Posted by SLS on April 29, 2009, at 6:20:13
In reply to Re: Anyone having trouble with new generic Lamictal?, posted by bleauberry on April 29, 2009, at 5:39:37
My doctor has experienced the same thing with quite a few of his patients. He often sees problems with generic versions of lamotrigine (Lamictal) and paroxetine (Paxil, Seroxat).
The active ingredient in a generic drug is the same as in the branded version, but it might not be absorbed as readily. Who knows in what ways the differences in excipients and manufacturing techniques affect the delivery of the drug to the brain. One way or another, it seems to happen often enough that a brand name drug and a generic version of that same drug are not bioequivalent as is observed consistently by practicing clinicians.
- Scott************************************************
> My doctor has had enough disappointments with generics that he won't even prescribe them anymore. The primary complication potentials he has seen involve prozac, celexa, zoloft, xanax, klonopin, lamictal, and neurontin. He insists on brand for those meds.
>
> Basically what happens is a patient who has been stable begins to deteriorate. Everyone is puzzled why this is happening. With some investigation, it turns out the pharmacy substituted generic, without the patient or the doctor knowing about it. When switched back to brand, the patient restabilizes. It has happened hundreds of times, more than enough to not be a fluke or a coincidence.
poster:SLS
thread:893156
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20090426/msgs/893433.html