Is it safe to switch from brand to generic?

[forward2007]

Health Insurance companies literally make you pay to get brand.

[momof3boys]

Well my doctor gave me the option of trying the generic, but said since I have only been on name brand seizure medications all my life, that it might not work. But he said it was my choice. They explained how some companies make the pill alittle difference then others, increasing the chances of seizures or other problems to occur. I didnt want to take that chance, so I stuck with the name brand. For us, we pay $100 for a 6 month supply of my Keppra XR. I know for the Generics, It would only be $17.49 for a 3 month supply.

[Emee]

I have always taken brand name migraine med because it didn't contain dye. I tried generic & instead of a white capsule & it was brown. I did research on where it was made & ing used to make it & decided on going back to brand. Are you allergic to dyes?

One of my prescriptions for 3 mo brand name is $179. My plan payed $3 & I'm on fixed income. It looks like they are forcing me to go generic. I know I didn't answer your question but I know what you're going thru.

[dontmindbea]

It should be fine to take a generic medication, especially if it's cheaper, I've been taking Topirimate instead of Topamax for almost 3 years now and it's done perfectly well for me, the same as Topamax was before I switched (just have to remember to eat obviously).
Generics are the same drug chemically, otherwise they wouldn't be allowed on the market- usually the money for the generic even goes back to the same drug company that owns the brand drug. It's a big drug monopoly, they love scamming us =) But feel free to take whichever your tummy and brain feel more comfy with! If you take a med, (the generic in this case) and you tell yourself that it's going to give you different effects, and you freak yourself out over it, then yes, it probably will. My insurance will cover Topamax and I wouldn't have to pay anything for it, but I picked Topirimate because it's cheaper, and I don't appreciate the fact that big pharma companies are making people pay so much for their brand name drugs (especially ones that they need!)- so I refuse to support it.

[Belinda1961]

There were only a few generics I could actually take. And when it came to the Tegretol family I could only take the original tegret


(a)abort (b)fail (c)retry (d)throw computer against wall

Southern & proud of ii.

Belinda

[Nakamova]

I had no issues when switching to the generic version of Lamictal, but other folks have found the generics to be problematic. If you are extra-sensitive to small changes in dosing, or to different fillers, it's possible a switch the generics could cause problems.