BiPolar Bear
10-30-2009, 01:49 AM
Since I was diagnosed with BPD five years ago, I've been taking 500 mg of lamotrigine every morning. This medication was only sold under the brand name Lamictal until earlier this year when a generic version became available. Since my copayment for generic meds is much lower than that for name-brand drugs, and since I've never had a problem with the performance of generic prescription meds, I decided to try it. If you're on Lamictal, be very careful if you decide to try generic lamotrigine, because it totally did not work for me.
Within a week or two, I could tell that something was wrong. I started feeling the way I did before my diagnosis...irritable, moody, etc. Not as bad as it was before the meds, but definitely not the way I had become used to feeling. Also, I developed an intermittent tremor in my left hand about the same time.
After a few weeks of this, I saw my psychiatrist and told her that it seemed like the lamotrigine was not working as well as it once had. I thought that I had developed a tolerance to it, which concerned me because as far as I am aware, this is the best med available for bipolar people who tend to be more depressed than manic. Also, 600 mg/day is the maximum recommended dose of this drug, and I've been at 500 mg for almost five years. I didn't tell her about the tremor because it didn't occur to me at the time that it could be connected to the medication.
The doc called me later that evening and told me that she had done some research about my experience with the generic drug. Although it hasn't been on the market very long, apparently other patients had reported the same problem. She said that sometimes the fillers used in generic meds reduces their effectivity in some people (lucky me!). She modified my prescription to disallow substitution with generics. I've been back on Lamictal for about two weeks, and I feel much, much better. The tremor in my hand is gone as well. I suppose that could be a coincidence, but I don't think so.
Just wanted to relate my experience and to warn people about the generic version of this drug. I'd encourage people to try the generic med carefully; if you feel that it's not working, tell your doc immediately and get back on Lamictal.
Cheers,
Kevin
Within a week or two, I could tell that something was wrong. I started feeling the way I did before my diagnosis...irritable, moody, etc. Not as bad as it was before the meds, but definitely not the way I had become used to feeling. Also, I developed an intermittent tremor in my left hand about the same time.
After a few weeks of this, I saw my psychiatrist and told her that it seemed like the lamotrigine was not working as well as it once had. I thought that I had developed a tolerance to it, which concerned me because as far as I am aware, this is the best med available for bipolar people who tend to be more depressed than manic. Also, 600 mg/day is the maximum recommended dose of this drug, and I've been at 500 mg for almost five years. I didn't tell her about the tremor because it didn't occur to me at the time that it could be connected to the medication.
The doc called me later that evening and told me that she had done some research about my experience with the generic drug. Although it hasn't been on the market very long, apparently other patients had reported the same problem. She said that sometimes the fillers used in generic meds reduces their effectivity in some people (lucky me!). She modified my prescription to disallow substitution with generics. I've been back on Lamictal for about two weeks, and I feel much, much better. The tremor in my hand is gone as well. I suppose that could be a coincidence, but I don't think so.
Just wanted to relate my experience and to warn people about the generic version of this drug. I'd encourage people to try the generic med carefully; if you feel that it's not working, tell your doc immediately and get back on Lamictal.
Cheers,
Kevin