Experienced switching generic manufacturers?

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!

txtiger

Pillar
Messages
95
Reaction score
2
Points
33
I have been taking the generic Keppra XR (Levetiracetam ER) since July of last year, same manufacturer each time. When I changed work locations and moved my prescriptions to a Walgreens closer to the new site, I checked first to make sure they sold the same manufacturer (they did). Well, I picked up my refill last week, and when I opened the bag last night to fill my pill box for the week, I discovered they filled it with a new manufacturer.

Has anyone experienced changing manufacturers for your generics and how did it go for you? I'm a little nervous, because I've read it's best to stick with one manufacturer. Hopefully there will not be any problems, but I did call the pharmacy, and the pharmacist said they filled with what they had, that it should work the same, but if I want a specific manufacturer, I can call ahead of time and they will special order it.

On a somewhat related note, I just saw a Reddit thread on the epilepsy subreddit jabout issues getting generic Keppra from about three months ago. Anybody on this forum have that problem and, if so, is it still going on?
 
The only way to ensure you get the same manufacturer here (UK) is to specifically ask your doctor to prescribe the Keppra brand, as there's no guarantee of getting the same generic one every time.

My memory is failing me a little at the moment, but i believe that there can be a variation of +/- 10% of the active ingredient between different manufacturers. If you're on a low dose that perhaps wouldn't make much difference, but if you're on say... 3000mg a day like i was, then that could put the active ingredient at anywhere between 2700mg and 3300, which could make a massive change in levels, it screwed up what little control i had anyway.

I'd say have a word with your pharmacist or neurologist and see if they can make a note to prescribe the same one every time
 
Hi txtiger,

I've had the same thing happen to me while taking vimpat and mysoline but than goodness no problems. With each of my meds the main manufactuer ran short of the meds and now what I do is call days ahead of time to let my pharmacy know I will need the med by a certain date and that way they can get it in on time for me, I wish you the best of luck and May God Bless You!

Sue
 
A few years ago when I picked up a prescription the pharmacist told me that the pill I was taking was going to look different. This was because my insurance plan required that the prescriptions be bought from the manufacturer that had the lowest price.

I never had any problems with the changes of company's but if you do you should let your neuro know.
 
loopylou, unfortunately, my insurance forced me onto the generic last summer, even though the neuro's office tried to get prior authorization (denied). Here in the US, the variation is wider, the active ingredient can be as low as 80% or as high as 125%. Started with the switch in manufacturer today, fingers crossed there are no problems. I'm on a high dose of the drug, 2000 mg twice a day, and never had side effects. I had one aura when I first started on the generic, but other than that fine. Fingers crossed that continues!
 
I have had this happen due to our insurance company changing. Fortunately, it didn't cause problems for me other than 2 of my medications' tablets--Topiramate & Folic Acid--being nearly identical despite dosage differences. Topiramate tablets are 100mg, Folic Acid are just 1mg.
 
Well, an update, if anyone was interested/following. I see it's been two months since I switched from the first Levetiracetam ER manufacturer I was on to the second (Solco to Apotex). That went fine. Now, when I called Walgreens today to specifically request the Apotex manufacturer, I was told they wouldn't have that until sometime next month, and when I asked about the Solco, the won't have that until after Easter. So I'm switching manufacturers yet again, this time to Sun. Hopefully I will continue with no problems.

It seems to me like there is some kind of backorder/shortage of the drug. Is anyone else having similar issues with their Levetiracetam or other AEDs? Anyone with a pharmaceutical background who might have some idea why? Never had this problem on the Keppra or any other name brand drug.
 
Name brands shouldn't have that issue because only the big manufacturer is making the drug.
 
thyroxin is big issue and insulin for some people in uk they will be taking genenric form and for some people it not so good..I KNOW when brexit gets going this going to be nightmare for some people...
WITH SZ DRUGS I don't see how it would be a problem it chemical format and drug companies don't make big bucks...
 
Back
Top Bottom