Lamictal XR and costs vs. generic

[slime]

HI - I'm new around here and was hoping for some input. My background is that I have had three seizures over a nine year period. All of my seizures were while sleeping and all were while I was on no medication at all.

My first med was lamictal at a very low dose. Eventually my doctor said I could try to stop taking the drug as my risk for seizure seemed low. I had a sizure within a year. I was on two other drugs after that. one made my brain feel slow and sluggish, the other gave me kidney stones. So, back to the lamictal.

I have been on lamictal XR for about 2 years and it works great for me. No real side effects and more importantly, no seizures. My neurologist strongly suggested that I take the XR and the brand name. I have really good insurance so I didn't pay too much attention to the price. It looks like I am going to be switching jobs and I will have to buy my own insurance, so I am paying much more attention to the prices of everything.

I take 200mg of lamictal, one 100mg in the morning and one 100mg in the evening.

Questions:
Should I be concerned with the generic XR vs. the brand name XR?

Further, should I be concerned with going from the brand name XR to the generic non-XR?

It sure would be cheap to go to the non-XR generic.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

 

[Jessie]

Hi Slime,
I am a little new as well. I also take Lamotrigine (generic) of Lamictal. I use to take the brand form back in 2007 but since I had to increase my dosage a few times to the point it was actually at a level that worked for me..It got costly. To answer your questions:

1) With some people generic drugs sometimes cause more seizures and side effects, while with others they can't tell the difference.

2) XR just tells you the drug is extended release. Meaning it will last a long time and you normally would have to take it once a day instead of twice. For me back in 2010 I asked my neurologist If I could switch to Lamictal XR in generic form because it would be easier. I take 250mlg morning and 250mlg at night. Though he said there was no generic in XR just the medication your taking Lamotrigiene ODT(orally disingrating tablets). I could of tried to take the total of 500mlg once a day but he was a little weary about me doing that because it would be wearing off at the end of the day.

3)For any generic drug the cost is lower than the brand cost. Though I also think it depends on the type of dose you are taking and the pharmacy you go too. When I was on the brand form "Lamictal" it was very costly. When I switched to generic it only costed $10 . Too me that is pretty cheap. Though as I said before everyone is an individual, so their reaction to any type of medication will be different.
Hope I helped .. and wish you best of luck!

 

[Petya]

Generic exceptiion for seizures !

Guys, for seizure disorder you might be an exception from switching to generics, at least with United health Care it is like that. I found a paper online stating that, although nobody bothers to let you know when rejecting the brand coverage. You can check your insurance providers. Just search online. UHC is called "Step therapy program". When you type the name of your brand medication, the name of the insurance, and the name of the program it should find it.
Good luck

 

[Penny]

I have taken lamotragen for several years(started out as mood stabilizer then added more to it for seizures when they began). Never have had a problem.

 

[Dolores]

The difference between brand-name and generic medications has to do with their bioequivalence.

A company that makes a generic drug must show that its version of the drug is 80%-125% “bioequivalent” to the original brand name drug. For example: a brand name drug is taken and it is found that 100mg of medicine reaches the person’s bloodstream. For a generic version of the drug to be considered safe and effective, the active drug in the tablet or capsule must release between 80mg and 125mg reach the bloodstream (80-125%). This means that some companies might make generic versions that have 80mg reach the bloodstream and other companies might make generic versions that have 125mg reach the bloodstream. This difference isn’t a problem in most drugs. There are a few drugs, however, in which this can be an issue.

Common Questions About Generic Drugs

The serum levels do not have to be the same with generics even though the amount of the actual drug is the same. And this difference also holds true for different generic suppliers. So if you are doing fine on a generic brand, be sure to know who the supplier is so you can always try to get from that supplier.

I take Dilantin (brand name for Phenytoin) and it is super sensitive to changes such as these. I do have a tendancy to begin over-dosing every few years but I know the signs and am able to identify the problem, get a blood test and discuss changes in dosages with my doctor. I was sick this past May. When we first did a work up my Dilantin level came in at 14 which is on the low side for me but still in therapeutic range. Now that I'm feeling much better we did another work up and my Dilantin level was at 21 - I was overdosing which explained the fuzzy headedness which I thought was simply part of being sick.

I can't say what will happen to you as we all react differently to medications.
What I can suggest is that you keep a log of your blood levels and dosages both before and after you switch to generic. Then you will know how it is affecting you.

Best of luck!