CirclesOfConfusion Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Pdoc is suggesting Lamictal as an additional med to try (we're working on determining whether to change my dx from MDD atypical type to BP2) My HMO only covers a generic version of Lamictal (is ther any other generic than Teva's?) and if we decide to go for it he wants me to start at 25mg. He'd prefer to prescribe name brand but its very cost prohibitive AND I might have to go to a separate pharmacy to get it (he's not part of my HMO) I already take 20mg Lexapro and 300mg generic Wellbutrin but I'm still getting periodic week-long depressive drops and periodic intense agitation/irritability/physical tension/inability to concenrate on anything. I've read about Teva's crappy reputation for generic WB, what have any of you heard/experienced with generic Lamictal? (and are there any other generics besides Teva?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SashaSue Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 When did generic lamictal even become available? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CirclesOfConfusion Posted March 6, 2008 Author Share Posted March 6, 2008 When did generic lamictal even become available? From what I've read, since 2005. I forgot to ask pdoc about how long its been available since we were firstly concerned with whether or not my HMO even covers any form of it at all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiaB Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 The generic (called Epitec here) has been available in SA for some time and I've been on it for a couple of years. I haven't ever noticed a difference between it and the original. If you have access to it, I'd say go for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wake me when i'm dead Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 fwiw, i take the teva generic. i started with the real mccoy and then switched to the generic when i decided to give it a whirl so i could put that extra $50 a month into my stomach or my gas tank or what have you. i had no problem switching and haven't noticed a lick of difference. i'm happy with the generic. if you don't mind taking a bunch of lower dose tablets instead of a single tablet of a higher dose (the highest dose of the teva generic is 25mg in the states), i'd recommend it. that is, as long as it's going to be a cost effective alternative to the lamictal for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SashaSue Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Ah... that's why I hadn't heard about an available generic. I wonder if it would even be cost effective, taking 10 pills a day, instead of one. Might be worth checking out, but seems like a pain! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CirclesOfConfusion Posted March 7, 2008 Author Share Posted March 7, 2008 Thanks for the responses, I'm relieved to not have had a flood of horror stories pouring in here! I think the cost will be OK (for now) since my copay is the same for each prescription no matter the dosage (I always paid $10 for the generic WB at 100, 150 and 300mg). I'm not sure what my insurance situation will be after July so any med tinkering needs to be done now while its covered. My doc's good about working with me to keep med costs down as much as possible which is why he suggested trying generic first even though most of his experience is with putting patients on name brand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unregistered Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 FWIW, I am now on 100mg generic lamotrigine tablets from Alpharma, but they may only be available in Yurp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Faustus Posted May 30, 2008 Share Posted May 30, 2008 Generic lamictal, here. And the pdoc made a point of not recommending it....but it works great at 150 just like when it was 12.5 The generic xanax however does suck........it barely dissolves if sublingual is the way to go.....and it just wasn't the same as the name brand. It works tho...... cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadowCat Posted May 31, 2008 Share Posted May 31, 2008 I've had a bad experience with one brand of generic lamotrigine in the last few days - only just started on it and I've had to order some more of the other (more expensive) generic that I had taken before to no ill effect (lamogine). But its an Australian brand - "Lamidus"... (was seriously cheap, and is manufactured by a small company I'd never heard of - it certainly proved that it wasn't worth the money saved - Any Australians out there, you have been warned!) I don't want to stop taking it and have to start titrating all over again, so I'm just putting up with bad nausea and stomach pains until my new meds arrive by post... (having to stay in bed 23.5 hours a day is a bit of a bitch though) but generics are generally ok, this is my first bad experience with any generic and I've taken quite a few of various different meds... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Faustus Posted May 31, 2008 Share Posted May 31, 2008 The generic here is Lepigine.........as I said, been working fine.....no side effects that would have me dropping the med.....and I've seen improvement. Just pisses me off that so many are stuck thanks to patent laws and moneygrubbers from affordable options like no lamictal generic in the US?? wtf? .........I ain't into blood tests regularly, so lamictal was really a last shot effort after some horrible Tegretol side effects........fingers crossed, generic L is still working...... cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CirclesOfConfusion Posted June 1, 2008 Author Share Posted June 1, 2008 Thanks everyone for the descriptions of your experiences. Its good to know that there's no gigantic widespread problem with generic versions of Lamictal like there are with that Teva version of WB XL. I also just switched to the Lexapro generic last month with no problems. Its still up in the air whether or not adding another med is necessary, but knowing my history there's a strong chance the need will arise sooner or later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadowCat Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 Thanks everyone for the descriptions of your experiences. Its good to know that there's no gigantic widespread problem with generic versions of Lamictal like there are with that Teva version of WB XL. I also just switched to the Lexapro generic last month with no problems. Its still up in the air whether or not adding another med is necessary, but knowing my history there's a strong chance the need will arise sooner or later. I think the main thing is, once you are on a generic that is ok, don't switch brands (just in case). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CirclesOfConfusion Posted June 5, 2008 Author Share Posted June 5, 2008 I think the main thing is, once you are on a generic that is ok, don't switch brands (just in case) Good point, thanks for mentioning that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest soon2bdownunder Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 Generic lamictal, here. And the pdoc made a point of not recommending it....but it works great at 150 just like when it was 12.5 The generic xanax however does suck........it barely dissolves if sublingual is the way to go.....and it just wasn't the same as the name brand. It works tho...... cheers That's what I wanted to hear. I know that generic dilantin is not the same as the original, but I always have to remind the neuro. My insurance will only give the real drug if it's written, otherwise generic crap is what I get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyjan Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 But its an Australian brand - "Lamidus"... (was seriously cheap, and is manufactured by a small company I'd never heard of - it certainly proved that it wasn't worth the money saved - Any Australians out there, you have been warned!) I too have had problems with Lamidus after changing to it from Lamictal. Initially I got stomach twitching and pains. Within three days my mood had become unstable. Over the next three days I took two deliberate overdoses (fortunately my husband was able to intervene). Unfortunately this all happened on an overseas holiday and in desperation we doubled the dose of Lamidus to 4 x 100mg / day, while checking for the dreaded rash. My mood stabilised, the pains and twitching stopped and I had no further problems. Obviously, I immediately sought new supplies of Lamictal and am now in the process of switching back. Lamidus is manufactured in India. Draw your own conclusions as to the relative strengths of Lamictal and Lamidus. P.S. and a well learned lesson: Don't change your medication just before you go overseas!! Any savings we made by buying Lamidus in Australia were well and truly wiped out by the costs we incurred in obtaining the emergency supplies of Lamictal in the US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isis Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 I'm in australia also I've tried Lamogine and Seaze. I'm on lamogine now and its fine there was no difference between the two. I dont buy Lamictal because its too expensive. so for you australians - i think the above two are good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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