pharmacy switched my generic lamotrigine

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I've been using Teva's generic lamotrigine for a long time, and they have apparently decided to switch to Zydus because "it's cheaper." I took the first dose of it on Saturday... and honestly I felt like I may as well have taken a placebo. I had the same feeling I get when I'm an hour or more late taking it, or when I was having to go halfies on the pills when my idiot (former) np "forgot" to call in the prescription renewal request. Same thing happened again today. It's just this really odd sensation I get in my head, it's hard to describe; and later in the evening had an overwhelming urge to cry, while watching a horror movie of all things (not out of fear, horror movies haven't scared me since I was 3- first movie I recall watching is Poltergeist lol.)

I remember reading somewhere that generic meds have to have "at least" an 80% bioequivalence to name-brand. Now... call me crazy, but that doesn't seem like very good odds, right? For me, Teva's lamotrigine worked great; just as well as name-brand, actually. This stuff? NOOOOO. Uh-uh. I'm actually pretty angry about it. I could care less about saving a few bucks (and that's really all I saved). I get this drug cheaply to begin with because my state has a prescription drug-plan card for uninsured/under-insured people, and I use that. I'd much rather have a drug that, ya know, works.

Has anyone else had a problem with this particular generic brand? Will pharmacies typically order specific generic brands when requested, or can I have my provider re-write the rx to specify that I can only take the Teva version? And at this point, I'm seriously considering switching pharmacies. I just don't think it's right to mess with peoples' meds like that, especially with no warning.
 
You can usually have your neurologist or epileptologist write down in your chart, never to give you this kind of medicine again. But, you should call them and perhaps consider changing pharmacies because in my opinion that is dangerous for them to change our medicine unless a doctor advises us.

Perhaps your medical discount card tried to change to a different form of medicine to save that few bucks? I don't know.
 
It's weird enough to the point that I probably shouldn't drive until I get this sorted out. Can't focus at all. I'll have my bf drive me to work, and I'll walk down to a bus stop after work and bus my butt home. Pain in the ass, and it'll take me 45-60 minutes to get home and cut into my sleep time, but I don't want anything bad to happen obviously.
 
This is an issue that bothered me the entire time I was on Lamictal. I used a big-box pharmacy and they changed suppliers frequently. I remember a period of time where there was a new supplier 3 months in a row.

For the United States:

The FDA considers two products bioequivalent if the 90% CI of the relative mean Cmax, AUC(0-t) and AUC(0-∞) of the test (e.g. generic formulation) to reference (e.g. innovator brand formulation) should be within 80.00% to 125.00% in the fasting state. Although there are a few exceptions, generally a bioequivalent comparison of Test to Reference formulations also requires administration after an appropriate meal at a specified time before taking the drug, a so-called "fed" or "food-effect" study. A food-effect study requires the same statistical evaluation as the fasting study, described above.

"Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (2003). "Guidance for Industry: Bioavailability and Bioequivalence Studies for Orally Administered Drug Products — General Considerations". United States Food and Drug Administration


They're saying only NINETY PERCENT of their tablets have to meet the 80-125% requirement. That means the other 10% are who-knows-what. And just speaking for myself, if I get tablets that are at 125% for several days or more then get 100%, I'm in trouble. Any swing in dosage used to make my seizure threashold lower.

The only way I found to avoid it was brand name Lamictal but that's so terribly expensive.
 
Yeah, due to financial issues, brand-name would be difficult. Even with the prescription card, it would still be very, very expensive. The Teva is much better for me, works just as well as the name-brand.
 
My insurance company always gives the generic brand of any medicine because it's cheaper, the pharmacy has no say in it. If the dr says that the prescription must be name brand or a specific brand then they have to give you that one to you regardless of the price. Make sure your neuro knows to do this if that's the brand you want to be on.

I was taking a medicine at one time that the generic wasn't working for me, I've been on so many that I don't remember what it was. So the neuro wrote on the prescription that I had to be taking the name brand and it helped. I don't think I'm still taking that medicine any more though.
 
It's not a question of name-brand vs. generic. It's generic vs. generic. One (Teva) works, the other (Zydus) doesn't work.
 
Like I said, with my insurance the pharmacy has to give you what ever the dr writes down on the prescription slip, name brand or specific brand, I don't know if your insurance works that way or not. As you said you want Teva so have him write that down on the prescription slip and say it must be that one.

Sometimes my dr will send the prescriptions in electronically. I don't know exactly how that works but make sure he has down on there that you want to have Teva so the pharmacy knows. If he gives you a prescription on paper make sure he has Teva wrote on it and that it says that it must be that one.

Make sure the pharmacy carries that brand too. If they don't then you may have to switch pharmacies. They should tell you if they do or don't when you drop off the prescription so that you'll know if you need to go somewhere else or not. You can always ask them when you drop off the prescription just to make sure.

If my pharmacy doesn't carry the prescription on hand they'll have to order it and it takes longer to have it filled. If it's this way with your pharmacy make sure you don't let it go down to where you only have a day or two of pills left before you fill it because it might take five days or so for them to get that brand in.

I hope this helps.
 
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