[all74]

Hi all. Has anyone noticed a difference between brand Lamictal and generic Lamotrigine? I've read lots of posts by people with epilepsy swearing there's a difference but I don't have epilepsy, I have bipolar. My pdoc is willing to specify it but I'm wondering if it's worth the extra cost. Thoughts?

Thanks!

Aaron

[liveforsummer]

I was just prescribed the same thing lamotrigine and also have wondered though my pdoc didn’t say anything but positive things about lamotrigine. I’m also curious to see these responses. I started a week ago and having huge difficulty sleeping , any relation??

[Moreta]

i don't think i actually ever took the brand name one. Always been the generic. Been on it since 2010. Haven't had issues with it.

[bioChE]

I used to take the brand when there was no generic. I eventually switched to the generic and never noticed a difference.

[HALLIEBETH87]

I've been on both. No difference to me

[ComfortablyNumb5]

Always been generic for me or my insurance wouldn’t cover it, so I really had no choice. It has helped me a lot but I have to take it at night or I’m a zombie.

[raspberrytorte]

I noticed a difference. I feel like the non generic worked better.

[Guiness187055]

I have been on both I did not notice a difference

[fishin fool]

I feel like generics are never quite the same but I didn't notice any difference with
Lamotrigine

[CloserToTheMid]

I did not perceive a difference.

ZERO difference. In fact, I have never experienced any differences between any of the medications I took originally in brand and then to generic. I never had any allergies to any of the fillers, so that was never an issue. Really, sometimes I scratch my head when people demand brand, especially when never trying the generic.

[WildcatVet]

When I was taking it...it was generics and it worked just fine and I had no problems with it at all. Have never had a problem with any generic not working as well as the brand...a good thing since my pdoc gives me brand name samples and we always switch to generics because of $$ when he can no longer get samples. The only difference is in the inert ingredients (fillers)...

[bioChE]

Originally Posted by WildcatVet

When I was taking it...it was generics and it worked just fine and I had no problems with it at all. Have never had a problem with any generic not working as well as the brand...a good thing since my pdoc gives me brand name samples and we always switch to generics because of $$ when he can no longer get samples. The only difference is in the inert ingredients (fillers)...

One thing to watch out for is regarding extended release formulations. In that case, it’s not just the fillers in the final formulations, it can be the mechanism of time release.

In particular I used to take brand Wellbutrin XL. When the first generics came out, I switched - and promptly had a whole host of difficulties. I switched back to the brand and the problems went away. I think in this case I wasn’t the only one; there were enough complaints that that particular generic was eventually pulled from the market.

[~Christina]

I didn’t notice a difference

A PC member recently explained (I think in the Psych Meds forum) that a pill needs to contain between 4/5 and 5/4th of the dosage it's said to be. So it's possible that your 100 mg pill from brand A contains 80 mg and the "same" pill from brand B 125 mg. So you can imagine that the effects can be different, because the dosage is different! 125 mg is over 1,5 times 80 mg.

I'll try to find the original post.

Edit: the orginal post referenced this article: http://www.doctoroz.com/article/what...-generic-drugs

[all74]

Thanks for the feedback. I'm going to give the brand a try and I'll report back