question about the new GENERIC Keppra (Levetiracetam)

[Wally]

I freaked out too when I went for my last refill and they told me about the change to generic. I discussed it with my doc and he said that so far no one else is making the generic Keppra and that they same company makes both. He wasn't aware of any problems. That was a few months ago.............

[cowboytex]

Wally...Branded Keppra is manufactured by UCB Pharmaceuticals, while the generic Keppra I was switched to by my PBM is manufactured by Mylan Pharma. Unless Mylan is owned and operated by UCB, your doc gave you mis-information. Please remember and perhaps our pharma colleague on the thread could chime in, most MDs have relationships with pharma companies and do receive renumeration from them, so in some cases there are conflicts of interest when it comes to prescribing pharma products. This is why I caution people to do their own research. Here's a question for you. Why would a pharma company produce a competing "generic" product to compete against their "own branded" product? Advise that you readdress this issue with your doc. I too work in the pharma industry, and the differences between branded and generic drugs can have drastic "clincal" consequences for some patients. Quite simply, the generic Keppra by Mylan was not effective for me, and I "directed/insisted " that my doctor follow my healthplans exception processes to get me back on the branded Keppra. Haven't had any problems since, and feel much better. Had to tonic clonic episodes when I was switched to the generic. Hope this helps.

[doclotus]

Yeah, the 20%+ or - risk of a generic anti-epileptic drug is just too much for me to consider.

[danjor]

I was on generic, for about a month. But I was having NO results. So me and my mom decided that we would try the namebrand. I started that today

[Meetz1064]

know how you do on the name brand, please, Jordan. I do so hope it works well for you.

I had to go off the Keppra.....I had a couple of, well, WEIRD reactions to it...... and I wasn't even on it that long, either.

[stilldancing_98]

I've been seeing my Dr. for 12or 13 years now and he is ready to retire. The thing is I went to him about the Keppra and he would not do it. Time to switch Dr.s.

[miss ingrid]

What insurance do you carry that has generic keppra at $18. I have bcbs and the generic is about $300 a month......and.....you have to pay the full price up front, and bcbs will send you 50 percent of your cost back in about 30 days. So.....i get my generic at canadageneric @ $340 for 3 months. By the way, i am only on 2000 per day, getting ready to go up to 3000 per day. Help!

[stilldancing_98]

I am finally on keppra again. My seizures have been so out of control. I think it make a diffrence. My pharmacy helped me get it started. My poor broken nose and everything.Oh help me lord. There is so much I could put on here. Oh Lord have mercy.

[Stacey Bailey]

I was switched to generic keppra after 32 years on dilantin. The generic seems to be keeping me in check which is pretty amazing. I think I have been introduced to every other medicine for seizures and have reacted poorly to all of them. So far so good for me. The first time I was taken off the dilantin I had my first gran mal seizure many years ago. Now I occassionally have complex partial but generic keppra is working on those as well. I hope you have the same luck!!

[stilldancing_98]

Well, good luck.

[doclotus]

Good luck to both of you! Keppra has been wonderful me from a seizure control pespective. The side effects for me (mild Kepprage, memory loss, and low libido) have been tough at times, but manageable.

[k2s4ever]

Well, this is my first anti-epileptic drug, just started in March, and of course, RX plan filled it as generic. I have no baseline to compare to, so generic it is, and for one month, it's a $10 copay. Eventually, if it were to become a regular dose, then I could go on mail order and can get 90 days for $25. Now the NAME brand-oh my goodness, for one month is $276.13 and for 90 days is $747.66! It's a "non-formulary" on my plan.

I am hoping that it will eventually have a good effect-I still have almost a daily aura, but do have a clear day at times and a few good days in a row, but then will have a week straight with the aura so it is far from being controlled yet-more days with the aura than not in a month. (I have simple partial seizures with the olfactory burning smell aura).

I am hoping that it just means a dosage increase will eventually do the trick, or maybe another generic anti-epileptic drug can be tried too. There is no way I can afford to pay the copays for brand name. What a joke-hardly should be considered coverage-that's out of pocket, self pay prices!!

[perryteacher]

I was put on 1000mg of brand Keppra in May 2007 and began having the best seizure control in the 4 years that I had been diagnosed (absence since 1981 and grand mal since 2002-diagnosed in 2002). I stupidly switched to generic keppra in Feb. 2009 and within 3 weeks started having absence seizures. My dr. was convinced it was the generic meds so he switched me back to brand keppra. I had a grand mal for the first time in 2 years in April. My dr. is not convinced that the generic meds had anything to do with it since I had been back on brand keppra for about 4 weeks, but I am not sure.

He checked my levels and while in the normal range they were low so he upped me to 1500/day. My levels are much higher now. I am hoping it was just a fluke because I just got my driving priviledges back.

[JLJ0984]

My son (10 months old) has had a seizure disorder since birth. His neurologist is very careful to change 1 thing at a time to make sure that we don't change to many things and if a seizure happens we aren't sure what caused it. My son is on 3 different seizure meds, topamax, keppra and dilatin. When the generic was approved his pharmacy called me and told me of the change. At the time, we were slowly winging him off Keppra so he wouldn't be on so many. We were doing 1ml per week, we went from 5mls to 4mls and had no problem. The day we were going from 4mls to 3mls, was when we had to get a refill. As instructed we went down on it with the new generic keppra. My son went from giggling, smiling, holding things, etc....to nothing! He smiled some but it was like he wasn't there, plus he started these stiffing episodes. Now, because I was reassured from not only his doctor but the pharmacist that he would have no issues and there was no difference between the generic and the name brand. So, we took this as a lack of medicine and went back up on the Keppra (4mls) and when that didn't work they have played with his medicine for almost 2 1/2 months. Then, when I went to call in his Rx refill, I looked back at my notes because I couldn't figure out why nothing was working and how this change was so sudden. (I'm talking a days time!) I noticed in my notes (ped told me to take notes on any changes) that these changes also happened the same day as the Keppra change. I called his ped yesterday, they changed him back to the Keppra and I gave him the first dose this morning. Guess what? EVERYTHING CAME BACK! He's holding his rattle, giggling, smiling, everything, it was like a light switch!! I can't believe it! I wanted to tell this story to let people know that this medicine doesn't work for everyone and that people should be made aware that there is a difference. I hope my sons story has helped someone out there, god bless.

[k2s4ever]

I saw my neurologist today and my dosage has been increased to 1000 mg twice a day. Noticed that my pharmacy filled it with a different manufacturer but whatever. On a lark, I looked online on my Rx plan, and of all weird things, the 1000 mg strength is considered formulary for the brand name and while still a bit more than generic, is not the insanity of my previous dose, where one month is $276! Since I'm still being titrated, I can't go for the mail order 90 day pricing just yet!! But how positively strange that 1000 mg is considered formulary so that while still costing a good 5 times more than the generic, is not the complete outrageousness that brand name of the 750 mg tablets is. Hence, I could get the name brand for $50/month or $125 via mail order, 90 days. Generic is the same $10 for all strengths. (and $25 for 90 days mail order, where 90 days of brand name 1000 mg would be $125. (which is a heck of a lot less than $747 that the 750 brand name is!!)
Weird-what is the deal with that one??

[perryteacher]

I saw my neurologist today and my dosage has been increased to 1000 mg twice a day. Noticed that my pharmacy filled it with a different manufacturer but whatever. On a lark, I looked online on my Rx plan, and of all weird things, the 1000 mg strength is considered formulary for the brand name and while still a bit more than generic, is not the insanity of my previous dose, where one month is $276! Since I'm still being titrated, I can't go for the mail order 90 day pricing just yet!! But how positively strange that 1000 mg is considered formulary so that while still costing a good 5 times more than the generic, is not the complete outrageousness that brand name of the 750 mg tablets is. Hence, I could get the name brand for $50/month or $125 via mail order, 90 days. Generic is the same $10 for all strengths. (and $25 for 90 days mail order, where 90 days of brand name 1000 mg would be $125. (which is a heck of a lot less than $747 that the 750 brand name is!!)
Weird-what is the deal with that one??

Now that is wierd that the 1 strength is formulary and the other is not and more expensive! I wonder what your insurance company's reasoning is behind that one!

[k2s4ever]

Now that is wierd that the 1 strength is formulary and the other is not and more expensive! I wonder what your insurance company's reasoning is behind that one!

Yes indeed, it leaves one wondering! And sure enough, only 1000 mg tablets are on the formulary-the highest strength! Definitely have no idea of the rationale!!

[hcoz]

I just went to generic keppra May 2009 about 3 weeks on it I had my 1st grand mal in 6 years, it just got worse. Sept. I had another grand mal many smaller ones. The doctor kept changing all the other meds Topamax to Lyrica before I figured out the generic from BRAND name. Now I'm back on BRAND Keppra and waiting for the insurance to okay a medical justifacation on the price. Plus he changed me to Depakote. Which is killing me. I'm so mad at him I'm changing Dr. all I want is to go back to what worked BRAND Keppra with topamax.

[dfwtexas]

You could ask your doctor to prescribe Keppra XR. There is no generic and you only take a pill once a day. My doctor tried me on it, I liked it a lot. Only having to take once a day was great and my moods seemed more level getting benefit of time release. After several weeks on it, I starting losing hair by the handful. neurologist didn't believe me when I told him it was XR, said that it wasn't a side effect. After he did a ton of tests, he switched me back to brand Keppra and hair loss stopped. They switched me to generic and I started having bad migraines on it right away. I know a lot of people that have hair loss issues on her on regular Keppra, but it doesn't affect me.

[k2s4ever]

I would love to be on the XR, but at my current dose of 3000 mg daily, a one month supply is $100 and 3 months mail order is $250. And yet, the 1000 mg strength regular brand is formulary. Again, part of the weirdo pricing of my RX plan. Since nobody else makes the XR in generic, and once daily dosing has the potential to help people since there's less opportunity for a missed dose, I wonder why this is non-formulary. And I've not yet tried the brand name anyway, so I have no baseline. I was starting to show promise last month with less seizures, but this month I'm right back up there, so I just have no idea.