I had exactly the same problems.  Seizure free for 7 years with Lamictal.  When generic LAMOTRIGENE (with no choice) came to market and I started using it I had a grand mal seizure within several weeks (plus not feeling "quite right.)  My neurologist firmly states generic is EXACTLY the same the name brand.  I explained to him that is not so for me.  He told me it was all in my head.  I told him my seizures were in my head and but not the generic drugs.  He is adament about his thoughts and nearly refuses to write a script for name brand only - I explained to him it is MY money footing the bill for this medicine, so it shouldn't be any "sweat" off of his back.  (when I check the price of Lamictal vs. Lamotrigene there was only several hundred dollars a year difference - out of about 7 grand).  Out of the 3 prescriptions he writes for me (Lamictal, Klonopin, and Ambien) none of these three work as well as the name brand.  The doctor tells me "which one of these three do you want name brand?  I told him the one that saves me the most, the Lamictal.  The RX I use "sees" the name brand on the Lamictal and presumes (with some assistance from me) that the doctor wanted all the meds to be name brand, but wrote it on only one of the scripts.  When I was first on Klonopin the dosage was .5mg.  When it went generic it required a FOUR fold increase to do the same job-2mg.  When Ambien went generic it also required a Doubling of the dosage (from 5mg to 10mg -and still not working as well) to put me to sleep (which I have always had difficulty going to sleep also).  My former Doctor move to Texas and he is missed greatly.  I am  looking hard for a new Neurologist.

From one Redbearded GENERIC hater

I noticed growing up that generics would not work as well as the name brands.  After cutting myself I would use Micotracine.  It seemed to go off the market, or I was unable to locate any and tried Walmarts brand with the same dosage of the main ingredient.  Instead of healing in 1-2 days it took 3-4 days.  I called my sister about this longer healing time.  Before I finished my sentence about using the generic not being the same she said "it didn't work, did it?  Well at least for me I dislike (*&%#!#$##%^)generics (if you get my drift)

One more thing, for those of you that are battling the insurance companies, there is now a new version of Lamictal called Lamictal XR.  Since there is no generic of this version yet, the insurance company
can't deny coverage.  It's an extended release formula, so you only have to take it once a day.  Ask your doctor about it.  I actually like it even better than the original Lamictal.

I am glad to hear ONE person's generic drug is working for them.  As for in the U.S. the generics have a very wide range of dosage.  I do not know if England keeps a better range of matching the brand name than the U.S. does.  The drug manufacturer in the U.S. can be 20% less to 20% more - a difference of 40%.  Imagine someone beginning a new bottle of pills only to be 50% higher (from 80% to the maximum of 120% - a 50% INCREASE!!!!) But on one very important side is the other ingredients.  The other ingredients regulate how quickly, slowly, how long the drug stays in the bloodstream.  As for me I require the BRAND name drug that works for me.  Since the generic works for you so be it.  It definitely is your choice.

Best Regards,

Redbeard

Janice,
My insurance company (Capital Blue Cross) "made" me change or I had to pay the price difference between the brand and generic versions of Lamictal. I was paying $40 for a 3 month supply and all of a sudden I was told that I would be charged over $700 because there is a generic available. I talked with my doctor about it and she was irate that the FDA allows for such a thing. She wrote a letter to the insurance company indicating that it was medically necessary that I take the brand, gave them my specific health issues and requested that they "waive the ancillary fee". The insurance company came back and declined the request. She wrote several other grievance letters with no luck. Then I wrote a letter, sent copies of all of the letters my doctor sent to them and printed out all of the posts on this site about the problems people are having with this. I faxed the information to ESI PA Department at 1-800-357-9577 and told them that a "Generic" reply from them is not acceptable and I wanted more done about this issue! I am happy to say I got a letter in the mail today from Capital BC indicating that they received my appeal and based on the information I sent them for the "voluntary appeal process" they agreed to "waive the ancillary fee and allow coverage for Lamictal at your non-preferred cost-sharing level"!! What a relief!!! That letter came from the following address: Voluntary Pharmacy Appeal, Capital Blue Cross, P.O. Box 779518, Harrisburg, PA 17177-9518. DO NOT GIVE UP!!!!!! Just keep hounding them, and anyone else that you can get information from! Send letters, faxes and reasons why you daughter needs this assistance, get your doctor to write a letter with concerns and again DON'T TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER!!!!!!!!!! It will not be a fun process but the more you bother the insurance company the better chance you get someone that actually cares and realizes that this is something that you will not back down from!! Good luck to you and your daughter! Oh, I forgot to tell you that my Rx carrier is Express Scripts. If you have them try calling 717-703-8168 or the pharmacy benefits manager at 1-800-585-5794. Or general customer service number at 1-800-962-2242. Again, good luck and don't give up - trust me!!!!!!!!!!!!

Janice a concerned parent

I can relate to the problems you are having with the generic lamictal because i am having the same problem. What we need to do
is ask the pharmacist what company makes the generic lamictal then contact the F.D.A. You can do this by going online at
medwatch.com you can tell them the problems that you are experiencing with the generic lamictal. Make sure you tell them
who makes the drug. If enough people complain the will take it off the market.

Hi janice.

I am truly sorry for all your daughter and you are going through. It's so sad. Nobody understands unless they go through it. We gave in to trying the generic and our daughter had seizures within 72 hrs. After the dr. called and then wrote the insurance company they allowed her to go on the regular meds again. BUT I would not mess with that. I would suggest telling your dr. and pleading with them to call the insurance co and send/sign a letter with explanation why the generics is a bad alternative. I hope the insurance will listen. We have Blue Cross and because my dau gave in so easily to generic w/o calling the dr first, we ended up in the situation we did. She was in college then and thought it would be cheaper for us. Keep us posted on here as to how it goes and fight for the right for your dau. to have the lamictal. If she has to try the generic first before going back on the lamictal I hope she does well as some actually have no issues with it. It's an awful mess the way the insurance co. are acting. You and I and others know in the long run the regular drugs are best and if it works why mess with it, but the insurance co. are just looking at the$$$ ...

Good luck and keep us posted. thanks for writing

About 2 to 3 weeks ago my wife got switched to generic. The Pharmacist and Doctor said it was the same and was cheaper. Since then she has had nausia and headaches everyday. Her doctor ordered an MRI and the results were the same. Tonight she had a breakthrough seizure and it felt different than seizure she has ever had. There were no blinking lights or flashes. Prior to the breakthrough she felt light headed and disoriented. Now 2 hours later she feels jittery and has a headache. She had been on Lamictal about 7 years. Tommorrow we will call her Doctor and try to switch to Lamictal brand. We are now concerned about the future results of the switch.

Joshua & Linzi