed, 08/04/2010 - 7:10am

Yep generic works for me with my insurance it is over $50 and I'm a single Mom and that is expensive but I know my health is important too. I take quite abit but I'm use to all the different medicines now.I get my blood work done every 6 months and here lately some of the other medicines which combine with Lamotrigine have been alittle out of range. But usually, there normal. So now the doctor changed 1 of my medicines he raised it . So, now I have to go to WS-N.C. to have testing done and I'm scared. Don't know what to expect but I know God is with me so, I try not to worry too much. I take 150mgs..4xs a day. but I dont regret changing to generic...things happen for reasons that sometimes we can not control.

By Grace_... on Mon, 10/11/2010 - 10:20am

No one has mentioned it here but when I was switched to generic Lamictal I started having larger myclonic,seizures in the evenings, of course thats not mentioning being unbalanced all the time. I was made to change all my seizure med to generic--I take Lamictal, Keppra and Zonagran. I am on disability so it is a part D insurance but in the end they arent saving any money because now I am taking a larger dose of Keppra. My Neuro was not happy with having to switch me to generics, he talked to the pharmacy and they were suppose to just use one manufacture. They dont. I have gotten refills with both (the blue diamonds and the white round ones) in the same bottle. Now they are starting to mess with my Zonagran too. I agree with all of you who say something needs to be done.

By cyngla... on Tue, 03/16/2010 - 9:51pm

Hi all,

I started taking generic in July. My seizures r complex partial only during pms, but they r fleeting so I can hardly tell. I have usually 1 during this time) So the past 2 months Ihave been questioning myself of things occuring. I marked thses days of question on my calender & both were during pms, so I can only assume they were break thru's. Strangly enough my blood levels on brand r about 15.7 on brand, when taking the generic they went to 18 then 20. Thats outrageous & 20 is the end of theraputic level. Cause of the cost issue allowed me to try them, aparently they didn't work. Well i saw him in June & late Sept he retired. He was my dr for 20yrs!! It seemed as I lost my family! I live in TX for 4yr now, (Fl for 30) but always went back every yr to Fl for my appointment. I just moved from a Dallas to Austin so now I have been researching a dr & going to make an appt this week. I still have a month of brand my dr had made me keep so tonite I started back, I of course didn't do my bloodwork again (cause i don't have a dr) but do know where I need to be & where I was on generic.Of course Im dizzy, (i should get past this once withdrwel r finshed) I do not recommed even putting urself thru this.

Best of luck to all

By elvis101 on Sun, 11/15/2009 - 8:44pm

Hi all. I have been taking Lamictal since right after it came out on the market. It does a pretty good job of controlling my seizures (secondarily generalized). Compared to Dilantin and Tegretol it's a godsend. I can actually think and function!

I have issues with the cost, particularly because I've been without insurance for a few months. A 90 day supply (600 mg/day) costs well over a thousand dollars. I thought the generic would be better, but it only saved me like 5%. I had a seizure while I was on the generic. This was the first seizure I'd had in 2 years. I can't say the generic is for sure the reason why, but I think it was, and the generic isn't cheap enough to risk it. FYI, GSK has a program called "Bridges to Access" where you can get the Lamictal for free when you don't have insurance.

By karen_s on Thu, 01/07/2010 - 7:47pm

I have tonic clonic well controlled with lamactl and epilem.

I have had a nasty experience with generic Lamactil. My chemist suggested I try it,bad move.Yes,generics are cheap but thats because they are made cheap.No coatings make a huge difference to absorption and therapeutic levels. The result a seizure after 5 days on generics in my shower resulting in a compression fracture of T12/L1 plus a sacral nerve damage.

I have recovered but generics are a dirty word to me.

Generics can lower a 100mg tablet by 15% so NEVER TRY GENERICS.

I care too much for all you out there, I am studying nursing at 47 and I dont want to feel like I am taking a time bomb.

Thanks everyone :-)

By mark49 on Wed, 03/17/2010 - 5:05am

By JenS on Mon, 05/17/2010 - 9:39pm

Hey I noticed you said you had a compression fracture. I posted a dicussion a week ago about my boyfriend who had a compression fracture from his last seizure but didn't get any results. Anyway I am very curious to know if you found a way to manage your pain from the fracture and if so, how. My boyfriend's neurologist just told him that it would heal up on its own in 3-6 months, but did not recommend anything except motrin. Just wondering if your neurologist suggested anything either (back brace, no lifting, physical therapy, etc). Any advice would be greatly appreciated :)

By JenS on Mon, 05/17/2010 - 9:37pm

By elvis101 on Sun, 11/15/2009 - 8:43pm

I was on the lamictal and switched to lamtrigine, but I really wasn't saving but about 40 bucks a month. The generic brand is allowed a wider range of effectiveness than the name brand. My doctor was strongly against the generic, so I listened after trying it and having the dizziness that everyone talks about after using the drug.

By ground... on Sat, 11/14/2009 - 10:42pm

I took the generic against my doctor's wishes, mainly because of cost. After being on it a couple of days, I became very dizzy and began falling a lot. Everything that could cause dizziness was ruled out. The only thing left was medication. Since the generic lamictal was the only thing added to my daily routine, it was decided that was the culprit. I have been on the brand name for 2 days now and already feel better. I'm still not 100%, but getting there each day. I'm glad I found this site. I have learned a lot from it. Thanks for your input.

By texaslady on Sat, 11/14/2009 - 6:07pm

By texaslady on Sat, 11/14/2009 - 6:06pm

getting off the generics of tegratol & depakote has done wonders for me. Less side effects & no sez for over 7 mths now.

By jderry on Wed, 10/28/2009 - 1:43pm

ROXANNE

I used the generic Lamictal Teva brand fine. The drug store and Medco does not use that generic brand anymore, they went with a cheaper brand. i was made to take it because insurance, after fighting and appealing with my doctor's help, would not budge on their decission. I had a wreck and now my daughter's ankle is shattered into pieces. If possible, never switch to generic. That med is never the same as the real thing.

By Roxanne D on Wed, 10/28/2009 - 5:20am

I just joined this forum after being diagnosed with epilepsy at age 48 (I am now 53). I was at first on dilantin but it seemed difficult to find a dosage to suit me. My new doctor (at Duke as I am fortunate to live close to Duke) put me on Lamictal, which turned out to be great. I did, because of insurance, switch to the generic. It seems to be working well. They are white pills. I did have a seizure 2 days ago but it was a partial and I attribute it to doing alot of computer work that I don't normally do for hours on that day. Although it was very, very discouraging and I hadn't had a seizure for at least 9 months, I don't think it was due to the medication. In reading the forums it sounds like there are different reactions for different people. I have never been on a forum for epilepsy before. It's hard to admit that I have this condition and it's easy to deny it for awhile. Thanks for listening.

By soneill56 on Wed, 10/28/2009 - 4:03am

I feel the the same way. It has been so uplifting to find this site. I had a seizure 4 days ago that caused me to get into a car accident, ran into a building and luckily the worst that happened to me was what seems like a sprained ankle! I have been having a heck of a time over the last year in trying to figure out what to do about control my seizures. I had my first black out when i was 18 and brought to the emergency room. it was the scariest thing ever! I was on lamictal for a long time while i had my parents insurance and when i had to get my own insurance it wouldnt be covered. i took dilantin for the longest time and was seizure free for over a year! Due to being told the effects of women who want to start families and being on dilantin i decided i wanted to switch back because of the safety. Because of the cost i asked for the generic. I have already had at least 4 seizures this year... also they had told me that i shouldnt take my birth control at the same time because when i questioned the interaction i was finally told it can be adverse. I feel lost!

I now need to get in touch w/my dr about getting the brand name and another birth control because my boyfriend and i want this to be under control because the fact that i blacked out while driving was terrifying.

With all the information out there how do we have any idea what to do next? with my life on the table i would really appreciate finding something with confidence!

By tsmith18 on Mon, 09/13/2010 - 1:12am

I just filed an FDA report on the problems with Medco generic for lamotrigine. I too had a problem with the switch. Had been doing very well with Teva. Walgreens agreed to let me switch back to the Teva generic.

By ktromb51 on Mon, 10/12/2009 - 7:02am

Hey good for you for filing an FDA report! Did anything come of it? Medco is evil.

By RGbrai... on Wed, 08/04/2010 - 12:41pm

Hi. I live in Sacramento and after having alot of grand mal seizures my neurologist told me i should stop working for a little while, so I had to go on county insurance, where the meds are free but you can only see nurse practitioners, and i could no longer see my neurologist, but she'd call me every so often and see how i was doing. well, after about 8 months, they say i was making too much money to be on county insurance (i was only on disability??!!), so i had NO insurance. i had to get samples from my neurologist and took only 1/2 of my suggested dosage cuz i was scared i would completely run out (without anyone knowing that). I then had 5 seizures in one night. The ER doctor wrote me a prescription, so the next day my fiance and i went to the pharmacy to just see how much it would be with no insurance. a months worth of lamictal (6 pills every day, 100mg each), was over $800!!! i asked about the generic version, lamotrigine, and it was only like $400. its the exact same thing, i always used to take lamictal and have been taking lamotrigine for about 6 months now, and have only had about 3 seizurees.

By lindse... on Fri, 10/09/2009 - 3:36pm

For all those who need help with their Lamictal, please try to call BRIDGES TO ACCESS and see if you qualify for getting your medi cations(Lamictal) for free. Call 1-866-728-4368 or go to CommitmentToAccess.com. I get mine for free.

May God bless your hearts.

By cadayona on Thu, 10/08/2009 - 7:05pm

I was part of the Lamictal XL study. Wonderful results. Stopped Grand Mals and rarely had Auras which had become my major concern. Study got over. That was 2 yrs ago. My insurance changed and I was only allowed to take Lamotrigine. With the Teva company (the diamond shaped pills) I didn't really have problems. but my pharmacist changed carriers to TARO (Tero?) the round pills... tan colored. Within 3 days I was in the ER. Auras Extrordinare? Not seizures. Not able to talk or walk. understood everything people were saying to me, but was unable to talk (very well). The ER was a bit confused because i was trying to tell them about the change in med providers. Had to visit the very next day... they were tired of my laughing and trying to talk about my meds!! (i was too)

WHEN YOU ARE TAKING GENERICS PLEASE BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT WHO YOUR PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY IS!!! I would like to sue this company, but I don't suppose there is a way to do that.

Good news... because of the hospital visits, my insurance is going to allow me to take Lamictal XL... about time!

By jk1264 on Tue, 09/01/2009 - 7:43am

Same thing happenend to me, However the ER could not dose me and just sent me home. I could not walk, talk, nonstop throwing, and was dizzy. They took blood about a 50 times, run all kinds of test. The not walking, talking, non stop throwing up and the dizziness last for a week. Finally I got in to my regular doctor, he quickly said that it was the lamotrigine and I need to stop it immediatly. I had been on lamotrigine for three months before this happened. I thought I was dieing, I really did.

By cmende... on Tue, 03/16/2010 - 3:57pm

I have tried numerous brands of medication since i was first diagnosed w/ seizures when I was 12 (am now 23). Sometimes it seems like I've tried them all. Most of them worked good, except Depicote (spellcheck?). I took it for 2 days and discovered I was very allergic to it. Then I tried a few more brands until a couple years ago when my doctor switched me to Lamictal. I haven't had a single side effect since I've switched.

The medicine stopped my petit mal seizures, the last one I had was during the day, at work. I do, rarely, have grand mal seizures, mostly at night, and most of us know how we can tell if we have them. When Lamictal became generic I switched w/ out any trouble...as long as I remember to take my doses :) The only time I have seizures are due to stress or lack of sleep. I haven't had one in about 6 months.

By vtr0220 on Sat, 10/31/2009 - 3:19pm

NO GENERIC! My son had a seizure as soon as they changed him off the brand name. Neuro Dr said that was because the generic is less effective and I didn't tell her I changed my son and she flipped. I know the brand name is expensive but it's not worth the side effects or seizure!!

By shannan73 on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 4:59pm

I was recently sent a change in generic Lamictal from my mail order pharmacy. I had been taking blue diamond shaped pills. The generic I recieved contained round white pills. I have been taking 800mg a day and had been seizure free for quite sometime. Four days after starting the new generic I had a night time seizuure. I stll had some of the blue generic left so I went back to that pending an appointment with my doctor. I contacted the pharmacy and was informed my doctor could prescribe a generic by specific manufacturer. I'll be getting my doctor to order a refill of the generic that has been working for me. It will be most interesting to see if the mail order pharmancy (medco) actually does what it said it will do.

Anyone else ever try this?

Watson

By bishopr on Fri, 08/07/2009 - 2:03pm

I had the EXACT same thing happen to me, to a tee. It is uncanny how similar our problem is. I was on Brand Name Lamictal, the mail order pharmacy (Medco) switched me to the Teva generic (blue diamond shape). Teva worked just fine. but they sent the Cadila generic version (round white pills) and I have had major problems. Break through seizures, dizziness and definite mood changes. I called Medco and they said that the doctor would have to request the Teva Generic. (They would only cover Lamicatal brand 50% and for me that would be $500.00.)
Teva generic will cost the same as the crummy one (Cadila), but has to be specifically requested.

Since I need it right away, I got a months supply of the Teva (blue diamond) pills from CVS.

It is SO nice to know that there is someone out there with the same problem.

All generics are NOT the same.

By lmswon on Fri, 09/18/2009 - 3:06pm

NO NO NO generic. Over the last 9 years on Lamictal my dose was increased a couple times, but I never had a problem adjusting. About a year ago I was switched to the generic (first the blue diamonds and then the white circles). No problem for a few months and then I had a big seizure at night. It was the first time I've been incontinent and I didn't even realize that it was a seizure that did it until my sister-in-law pointed out that it could be. A few more months went by and then another big one (complete blackout, incontinence).

Even thought I had asked my dr if there was a potential problem when I switched to generic, he assured me there was no problem. Now he tells me that "oh sure, there can be quite a difference". Arggh. I'm back on non-generic and it will take a while to recover. I'm having a series of what I call Whispers -- images or sounds flickering by, but when they are past I can not remember what they were. And I know those are related to the seizures.

Generic Lamictal? Never again.

By annblip on Fri, 08/07/2009 - 11:55am

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