Placebo?

[MaeDae]

Hi everyone,
I was recently given keppra (the generic IC levetiracetam 500 mg) by dr. I had another EEG done prior to this decision, however, the results were negative. Yippee, but I am experiencing some things. Dr thinks its simple partial onset seizures? He also thought it could be TIA's, nevertheless, I was wondering if he'd given me a placebo.

I looked up the med and was able to find it online, but a very small part of me says they don't believe me. I think that they (dr's) think its anxiety.

Anyone taking 500 mg IC Levetiracetam?
How much does it cost?
Do you know the manufactuer of your prescription?
What does it look like?
Is any one taking a white oblong tablet?

Please, please help me if you can. I've been seeing dr's now for over a year. I'm so tired of going thru this and Im starting to feel like Im losing my mind. Your help, input and response will be greatly appreciated.

Oh yea, Im so glad to be back : )

 

[MuayThaiFighter]

I don't think they can legally give you a placebo. Then again I could understand where you are coming from. The constant flip flop from Neurology and psychology is really annoying. If you feel that your doctor thinks this is just anxiety I would bring up it up, because they really need to be up front with you. Or that is just another doctor you'll never trust again.

 

[Nakamova]

:agree:

They can't give you a placebo. But just to reassure you: The generic tablet is a white or off-white oblong with a vertical line at the mid-section -- although some details can vary depending on who the manufacturers are and what country it's manufactured in. Cost would depend on your health insurance. On many plans, generics are significantly cheaper than the name brand.

 

[MaeDae]

i know now its not a placebo

thank you both for your reply, i dont think its a placebo. I took one this morning and at 4pm i started to get realy sick, nauseaous and a little light headed. i left work at 5 got home at about 5 30 and was sleep until 11 40. perhaps i should not take this during day hours, im suppose to take it twice a day, needless to say, i didnt take anohter one this evening, i will call dr and see what he says about taking it, it realy made me sick, i mean real sick, i needed t he rest tho

 

[Meetz1064]

Just for

peace of mind, the ONLY time that you can be given a placebo is if you are in a clinical trial. That is the ONLY time that you may be given one...and you will NOT know if you have a placebo or not. Clinical trials are something that you sign up for (obviously) and so you should know ahead of time that you may get a placebo instead of the real thing.

The other thing to know when it comes to generics (which is what levertiracetam is)---is that quite often there is more than one manufacturer of generics for a drug. As a result, the look of the generic will vary. (Markings, etc). The BEST way to reassure yourself that you are getting what you are supposed to is: ASK YOUR PHARMACIST. Another suggestion is to compare the meds to sites such as www.drugs.com or www.rxlist.com.

Hopefully I haven't confused you too much.....

Take care!

Meetz
:rock:

 

[MaeDae]

went to er

thank you for that , I still felt horrible this morning when I got up. I tried to continue as normal and could not. I was on my way to work and felt like the world was spinning and I was the only thing sitting still, so I went right to er, my heart was beating fast and loud (at least to me it was). Well I spent about 2 hours there before they released me, they did xrays, cta and blood work. everyything came back normal...yippee, I even started to feel better while I was t here, so I went hope with info on heart palpatations and when to consult a dr when dealing with them. I felt foolish, but still I felt worse so thats why I went in the first place. They asked that i follow up with cardio dr in 2 days, the cardio dr asked that i follow up in 2 wks, needless to say, im done. when i got to work i looked up keppra and its use and found that its not just for seizures its also used to treat crazy stuff (the stuff im experiencing) i heard someone laughing and realized it was me. So hurt, so confused, so tired, so, so, so. I don't think I am going to continue taking the keppra (generic or anything associated with it). I believe it enhanced my symptoms instead of making them go away, anxiety? probably..... seizures? only God knows. Maybe, I should just learn to live with the symptoms, come up with my own therapy, I cant do any worse than the dr's are/not doing.

thanks everyone for your help, its greatly appreciated. I need to go to another forum and post the last 3 months to bring everyone up to date, if interested.

thanks again

 

[Meetz1064]

Another tidbit

of info for you, that you might find either a "crappy piece of information" as my partner calls it--or something to really keep in mind.

Generic meds will have anywhere between 80 to 120% of the "recipe" that the BRAND NAME med has. So if you are taking Carbatrol, and are given Carbamazepine--made by one manufacturer--it may only contain 80% of the "recipe" in the med due to fillers/binders, etc. Another manufacturer's Carbamazepine may provide 110% of the recipe, and so on.....

Don't misunderstand me.....the makeup of the Carbatrol/Carbamazepine is the same if you look at it in the detailed paperwork.....chemically. The difference is the binders and fillers. Those do make a difference--too many of them, and the drug may be less effective. Too few, and the drug may very well be too potent for the dosage being given, if that makes any sense.

As an example. I take 4 meds--Tegretol Retard (Carbatrol in US), Lamictal, Topomax and Klonopin. Of the 4, the ONLY one that I can take the generic of is Klonopin. The other 3, and any other AED I've had, they have HAD to be BRANDED. My body will not tolerate generic AEDs....I seize on them. Or if the ingredients are too much (and this has happened) I have slept for days.

Most antibiotics are the same for me, and a few other types of medications. My body is highly intolerant of generics.

Just keep this in mind. Remember that you know your body best. Pay attention to how your body reacts over time to different types of meds. This will be the only way that you know for sure what works best for you.

Cheers.