Ever switched from Keppra XR to non-XR dose?

[littlegrasshopper]

I just went to refill my prescription: I was on Keppra XR 500 mg and asked my neurologist if I could go on a generic. Well the generic isn't an XR. Thankfully my pharmacist caught it. He told me it wouldn't have the same lasting effects as the XR.

So I have a call into my neurologist about it- who happens to be on vacation this week. Thankfully I have some of the XR left (thank god for samples).

I really don't want to have a break through seizure.

Has anyone gone from the XR to the non-XR of keppra? Changed dosage schedules? I did ask the office if I could break it & take it 12 hours apart.

Thanks in advance

[dfwtexas]

I would recommend you do some research regarding generic for seizure meds...in general it is not an idea situation. There are several thread on here about it.
I was on Keppra, went to Keppra XR and had to go back to Keppra due to severe hair loss on the XR. There was no problem with this switch.

[mel239]

I wentfrom Trileptal to generic and had 5 seizures in 7 days.As soon as the nurse heard that she called pharmacy and had them note on my record no generic.I definitely feel a difference back on the name brand-alot more tireder.she said if you start with generic,its okay but many companies manufacture generics and you never know which company youll get or how their formula will differ.

[rangerwvu]

Re: generics..I had similiar experience with Lamictal. It has worked pretty well for me and I have no plans to change. When I took the generic for no more than a week (my change was also a screw up due to insurance change), my complex partial seizure activity went way up. Needless to say, my pharmacist and I are now very careful each month when I pick up my med. Hope all goes well for you.

[mel239]

Not that any of us wish to be in this situation,but it does lift my spirits when others have same or similar symptons/experiences.Makes me feel Im not THAT abnormal-LOL

[valeriedl]

I have had friends, they do not have epilepsy, have been changed over to generic meds from the name brand ones, and the meds gave them a reaction or didn't work like they should.

If you have to have the non-generic type make sure your dr puts that on the pescription so that the pharmacy knows that and they will have to give you the name brand. Most insurance companies will have the generic form given to you because it is cheaper.

[huskymom]

If I have problems the first thing that my doctor will ask is if I somehow got the generic version. He is adament about taking the name brand.

[Junebug]

Re: generics..I had similiar experience with Lamictal. It has worked pretty well for me and I have no plans to change. When I took the generic for no more than a week (my change was also a screw up due to insurance change), my complex partial seizure activity went way up. Needless to say, my pharmacist and I are now very careful each month when I pick up my med. Hope all goes well for you.

I have a similar experience too! When Lamictal went to generic the pharmacist told me about it. Back before I found CWE and before I knew all that I knew about brands vs. generics I thought of all the $ I'd be saving because I was told it was the same thing. Yeah right. I went from having 1-2 seizure a month to 10 or more in the course of 2 months and my seizure's got worse (no more gen. partials, only tonic clonics) and I ended up in the ER w/ 5 staples in my head from hitting my head on my oak coffee table. BUT when I switched from Keppra XR to the Keppra generic I've had no problems at all.
Who knows why but it could be because I was on Lamictal for like 5 yrs or more and then switched to the generic but it could be for some totally stupid reason my body just decided it didn't like all the fillers in the generic.

Just this year, Idaho made it a law that says that pharmacists cannot fill a prescription with generic drugs because the patients insurance says they have to fill it with the least expensive med. The ins has to pay for it and if the pharmacist wants to fill it with generic they have to ask, (not just tell) the patient and they have to get written permission from the dr to allow the generic, AND once they start on a generic from a certain company the pharmacy MUST stick with that company and cannot switch companies unless the dr fax's a request to do so.

Back to Keppra XR vs Keppra generic....
I've gone from K XR to K generic from company "A" to company "B" and have had no ill side effects that I could tell (I've been taking Zonisamide during this time and have had drug levels way out of range and have been in the hospital for other reasons) but my rule of thumb along with my dr's ROT is start with one drug (brand or generic) and stay with it.

[peachy]

I have been wondering this myself. At 3 bucks a pill, I want to know if it really makes a difference. My doc tells me that the NON XR does not stay in your system as long as the XR does. I've taken both and I THINK that maybe she is right, but not sure.

[RichInLouisville]

Getting a new job and having to go from an insurance plan that covers pre-existing conditions to one that doesn't is very hard and is going to make it extremely hard for me to afford Keppra XR. At this point I have no idea how I will do it at all. No generic available yet for the XR and the Keppra Generic could be made by any number of companies. Junebug you have given my a ray of hope, though I am not sure if my Neurologist will even agree to write a script for the non XR generic. Anyone else in this "boat"?

[momof3boys]

Since the age of 18-29, i was taking the keppra 500mg tablets. In November of last year I got switched to the Keppra XR 750mg tablets. Now when I was on the Keppra 500mgs, I had terriable headaches, but then found out that my switching to the XR, it wouldnt have the "up and down" affect, and the XR would be in my system longer. Turned out, the XR took away my headaches. Just in April of this year, my dr tried to wean me off the Keppra, and I had to be put back on the Keppra 500mgs. He was going to switch me over to Lamictal, but I had an allergic reaction. So I had to stay on Keppra, but while on the Keppra 500mg tablets I noticed a big difference from when I was on the Keppra XR. Last month I went back to my drs for a follow up, and was put back on the Keppra XR, since the lamictal didnt work. Since then all my headaches had gone away, and Im feeling like myself again.

The experiences are different for everyone. But for me, Ive had better luck with the Keppra XR than just the Keppra.