Keppra and Generic - Levetiracetam (Foul Mood - APPROACH WITH CAUTION!)

[lucycherish]

Ok so i have been on keppra since i was diagnosed with epilepsy and it has been absolutely perfect for me, had no problems what so ever, go the the doctors and chemist yesterday to pick up my prescription to find out when they gave me the tablets that i had been switched to the generic named tablets being Levetiracetam instead of my usual Keppra, i had it out with the pharmacist wanting to know why my medication had been swapped without my knowledge and consultants say so! Anyway the pharmacist said it was to do with the doctors surgery, they have always done this and i have always got Keppra (being what my neurologist consultant put me on in the first place) so basically it turned into a massive arguement because she was speaking to me like im thick, an yeah fair enough i may be in some areas but not when it comes to medications - i have done my medication training for my job so im far from clueless! anyway i was basically forced out of the chemist and sent to the doctors again to discuss it with them, so i did that and they said there was nothing they could do until today, so i spoke to two different doctors who basically brushed me off like they have better things to do! yep that really irritated me, i ended up calling the consultant again to get them to speak to the doctors and bang they have given me the wrong drugs but i have to take them until next week!! Im so annoyed irritated and a bit scared if im honest, i got used to keppra and it worked for me but i know so many people have had different reactions to the generic named drugs! can anyone give me any advice or personal experiences with it? i work in a mental health home and recently one of our residents was taken off her epilepsy meds by a doctor not neurologist due to high salt levels (didnt think to change her diet or the amount of salt she puts on her food!) within days she had numerous grand mal seizures which has left her in a real bad way, she is in hospital and was within 48hours after medication change, she has only just started walking again, cant talk properly and only just back to eating solid foods, she needs some one with her 24/7 as she can not stand up or walk without help to get up or a walker or some one to help her, she wont be coming back to our residential home she will have to go into a nursing home now which is such a shame as i believe it could of been prevented! It pees me off more the fact that they try to fob you off with generic brands when they come out because its cheaper for them!! who gets to put a price on leading a somewhat normal life?! doctors arent gods and shouldnt change meds when it suits them! any advice and experiences are welcome....sorry for the rant im more scared as im doing a 10hour shift in work tomorrow and it will be my first day on different meds as i have never had to change them xx

 

[Nakamova]

Not everyone has problems with the generic versions of AEDs (I'm doing fine on the generic for Lamictal) -- so there's still the possibility that you'll be okay on the Levetiracetam. Think positive, and take extra good care of yourself. Make sure you eat and drink properly, and get good sleep after your shift. We'll have our fingers crossed for you...

 

[lucycherish]

Thank you for your reply, im hoping it will go well as with any luck i should be back on keppra by wednesday at the latest! hmm could be hard to eat well and look after myself with work though, they are so 'kind' in their that they let us work 14hour shifts with only 2 30min breaks! how lovely are they...all this for minimum wage too! think immore worried of it not going well and me becoming a risk to the residents although i have spoke to one of the managers today and he honestly didnt seem too bothered or interested in what i was saying and just said 'you will be in tomorrow wont you?' so thoughtful and considerate seeing as hes supposed to be a nurse! ahh well what doesnt kill you makes you stronger right? Just dont want to be back at square one as everything is finally back on track and im due to take my driving test soon!x

 

[jonsey]

dear me what is it with the chemists in britain. My daughter got keppra instead of leveiracetam . Only for the advice from other members on the site i woundnt of known . My girl hasnt been on this one for long, she is building her dose up fornightly, so i wasnt best pleased. When they realised there mistake they soon took them back, i wonder why . Unfortunaly this happened way back when she was on lamotigine , dr changed for lamactal , only explaning that one was like kellogs cornflakes and the other one was the cheapest end of the cereal . Amy did have a seziure when the chemist changed her back to lamotorgine because they never had lamactal in stock . I took her back to the doctor and showed him the tablest, he got straight on the phone and played holy hell with him, he sorted out a chemist that had them in stock, which was litterally down the road from each other . Hope you get it sorted if not just mention DUTY OF CARE this should move them a bit . Good luck

 

[lucycherish]

its shocking isnt it! oh iv said a fair few words to them over the past 48hours not all polite as there was only so long i could stay calm for and they knew my last keppra tablet was tonights one and they still didnt budge, tried telling ME id been on this medication all along and that there had been no change! talk about trying to make some one feel super thick! so i played dirty in their books and got higher authority to them involved - being my neurologist who diagnosed and prescribed me in the first place and he was the only one to diagnose me after about 10years undiagnosed!! im just goin to have to pray it goes ok, i dont want to go back to square one iv not long got a job or got my driving license back and started my lessons again and if i need to go through the hell of all that again i will take their backsides to court! Glad your daughter is sorted out now! they are such a pain, i always check my medication before i leave the chemist, mainly because i know how simple it is for them to try and give you slightly different tablets and learnt this from working in a residential home, the same one i done my medication training for, so basically if i get ill or have a fit from this i will lose my job, my driving license and what ever else all because it was cheaper for them to try and give me the generic named tablets, which i know for a fact dont have all the extensive testing that the brand names do, which is why they cost more...in short because for the majority of people who take them they are safer and better! im just really annoyed at the way they tried to make me out to be some sort of stupid, lying child, im almost 21 have always self medicated and have a 2 year old daughter and done my own medication training and medicate mentally ill people on a daily basis some of who are on upto 10 different medications per day..in my book that doesnt make me thick. cant stop ranting haha!!

 

[petero]

I had bad problems with levetiracetam. your moods and frustration now might be a side-effect of it
generics have the same Drugs in them but the binders and release chems could be different which might not make any difference with levetiracetam but it could

 

[lucycherish]

Thanks for the reply, yep i know there are some difference, there has to be otherwise it would just be a copy and people wouldnt have problems switching plus it wouldnt be any cheaper to prescribe, to be honest im not feeling to bad just sort of sickly and not quite right if that makes sense ...probably not though lol! my mum said my eyes seem to be 'going faster' didnt understand what she ment at first but she explained that i seem to be blinking more and quicker which is a bit worrying as my minor seizures (as called by neurologist) started off as fluttering eyelids and then moved onto twitching body parts along with fluttering then a grand mal so thats a bit worrying, going to contact consultant again tomorrow to see if i can get another appointment as soon as possible even though i was told he is basically going to kick my doctors ass for changing me to the generic brand without his consent or mine as when i was diagnosed he specifically put me on Keppra not levetiracetam, anyways trying to relax and not over think things and worry myself senseless haha lets see how well this goes! Wouldn't mind but i've done my medication training for my job working in a home with people with various mental difficulties and some of those have epilepsy and one resident recently had her epilepsy meds changed by her gp and ended up in ICU within 48hours of it happening, and that could of been prevented by changing her diet! yet doctors think im incredibally thick and just love arguing...which i sort of do as i enjoy peeing them off when they are wrong! haha! oh well gotta have your own fun along the way havent you lol Thanks for your input anyway, much appreciated xx

 

[momof3boys]

I hope your drs can get things figured out and if you can go back to the name brand, it sounds like it would probably be best. Good luck and let us know how things work out!

 

[lucycherish]

Thank you, will let you all know as soon as i know anything xx