Wow in my title I meant Levetiracetam >.> Sorry
Hello fellow sufferers.
I haven't posted here in a few years.
'Tis with the utmost optimism (uh huh) that I make this post asking if anyone has ever experienced switching from generic to brand Keppra.
I am Canadian, thus do not know very well the prices of Keppra in your regions, so am not sure if i will make some jealous or not (if so, I apologize). I have learned (ONE YEAR LATE!!!) that Keppra is now exactly the same price as Levetiracetam. So as of tomorrow I am switching to brand. I currently take 100/100 Lamotrigine (lamictal) and 1000/1000 levetiracetam (keppra). Tomorrow morning, I will be taking my first dose of REAL, non bullcrap 80% efficiency margin medication.
Thing is, I am very chemically sensitive. I have in the past (recent past) had trouble with my pharmacy. Those bastards keep switching generic suppliers and (oh no no sir, it's the exact same thing). Oh but lordy lord, hell to the no it isn't. Every time they switched me I had HORRIBLE nights of seizure after seizure after seizure (my official diagnosis is night seizures, i will spare you the exact name, but i also get day seizures sometimes). I eventually made a complaint to the Order of Pharmacists or whatever it's called in english, and they obligated them to always have on hand the ACT generic brand of levetiracetam, which is working ok.
So for now I kinda have stability, but i hear repeatedly how there is a huge difference between brand KEPPRA and generic. So yes tomorrow I am switching to brand.
My question is, since the generic only needs 80% margin, that means maybe i actually take 1600mg per day, not 2000. So when I will switch to Keppra, what should i expect? Major brain fog? Uber rage? Stevens Johnson? Or a miracle cure? As a reference, I have never really had any MAJOR side effect from Keppra (i mean im used to being somewhat zombi-ish, but I have not had rashes or rage or depression or suicidal thoughts or delirium). I say that because I know some people can potentially see this post and want to inquire what side effects people get from keppra. It's been a good drug to me. And lamotrigine isn't effective enough by itself, even at the 325/325 i was taking, before going on lamotrigine/keppra combo. Tegretol made me a goddamn lifeless friendless zombie in the past though. Stay away from that, is my opinion.
I'm freakin the fk out.
My fantasm would be that the Keppra works so well that i could totally eliminate the lamotrigine.
I also got a consultation for medical marijuana, which i would like to take the one that has the highest concentration of CBD, which epilepsy sufferers have a low concentration in their brain (or something like it). So I was thinking with brand keppra and high CBD marijuana, I could eliminate the lamotrigine.... maybe.
Anyways. Does anyone have experience on switching from generic to Brand Keppra? I'm especially interested in short term effects. But long term too changes too, of course.
I apologize if my post is all over the place, I'm just a little hysterical and all over the place right now o.o
Thanks
Matt- (who has been eyeing his unopened bottle of Keppra with simultaneous feelings of giggly joy and utmost precursory horror all weekend)
Hello fellow sufferers.
I haven't posted here in a few years.
'Tis with the utmost optimism (uh huh) that I make this post asking if anyone has ever experienced switching from generic to brand Keppra.
I am Canadian, thus do not know very well the prices of Keppra in your regions, so am not sure if i will make some jealous or not (if so, I apologize). I have learned (ONE YEAR LATE!!!) that Keppra is now exactly the same price as Levetiracetam. So as of tomorrow I am switching to brand. I currently take 100/100 Lamotrigine (lamictal) and 1000/1000 levetiracetam (keppra). Tomorrow morning, I will be taking my first dose of REAL, non bullcrap 80% efficiency margin medication.
Thing is, I am very chemically sensitive. I have in the past (recent past) had trouble with my pharmacy. Those bastards keep switching generic suppliers and (oh no no sir, it's the exact same thing). Oh but lordy lord, hell to the no it isn't. Every time they switched me I had HORRIBLE nights of seizure after seizure after seizure (my official diagnosis is night seizures, i will spare you the exact name, but i also get day seizures sometimes). I eventually made a complaint to the Order of Pharmacists or whatever it's called in english, and they obligated them to always have on hand the ACT generic brand of levetiracetam, which is working ok.
So for now I kinda have stability, but i hear repeatedly how there is a huge difference between brand KEPPRA and generic. So yes tomorrow I am switching to brand.
My question is, since the generic only needs 80% margin, that means maybe i actually take 1600mg per day, not 2000. So when I will switch to Keppra, what should i expect? Major brain fog? Uber rage? Stevens Johnson? Or a miracle cure? As a reference, I have never really had any MAJOR side effect from Keppra (i mean im used to being somewhat zombi-ish, but I have not had rashes or rage or depression or suicidal thoughts or delirium). I say that because I know some people can potentially see this post and want to inquire what side effects people get from keppra. It's been a good drug to me. And lamotrigine isn't effective enough by itself, even at the 325/325 i was taking, before going on lamotrigine/keppra combo. Tegretol made me a goddamn lifeless friendless zombie in the past though. Stay away from that, is my opinion.
I'm freakin the fk out.
My fantasm would be that the Keppra works so well that i could totally eliminate the lamotrigine.
I also got a consultation for medical marijuana, which i would like to take the one that has the highest concentration of CBD, which epilepsy sufferers have a low concentration in their brain (or something like it). So I was thinking with brand keppra and high CBD marijuana, I could eliminate the lamotrigine.... maybe.
Anyways. Does anyone have experience on switching from generic to Brand Keppra? I'm especially interested in short term effects. But long term too changes too, of course.
I apologize if my post is all over the place, I'm just a little hysterical and all over the place right now o.o
Thanks
Matt- (who has been eyeing his unopened bottle of Keppra with simultaneous feelings of giggly joy and utmost precursory horror all weekend)
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