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Dilantin to Lamictal (and why the he l l is the price so high??!!)
Sat, 10/29/2011 - 11:38Comments
Re: Dilantin to Lamictal (and why is the price so high??!!)
Submitted by scorpio on Wed, 2012-01-11 - 06:52
The relative costs of Lamictal and its generic version the 2009 accounts of the prescription costs of the National Health Service in the UK show a 100mg tablet of Lamictal costing £1.03 as compared to £0.09 for the generic, a ratio of ten to one (a sort of 'trade price'). Before the patent expired two or three years ago, most of the Lamotrigine prescribed by the NHS was in Lamictal form; now it is the generic that is most commonly used.
The higher cost of the patent versions of a drug is due to the high costs of developing it, costs in R and D that later manufacturers do not have to bear. The reason the brand version is still used is that it is different generic versions can vary a bit, one to another, in the way they are absorbed by the body. As you have discovered, the price differential is considerable!
Chris
The relative costs of Lamictal and its generic version the 2009 accounts of the prescription costs of the National Health Service in the UK show a 100mg tablet of Lamictal costing £1.03 as compared to £0.09 for the generic, a ratio of ten to one (a sort of 'trade price'). Before the patent expired two or three years ago, most of the Lamotrigine prescribed by the NHS was in Lamictal form; now it is the generic that is most commonly used.
The higher cost of the patent versions of a drug is due to the high costs of developing it, costs in R and D that later manufacturers do not have to bear. The reason the brand version is still used is that it is different generic versions can vary a bit, one to another, in the way they are absorbed by the body. As you have discovered, the price differential is considerable!
Chris
Re: Dilantin to Lamictal (and why the price so high??!!)
Submitted by jimmieD on Wed, 2012-01-11 - 13:29
hey i am on lamotrigine which is the generic version of lamictal, which actually could be cheaper for you, pharmacies have more generic drugs on their formulary, so i would ask your neuro bout that. i have been on lamotrigine for a couple months now ive had a few breakthrough seizures, i get simple partial seizures, but i am also on a low dose it can be a battle 2 find a drug that works for you. side effects from my meds are not as bad as the keppra, depressed, irratible, anxiety an gave me suicidal thoughts. so lamotrigine works great for me, my memory isnt as good as it used 2 be prolly from the meds but thats about it for my sideffects.
hope that helps
hey i am on lamotrigine which is the generic version of lamictal, which actually could be cheaper for you, pharmacies have more generic drugs on their formulary, so i would ask your neuro bout that. i have been on lamotrigine for a couple months now ive had a few breakthrough seizures, i get simple partial seizures, but i am also on a low dose it can be a battle 2 find a drug that works for you. side effects from my meds are not as bad as the keppra, depressed, irratible, anxiety an gave me suicidal thoughts. so lamotrigine works great for me, my memory isnt as good as it used 2 be prolly from the meds but thats about it for my sideffects.
hope that helps
Re: Dilantin to Lamictal (and why is the price so high??!!)
Submitted by David2012 on Tue, 2012-01-10 - 14:34
I too am on Dilantin (20+ yrs, 550mg/day, seizure-free for several years); and after trying to substitute 3 others, my neuro has all but given up asking me if I want to try switching again. (The only one he still mentions is Vimpat; but I agree it is too new and the jury is still out for me.) At separate times, I tried switching to Lamictal, Keppra, and Zonegran. None had any side effects, but none worked, either. We gradually worked up to the max dose of each, then slowly tapered off the Dilantin. As soon as I fell under 300mg/day, the seizures started again.
But it works for some people, I would give it a shot, especially if the Dilantin is not doing it for you.
The only med I had a bad side effects with was Topomax, which I was also on briefly. It is nicknamed "Dopomax" because it tends to slow you down; but the weirdest thing is it made everything taste bad! I could barely eat, and even a simple Coke tasted bad (and also flat!).
But from my research, these are really all add-on drugs; none, that I could tell, were "stand-alone" meds, like my Dilantin. So maybe these were not good choices for me anyway.
My insurance covers Lamictal, at the "Brand" copay; so not sure what it really costs, out the door. I do have a resource that suggests around $500 for 100 count 25 mg, so that is in the same ballpark as what you mentioned. The simple answer to why they charge so much? Because they can...
Good Luck!
I too am on Dilantin (20+ yrs, 550mg/day, seizure-free for several years); and after trying to substitute 3 others, my neuro has all but given up asking me if I want to try switching again. (The only one he still mentions is Vimpat; but I agree it is too new and the jury is still out for me.) At separate times, I tried switching to Lamictal, Keppra, and Zonegran. None had any side effects, but none worked, either. We gradually worked up to the max dose of each, then slowly tapered off the Dilantin. As soon as I fell under 300mg/day, the seizures started again.
But it works for some people, I would give it a shot, especially if the Dilantin is not doing it for you.
The only med I had a bad side effects with was Topomax, which I was also on briefly. It is nicknamed "Dopomax" because it tends to slow you down; but the weirdest thing is it made everything taste bad! I could barely eat, and even a simple Coke tasted bad (and also flat!).
But from my research, these are really all add-on drugs; none, that I could tell, were "stand-alone" meds, like my Dilantin. So maybe these were not good choices for me anyway.
My insurance covers Lamictal, at the "Brand" copay; so not sure what it really costs, out the door. I do have a resource that suggests around $500 for 100 count 25 mg, so that is in the same ballpark as what you mentioned. The simple answer to why they charge so much? Because they can...
Good Luck!