Posted by yxibow on August 16, 2008, at 1:54:07
In reply to Re: Lamictal gone generic- help! » chicklet, posted by bleauberry on August 15, 2008, at 19:57:32
> > Yeah. Thanks Bleau. Thing is, if it had been something like my prozac, i wouldn't worry so much. but as I said, Lamictal's my baby.
>
> Prozac. Ok. Check this out. My body tolerates Prozac well. It pooped out on me after years, but regardless, I tolerated it well. But generic, oh my. Within 3 days, tight painful calve muscles, cramps, wrist tendonitis, and finger tingling. Brand Prozac doesn't do that. What the FDA fails to consider is that with sick folks, there is likely a high incidence of being intolerant of many things that would normally be considered tame, like various fillers in pills. I was apparently reacting to something else in the generic capsule that the brand didn't have in it.
> Also, brand prozac gave me a nice warm fuzzy stimulated feeling a few hours after dosing. The generic never did that. It instead felt heavy and lethargic.
>
> I think a law should be passed that all generics be of the same exact composition as the brand...fillers, dye for colors, gel material and thickness, pill coating, everything.
The reason they aren't and that can't be is because there still is a patent on file during the transition and generic companies can be challenged.If you've ever walked into a pharmacy I'm sure you've seen things like Imodium and say CVS loperamide together, and a little disclaimer "this product is not made by Janssen.... etc", or ibuprofen and "this is not made by the makers of Motrin...."
If they exactly duplicated it, there could be some legal challenge -- patents are sticky and wierd, especially these stupid method patents that have been passed lately, but anyhow... back to the subject -- that's why you can't have it exactly the same because in a number of cases the "real" drug is still being stamped, although most insurance companies will either not pay for the non-generic or charge you a hefty fee.
As for Lamictal being generic, I take lamotrigine now, its made by Teva, which is a pretty reliable and innovative company, but anyhow. If you're concerned, and you still have some "real" lamictal on hand, what I would do is alternate the pills until you have exhausted the old one.
It is a high dose and yes, one could say theoretically there could be a risk of seizures at that range but since you're not taking it for seizures that's pretty unlikely. For those who are, there are instructions for doctors to watch on transitions for AEDs which become generic. A number of AEDs are already generic in the first place and have been for years.
People will argue about the effectiveness of generic drugs and that's fine -- everyone is entitled to an opinion, but on the whole, if this country (US) is worried about rising drug prices, I would think one would want a cheaper alternative. They do have to submit NDAs just like regular drugs and have the FDA review them.
-- tidingsJay
poster:yxibow
thread:846440
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080814/msgs/846579.html