Why is Lamotrigine so expensive?

Welcome to the Coping With Epilepsy Forums

Welcome to the Coping With Epilepsy forums - a peer support community for folks dealing (directly or indirectly) with seizure disorders. You can visit the forum page to see the list of forum nodes (categories/rooms) for topics.

Please have a look around and if you like what you see, please consider registering an account and joining the discussions. When you register an account and log in, you may enjoy additional benefits including no ads, access to members only (ie. private) forum nodes and more. Registering an account is free - you have nothing to lose!

I got a rash on lamictal last time out. The pharmacist and I were looking at old records and discovered the rash corresponded with the date I switched from generic to brand name. It's a good reminder that sometimes our side effects are not due to the drug itself, but sometimes the binder that that particular manufacturer uses.

I'm trying lamotrigine again, but this time generic again. Hopefully no rash. We'll see how it goes.

I wish we had a national Lamictal/Lamotragine exchange, where people who quit taking it mail their leftovers to people who have started taking it. It'd save people big bucks. Of course, this would be completely illegal, so no hope for this kind of thing.
 
Prescription coupons with huge discounts!!

hello,
I have been on depakote ER for the past couple years, and today my neurologist is switching me to lamictal (slowly adding it while decreasing depakote). I just started a new insurance plan and havent gotten my information yet, so when I went to get my prescription I was shocked at the $297 price tag for 30 25mg tablets of the generic brand! Me and my husband went home and contemplated if we should pay it or wait for the insurance info, and I decided to go online and see if I could find any information about the price of it. while searching on google I came across a website called goodrx.com. I clicked on it and typed in the medication I was searching for. It popped up with coupons for different pharmacies. I was very sceptical when I clicked on one and it said that it would only be $8.25 for the script. It said no hidden fees, a number for pharmacies to call if they had questions, etc. You simply print it out, email it, or text it to the pharmacy. I really didnt believe it to be true but I called the pharmacy anyways just to see, and I read off all the numbers on the coupon to the pharmacist thinking she was just going to deny it. To my extreme suprise, she said it was accepted and proccessed and my total was $15.11. A $297 prescription dropped down to $15.11 by some random coupon from a website I just happened to stumble upon! My husband just went and picked it up and sure enough he only had to pay the $15. I cant believe it, I am so relieved to have found this! I read posts on this blog about people paying $1000 a month for this medication before I found that site, so I instantly made an account on here so I could share this information with everyone. I was in tears when I found out the initial cost because there is no way I can afford that, and with epilepsy you all know that the medication is necessary. I am just so happy right now I found that, so I wanted to share it with everyone and I hope it can save you bunches of money like it just did me. Again, the website is goodrx.com. Check it out, and I really hope it can help you!!
 
I am on generic lamictal, 100mg tabs for $15ish for a months supply. I pay completely out of pocket.

When I was on Lamictal before a generic had been approved, my total cost was around $515 for a 30 day supply, thankfully my insurance was willing to cover it.
 
Lamictal didnt work for me. But If I recall right, I paid very little to try it... maybe $10-20? I still have alot of it left. But for now, Im on Keppra XR and doing very well. I was paying $150 for a six month supply, and soon Im going to try the generic version of the Keppra XR, in a couple of weeks, which only costs us $35 for a six month supply. Im just praying the generic works great for me! If it does work as good as the name brand, I would be saving $230 a year! Only having to pay $70 for a years worth.
 
Back
Top Bottom