Interesting that there were so many bad reactions to generic lamictal.  I've been seizure free for almost 3 months now.  No side effects..nothing.  I love this drug.  No auras either.

I'm so glad they came out with a generic.  However; they shouldn't have to do generics.  Why can't we pay decent prices for the "real" thing?  Stupid drug companies.

I just wanted to say that I was forced to switch to the generic brand of Lamictal because of insurance coverage. I take Lamictal for bipolar and never have had a seizure before until switching to the generic. The first day I took the generic brand I was nauseated, had stomach cramps, bad headache, light headed and was unable to concentrate. The next day I couldn't drive because I was unable to judge distance and everything was blurry and seemed to be moving very slowly. I was sluggish and couldn't walk straight. This may sound funny but it's not; I bumped into the corner of the doorway four times in one day because I couldn't judge where the opening was. I called the pharmacist and told her how I felt. She reassured me that it was not the medication doing this and told me to keep taking it but if it kept up then to bring it in and she would change it back to the brand Lamictal. On the third day, I was at dinner with my boyfriend and out of nowhere I got light headed and was really hot and started sweating really bad. I knew I was about to faint but somehow managed to get a cold rag on my neck and drink some water. On the ride home I blacked out and don't remember getting in the car, the ride home or getting out. When I got home and laid in the bed my neck started to jerk and made my head  bob up and down in a fast motion. I was unable to make it stop. My body then got so heavy that I was unable to lift any part of my body, not even my arm. I thought I was going paralyzed. Then my tongue got very heavy and numb and felt like it was swelling. I couldn't talk. My boyfriend said I kept trying to say something but kept stuttering and repeating words that made no sense. I remember thinking I was dying. I had no control over my body not even my thoughts. I'm not sure what exactly happened to me that night but I'm sure I had a seizure. I called the pharmacist and she let me bring the meds back and changed the prescription back to the brand but she never reported my symptoms or asked any questions. She seemed irritated with me for complaining and having problems with it. The day after starting the brand name back I felt better, although I felt tired and a little cloudy headed still. I know for a fact it was the generic brand making me sick as a dog! I don't know about anyone else but this generic drug is bad and needs to be tested more before being distributed. Someone is going to end up getting killed or injured when taking this drug. I wrote the FDA to let them know, even though they probably don't care. The drug companies only care about the money and not the effects the drug could have on a person. So please be aware of the potential side effects and don't be afraid to speak up to your doctor AND pharmacist because they sometimes don't know the effects themselves. They listen to the drug reps description and details of the drug and take their word for it and just write the scripts.  

When my mail-away pharmacy (associated with Anthem) switched to generic Lamictal, I began having side effects, which I never with Lamictal. About an hour after I take it, I get dizzy, nauseous and have trouble with balance. I have had a minor seizure and several "auras". My neurologist  said that generics may contain less than  brand names -- sometimes up to 80% less, so he increased the dose. However, he insists that the generic is not causing the dizziness, nausea, and imbalance and refused to prescribe the brand drug.  I went to my PCP to see if I had some other problem; he could not identify a reason for my symptoms.   I am going to the local pharmacy today to find out the cost of Lamictal. If I can afford it, I will ask my PCP to prescribe it; he did entertain the possibility that the generic is at fault.

My neurologist told me about the generic, but he recommended that I stick with the branded Lamictal because generics are allowed by law to be as low as 80 percent the weight of the indicated dosage.  That may be OK for some drugs, but for epilepsy, the drugs need to be at a relatively constant level.

 He wrote me a prescription specifically for the name brand.

I am glad I stumbled upon this.  I just had another tonic-clonic and my doc increased my meds.  When I went to refil my script, had been a mail order so I was low anyway, I was shock that I only had to pay $10!  Epilepsy meds never go generic!  They stop working for everyone by the time they get that old!  So anyhow, seeing as though I have Aetna POS, (an HMO pretending to be a PPO), I have to get the generic.  I am a school teacher and cannot aford to pay the full price of the brand name Lamictal, plus the Topamax $25 co-pay.  It is still unknown if the increased dosage will do the trick, i may have to change meds anyway.  I am on 300mg twice a day. of topa and Lam.

I was just reading this thread and I thought my experience was important enough to register and post.  I used to think generic and name brand were the same thing.  My pharm. switched me to generic after over a year of problem free lamical.  Bam, rashes started showing up less than a week later.  (Don't worry I talked to my neurologist and the rashes aren't big enough to be dangerous) Just be careful folks.  Let's just hope that now that I'm starting back on the real deal they'll go away.

My experience with generic lamotrigine:

     I don't often visit the boards here but had some recent experiences that had me checking in. Three weeks ago ( give or take a few days) I went to fill my prescriptions for 200mg and 150mg Lamictal. I have TLE with only partial simple seizures and have been on it for 3 years and have had some dosage adjustments but other than that I have done really well on it.  I have never had a seizure that has resulted in me not being aware of everything going on. As far as seizures go, I really have it so much easier than so many on these boards.

My pharmacist (who is awesome) told me that the generic was now available and my insurance wasn't likely to cover the brand name anymore. I knew from experience having worked in a hospital that generic seizure medications have had some inconsistancy issues in the past and that many patients can't tolerate them. My Phamacist agreed with me especially because this was a brand new generic.  He said he would call the dr to see if he could change the scripts to no subs. The dr did that and the pharmacist called the insurance co. and they said no. They would only approve the brand name if I completed a trial of the generic.

I got my new generic meds and started them on Thursday. Sunday at lunchtime I started having wicked car sickness on the way home from church. I then got so dizzy I could keep my head up straight. I couldn't open my eyes without feeling like I was going to throwup all over my car. We got home and I went up to bed as soon as we walked in the door. Less than an hour after we left church I was unable to move even 6 inches before going into a complete tailspin. I couldn't roll-over, couldn't open my eyes and fell down when my husband tried to help me to the bathroom and couldn't get back up.  My husband and my father carried me down to the car and drove me to the hospital.

In the emergency room they jumped to the conclusion that I was having a stroke. Fortunately,  I am compulsive about managing my own healthcare and I have a card that I carry with my allergies, medications, drs etc. and my husband carries a copy in his wallet. They called my neurologist who told them about the change in meds.  My husband stayed with me for a while then went to get a sandwich.  I got really mad at him because it took him so long to come back and in the mean time they admitted me to a room and I was afraid he wouldn't find me. The nurse said he went home and he would be back. I thought about an hour had gone by and I was really upset about him leaving without saying goodbye.

The next morning I found out that the hour that went by was actually over 6 hours and that I was unresponsive for about three of it and disoriented for the rest.  I didn't know who or where I was, why I was there or what year it was. I had a CAT scan, all kinds of other tests and meds, had been moved 2 or 3 times and finally admitted to my room at around 10pm. About 8am I woke up, didn't know why they admitted me, why they wouldn't let me up to go to the bathroom and why they wouldn't get me something to eat. 

I'm still going through some issues with nausea, headaches and such, saw my neuro Monday and he's is not convinced that it's seizure related so tomorrow I get bloodwork and a visit with my primary.  It just keeps going on and on. 3 weeks ago I was out running a couple miles a day with my dog and today I'm just barely getting through my day even laying down every couple of hours for a rest.

My suggestions? 1. Be leary of any change in medication whether it's supposedly "the same thing" or not.        2. Carry a card with all your Dr's names and numbers, any diagnosed medical issues, medications and dosages, and any allergies and reactions. I think it's MEDIDs that offers one online for free and it's pretty easy to fill out and print.

 Oh and as soon as the medication patent ran out, the price dropped over $400. a month for the brand name meds so they put me through this for a savings of approx. $50.00 a month. Now, I get a notice that they will pay for the brand name drug. I guess my "trial" of the generic is over.

Trish

I JUST SPOKE WITH MY EPILEPTOLOGIST, AND HE HAS A PATIENT WHO JUST HAD BREAKTHROUGH SEIZURES AFTER SWITCHING FROM LAMICTAL TO GENERIC LAMOTRIGINE.  BEST TO STICK WITH A KNOWN QUANTITY.