Using Lamictal to Treat Bipolar Disorder.

[Michelle]

I have been on Lamictal for approximately six months after I demanded a change of mood stabilizers as Lithium was becoming decreasingly effective [although I looked into it further & found that it was particularly meant for people that have more manic episodes than depressive episodes. go figure.]. I've been doing great on my combination of Lamictal, Celexa, & Klonopin. Two out of those three are generics & they work just fine.
When I heard last month that Lamictal was now available as a generic, I was extremely relieved [I'm currently getting the brand-name at about $10 through a local prescription assistance program because my terrible insurance has a $50 per month limit on prescription coverage, so that only covers my Klonopin - luckily the celexa is $4 at WalMart].
After reading what people with epilepsy have said about noticeable changes since they switched to the generic - even having grand mal seizures when they had been seizure-free for years - I'm now curious as to any negative effects that the switch may have on people taking it to control their Bipolar Disorder. As we all know, Lamictal is an incredibly pricey medication [thankfully though, not as bad as Abilify, which was over $100 more for a one-month supply], so I'd much rather be able to pay the cost of the generic as long as it won't send me into some sort of relapse that leaves me with a debilitating depression again.

So, as anyone out there being treated with Lamictal for being Bipolar switched to the generic yet?

[Suzie]

I was switched and it was a terrible experience. Until I figured out why I was feeling the way I was feeling I thought I had lost it completely. I have bipolar,within 3 days of starting the generic I had a huge blowout argument the likes of which have not been seen since I started Lamictal, and could not stop crying. I was so tired and had cramps from hell, and a headache that would not quit. I felt as bad as I did during a depression before being medicated plus like I had pms! I have filed a complaint with the fda which I suggest all of you who have had a bad experience do. I would not risk it with the generic if I had a choice, because things did get better when I switched back to name brand. Of course, then it was like starting it for the first time again as well. Avoid the whole issue if you can.

[Michelle]

I think that my psychiatrist is basically going to try to coerce me into switching to the generic because I "don't know all of the facts" on it. I'm sorry, but after all of the horror stories that I've read on various websites, from both people with epilepsy & people with bipolar disorder, I absolutely refuse to switch to the generic until more information is known about the negative effects that it seems to have had on an overwhelming number of people at this point, & it's only been on the market since August!

& at this point, I am royally screwed as far as getting a refill on my Lamictal goes, because I have enough to get me through until the 28th, & the temporary coverage that I got through the prescription assistance program has apparently already expired although I was told that the coverage doesn't end until the end of this month. If my psychiatrist didn't routinely take so damn long to call me back to schedule an appointment, I would have had a prescription for a 60-day supply, which is what the temporary insurance would have covered; instead, I only had a script for 30 days, & now because my nitwit of a psychiatrist absolutely refuses to just sign on the dotted line & mail in the paperwork until my appointment on Monday so that I get my Lamictal in the mail for free, that means I either go two to three weeks without it, or have to shell out $150 to get a few weeks worth of it because I will not switch to the generic, even temporarily. I've got too much at stake right now, & I can't afford a relapse.

I swear, once I get a job with better insurance, or if I can get temporary Medicaid until I do find a new job & the insurance there kicks in, I'm kicking this woman to the curb for a whole slew of reasons.

[Suzie]

Sorry about your situation, but going completely without lamictal isn't really a good option either, you cannot stop it cold turkey without side effects and not having it would put you in the same boat as the generic, mood wise. Unfortunately, the best option here is to just pay for it. I am not sure if they would be able to help at all but have you ever tried contacting nami.org or pparx.org ?

[Patty]

My daughter has been on Lamictal for a mood disorder and has been doing wonderful for over a year now. The first day she took the generic she complained that she didn't feel good and had a hard time focusing all day. The 2nd day, she was sick to her stomach and dizzy every time she stood up. (She didn't even know it was a switch to generic, just thought the shape of her medicine had changed. She is very sensitive to medicines so I switched her right back. When I called our pharmacy they agreed right away. So I assume they have been getting complaints.

[pauline]

I have been on Lamictal for approx. 1 year. To be
honest I don"t really know why I was put on this
drug.I take gababentin, seroquel, klonopin, ambien cr,and lamictal. all in huge doses. I was given these medicines for bipolar, panick attacks, agoriphobia and when I am out of meds I truly suffer
the most horrible feelings. I try to keep up with my meds. I take them all at night, but I feel really bad during the daytime. I feel like I am losing control of my body and I feel like I am having a stoke, I go to the emergency in my local hospital,they do blood work, ekgs' and cts on my head, and it is always a severe panick anxiety attack, I try to get thru the attacks but I lose
total control and I feel that I am going to die. I start to sweat profusly, I feel that I am losing control of my body and cannot control the feelings.I have been on Lamictal and I don't really feel any different.

[Ryan]

I switched to generic, and shortly after I began sweating profusely every evening, completely soaking my bed... I just realized a couple of days ago that switching to generic may have caused this. I will be switching back to brand-new and will see what happens.

Pauline... it sounds like your doctor over-prescribes all of the wrong medications for you. I was on a very large amount of medications at one point, and they made me worse... I had a 24/7 panic attack, and almost felt like I was borderline seizure for a good year. The doctor over prescribed all of the wrong medications. Keep in mind that Seraquil and Lamictal can exacerbate anxiety.

[BApner]

Do not switch to generic lamictal!!!!

Michelle wrote:

I think that my psychiatrist is basically going to try to coerce me into switching to the generic because I "don't know all of the facts" on it. I'm sorry, but after all of the horror stories that I've read on various websites, from both people with epilepsy & people with bipolar disorder, I absolutely refuse to switch to the generic until more information is known about the negative effects that it seems to have had on an overwhelming number of people at this point, & it's only been on the market since August!
& at this point, I am royally screwed as far as getting a refill on my Lamictal goes, because I have enough to get me through until the 28th, & the temporary coverage that I got through the prescription assistance program has apparently already expired although I was told that the coverage doesn't end until the end of this month. If my psychiatrist didn't routinely take so damn long to call me back to schedule an appointment, I would have had a prescription for a 60-day supply, which is what the temporary insurance would have covered; instead, I only had a script for 30 days, & now because my nitwit of a psychiatrist absolutely refuses to just sign on the dotted line & mail in the paperwork until my appointment on Monday so that I get my Lamictal in the mail for free, that means I either go two to three weeks without it, or have to shell out $150 to get a few weeks worth of it because I will not switch to the generic, even temporarily. I've got too much at stake right now, & I can't afford a relapse.
I swear, once I get a job with better insurance, or if I can get temporary Medicaid until I do find a new job & the insurance there kicks in, I'm kicking this woman to the curb for a whole slew of reasons.

[Theresa]

I too have been on Lamictal 150mg for approximately two years. The last two prescriptions were generic. I started sweating profusely, but didin't think about it being the generic for of the drug. I've also been getting terrible headaches..........I'll ask my doctor to switch me back or my pharmacist.

[garnered]

I've been getting my lamictal from Canada for the last nine months (generic). Seems like every time the meds are a bit different in shape and hardness. I'm told they come from India and England. I've come to not trust them and am going back to non-generic.
Good luck.

[Sharon]

I take 200 mg of lamictal and 50 mg of Seroquel for bipolar disorder. It has helped me feel more stable and happy. 6 months ago, the pharmacy gave me the generic lamictal. Its turns out my insurance stopped covering the brand if there is a generic available. I started to feel very depressed and manic wand tired within the first two week of taking the generic. I call my shrink and she asked me if I was given the generic and she said that was the cause of the mood changes. She had to argue with my insurance company Aetna before they agreed to allow me to get a prescription for the brand lamictal. Once I started on the brand med again, my mood improved and I felt much better.

[Ella]

I had a horrible experience switching, and of course the doc didn't believe me. So I got back on the brand name and was fine. But the brand name is too damn expensive...so I tried to gradually get used to the generic. I would take, at first, 75 % brand name, 25% generic...and over the period of less than 2 weeks I was able to be fine on the generic. This was months ago and I'm still fine. I've been on lamictal for 5 years, and currently take (generic form) 200mg. It can work. good luck.

[Betsy Rogers]

I have had a similarly horrible experience with switching to generic Lamictal (lamotrigine). I experienced horrible dizziness, nausea, shakiness, and even vomiting once.

Did you know that you can report these problems (called "adverse events") directly to the FDA? Go to " http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/" ;

Ask you doctor to report this. If he/she is reluctant to do it then you can report it yourself. Reports can be made by healthcare providers or by consumers (patients). You can submit a written form or online form.

The written form is at:
http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/safety/FDA-3500_f...

The online form is at:
https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/medwat...

They say it's for serious adverse events including "therapy inequivalence/failure". I'd say that's exactly the problem with the generic forms of this medication. The doses are not "equivalent" to the brand-name.

Generics are legally required to be equivalent to the brand-name in both the active ingredient and the dosage. There is an acceptable range (in other words - no pill is going to be 100.00% accurate), but from the symptoms people are reporting it sounds like a lot of the time the generics are not within the acceptable range. Or else the FDA's range needs to be re-set so people aren't having these problems.

Several different companies make the generics, so be sure to report the name of the generic company (if that's listed on your bottle) or copy down all the numbers and/or letters on both sides of the pill, give the shape and color of the pill, etc. That way maybe the report will be linked to the company who actually made the pill.

I don't know if my single report will do any good, but the more people report this, maybe the more likely the FDA will do something...
By the way, here's the FDA's phone number if you have questions: 1-888-INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332)

We should all pester the crap out of them until they do something about this kind of generics "scam"!! Even if you don't think they'll do anything you should still pester the crap out of them because, hey, if you're suffering why shouldn't they suffer a bit, too.

Take care,
Betsy

[Aishasolo]

I'm having the same experience with switching to lamotrigine from lamictal. I sure hope going back to the brand gets me back to where I've been the past 18 months!

[Aishasolo]

Thanks very much, Betsy - the return of the depression and accompanying self-doubt had me going deeper down after my pdoc told me having a negative response to the generic is "very rare." I'll send in a report to the FDA as soon as I get the info on which company makes the generic I've been taking.

[Aishasolo]

I admire your ability to hang in there till the generic could work as well as the brand. It's bad enough getting the back-to-the-pit feelings, but it's worse after having been happy for 18 months.

[Kacey]

My doctor just wrote me a prescription for Lamictal 25mg. I am so worried to take it after hearing all of your side effect stories. I have been taking lexapro for years. How different is Lamictal to Lexapro?

[Erica]

I am going to start taking lamictal in a couple of days and just doing to research. My doctor said that their was a bad "batch" of generic Lamictal out there. He told me to only go to CVS to get the "good" generic drug. I will follow up as to how the drug is.

[Boog]

I have been on the generic lamictal for almost a year now for the treatment of my mood disorder. I have to say I'm terribly sorry to hear about everyone's nightmares with the generic form. Fortunately for me, I never took the name brand, in fact my Dr started me on the generic pill from the start. I've made tremendous progress with this drug. Its helped me have more control over my emotions and its completely evened out my moods. I was a total basket-case for years before, but now I really feel just completely normal.. The way I suppose I was meant to feel all along! I never had any negative side effects either.

Good luck to everyone! I hope you're all able to see some relief of your symptoms!

[Naomi]

I’ve been on Lamictal for 8 years and it has been a godsend, successfully treating my bipolar disorder and allowing me to be a productive entrepreneur and author. HOWEVER my insurance company recently switched me to the generic brand and I am suffering. I had the first depressive episode in many many years and I feel like I’m spiraling out of control. My doctor won’t listen to me, she says that the two medications are identical. I’d believe her if I didn’t feel this way. I’m going to pursue this further…hoping to get it resolved before something terrible happens.

I'm glad to see the links to the FDA I'm filing a complaint TODAY! I encourage everyone who reads this post and who is suffering to do the same. Perhaps with many voices we can make a change.