What Is The Best Generic Of Lamictal? (Top voted first)

I've been taking the generic for Lamictal for about five years. Recently I've been feeling different at about the beginning of the year. I use to take the white ones but now I am taking a generic by Taro. What is the best generic for this drug? I never really payed any attention until I started getting this crazy migraines. If anyone has any insights it would be much appreciated.

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REPORT

Which generic is best for you may depend in part on what condition you desire to treat. I take reviews with a grain of salt. Some review reveal a preference for the TEVA version. BUT 1 more authoritative site said that in regarding its use to treat Bipolar conditions, TEVA was the very worst manufacturer for such.

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Re: No Really You Can Trust Me (# 124)

Hey there. Listen, I appreciate what I think and hope was well-intentioned contribution to this strand.
I am not sure it's relevant to our purposes here, however. I'm not sure your info was an answer to a current question or solving a current quandry of anyone.

We are here as a group of individuals working together and collaborating... sharing information as people who are dealing with the same or similar disorders.

As you can tell, most of us are in the process and pursuit of finding the best support for our treatment and diagnosis. Most recently, a main topic has been the pursuit of the best replacement generic brand for Lamictal now that Teva has discontinued production of lamotrigine. Your information did not help us with that.

I can honestly say that, for me, it's frustrating when people hop on and share info like that, preaching to us, schooling us, and educating us, without giving us info that actually gives us the direction we need.

Now, if you've got some info on the best replacement for Teva, we'd LOVE to hear it.

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There's really no way to say which is the best, since different people can react differently, so it depends on what works for you.

The best idea I can give you is to check with your pharmacy and see who manufactured the ones that you used to take and ask if they can order them back in for you. They usually can and will sometimes do so for their regular customers.

Does anyone else have any advice or ideas to add?

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Contrary to the experience of some, I have found that manufactured by CIPLA is vastly superior to TEVA's at least for Bipolar II.

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Actually a generic can range from 80-120% of brand name drug!

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I rarely ever post on forums, however, felt led due to my knowledge and experience with Lamotrigine.

For those of you who are unaware:

-LAMICTAL is the Brand Name of lamotrigine. Lamictal first came out in 1994 and manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline. It was originally made to treat patients with seizures, however was later discovered to be a miracle drug for Bipolar 2 depression. After a new drug is invented and the patent ends other manufacturers are able to create the generic equivalent of the drug which is MUCH cheaper in cost for the people.

LAMOTRIGINE is the name of the generic version of Lamictal. This drug is mass produced by many different manufacturers all over the world. Every pharmacy carriers different manufacturers and THEY DO NOT all work the same. Examples of lamotrigine manufacturers are: TEVA, TARO, ZYDUS, UNICHEM, and more. So when you go to your pharmacy to fill your script for LAMOTRIGINE you really never know which manufacturer you will get UNLESS you ask.

I was diagnosed with Bipolar 2 depression 10 years ago at the age of 24. I was prescribed Lamotrigine (TEVA manufacture) and it SAVED my life.

Within the past 10 years there were a handful of times where my pharmacy could not order TEVA and I was given lamotrigine from another manufacturer. I immediately noticed the difference and became sick fairly quick until I was put back on the TEVA.

Fast forward 10 years to today and the manufacturer TEVA discontinued the production of lamotrigine. I was on my last 30 day supply of TEVA and was notified by my pharmacy that TEVA permanently stopped production and I would have to switch manufacturers. This was the last thing I wanted to hear. Teva was literally a lifesaver and now I was being forced to try to fix something that was not broken.

I immediately began my research, found this forum, and read every single page. Before the forum, I was just going to bite the bullet and start taking the Original Brand Lamictal which would cost me $500 a month. I'm not a millionaire, however $500 a month to keep my mental health in check is worth it to me. After reading the posts and many people sharing their positive experiences with TARO I decided to give it a shot.

Costco is the only pharmacy that keeps it in stock constantly. Walgreens and most other pharmacies can order it, however it takes a few days to come in.

All generic drugs ARE NOT THE SAME. No matter WHAT your pharmacist or doctor says; we the people are the ones who truly know that answer. Again this is coming from the experience of someone who has been on lamotrigine for 10 years. TEVA was the only manufacturer that truly worked for me with little to no side effects.

I will begin taking the TARO brand tomorrow and will keep current with my status and well being. I encourage all of who were previously taking TEVA to do the same. Post the reason why you take Lamotrigine (Bipolar or seizures) and which new manufacturer you have switched to due TEVA shutting down. Be sure to also update your progress so we can all help learn from our personal experiences.

I believe doctors can only help us to a certain degree. We as the patients need to stick together and post our experiences to help one another.

Best of luck to all and by sticking together we will find a solution! :)

Summary:
-List the manufacturer you were taking

-List the reason (Bipolar or seizures)

-List name of the new manufacturer.

-List the length of time you have been taking it from the new manufacturer

-How do you feel? Side effects? Any recent depressive episodes or seizures?

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Re: Nikki (# 174)

I’ve been taking Taro since October with no issue whatsoever. Same dosage as before. My post from back then (or so) still remains true for me. My transition was 100% from Teva to Taro overnight - no tapering, so I was able to make a pretty accurate assessment for myself about the impact right away.

Walgreens ordered Taro for me for the first 4 months, then they said they were having a hard time, so I switch to Costco, which carries it as their main brand. According to Taro Pharmaceuticals, Walgreens (or any pharmacy) should have no problem ordering it directly from them if they don’t carry it in stock.

Hope that helps! I’ve been super pleased and so relieved. I was really freaked out when I heard the news about Teva. So very relieved to have found Taro and this group which helped a lot to narrow some good choices.

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Hello, I recently got a generic of lamotrigine and found it to be very bad. It was Zygenerics and I was tempted to call the company because it almost killed me. My doctor said most generics are only about 80% of the brand name one. I will do some more research and try out Teva.

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My seizure disorder is fairly well controlled on the Cipla manufacturer. switched once to Taro and I had multiple breakthroughs. switched back to Cipla and much better

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Re: Raechel (# 90)

Here ya go re Northstar...
Here are specific ingredients in LAMICTAL (BRAND), TEVA lamotrigine, and generic lamotrigine manufactured by NORTHSTAR. I did not include coloring.

LAMICTAL (BRAND): Active: lamotrigine. Inactive: lactose, magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose, povidone, sodium starch glycolate
TEVA: Active: lamotrigine. Inactive: colloidal silicon dioxide, lactose monohydrate, magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose, povidone, pregelatinized starch, sodium starch glycolate
NORTHSTAR: Active: lamotrigine. Inactive: lactose monohydrate, sodium starch glycolate, povidone, magnesium stearate, talc

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I still cannot claim the Taro is as good as Teva but it has been a large improvement over the unichem.

Aside from therapy years back and medication, weight training has made the largest improvement to my physical and mental health. Assembling a home gym has been the best investment I have made. Unfortunately feeling depressed doesn't make one want to pick up heavy things and put them down. But I lifted today and I have a meeting this afternoon. So overall not bad.

" I'm stronger now even after everything that you did. Still alive and kicking. "

Keep on swinging yall and please dont settle.

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Re: Ashlie (# 128)

I wanted to update my previous post about d/c Teva and starting a new brand. I have been taking TARO from Costco (pretty cheap if you don’t have insurance) for about 3 weeks now. I honestly don’t feel any strange side effects and I actually like this brand. I don’t feel a mental change since switching from Teva and I am very pleased with this new brand. Keep in mind everyone’s body is different and I am sure this brand doesn’t work for some, but I have tried other brands and had issues before and I am not having those issues with TARO. Good luck everyone!

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Re: Paul Saslo (# 144)

Hi everyone!! I know there has been quite a bit of discussion about an acceptable replacement generic brand for Teva - I just wanted to say that I switched to Taro a week ago. I've been very pleased and relieved.

Disclaimer: I take it for BiPolar Disorder. I've been charting my moods with 2 different mood apps (several times throughout the day) and had multiple people offer their insight into my moods (on a daily basis) as compared to where I was with Teva.

I have experienced no side effects that I can attribute to Taro.

I will say that my moods have been a tick on the upside - meaning a bit more energy and a bit less anxiety. So, I'm not sure if that means there's a bit less efficacy or a bit more, but regardless, I'd say that on my 400 mg dose, it's probably not more than a 25mg difference and - quite frankly - probably only noticeable because of how hyper-vigilant I've been about mood tracking and getting feedback.

So, there's hope for those who have anxiety about the Teva discontinuation!!

Also, Walgreens was willing to order Taro for me, even though they only carried Unichem around here. While one Walgreens said they wouldn't order it, two other Walgreens said they would, so just know that's probably an option for you.

Hope this is helpful for even a few people. Thanks to those who went before me on this, as well. I've appreciated your insight and feedback. I would not have known to order Taro if you had not shared your experiences. :-)

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Re: Irma (# 148)

Hi Irma, I wrote a post a few weeks ago. I’ve been using Taro for a month now. I’ve been extremely pleased. Almost no difference. It has not impacted my daily life at all. There is a very slight difference in potency, but it’s very small - think about 25 mg on my 400 mg. So small that I have not adjusted my dosage.

My local Walgreens happily orders Taro for me with 2 days notice. I know several others who are doing the same thing and having the same luck with Taro.

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There is plenty of (anecdotal) evidence out there that the brand-name Lamictal is superior to most generic forms of Lamictal. Only Teva's generic lamotrigine is similar to Lamictal in pharmacokinetics. You can get the Teva form by filling your prescription at Walgreens.

lamictal-lamotrigine.blogspot.com/2011/10/walgreens-its-where-to-get-decent-teva.html

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all generic drugs have 20% less effective drug and 20% filler. the filler is different for all brands of generics. no one should take generic drugs. blame it on the government. if you doubt this post....do your research. you will find this post about the 99% comment. horrible, false advise.

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Re: fonzi (# 33)

Awesome! Hopefully this backorder situation for Teva Lamotrigine is history - I'm going to start making calls next week to Walgreens about availability - maybe if we all call, they will get the ball rolling on actually getting it to the warehouses and store shelves again. Thanks for the update!

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Re: Connie (# 41)

So glad to hear it's definitely available again! I suspect that what caused the backorder is that in December Teva cut 14,000 jobs worldwide, and then there was a strike - that could have caused a lot of shifting around of jobs, etc. Hopefully it won't happen again...unfortunately, these backorders can happen with any of our medications for multiple reasons...let's just enjoy our Teva Lamotrigine while it lasts!

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Just got off the phone with Teva - they have DISCONTINUED LAMOTRIGINE! Period. No plans to ever manufacture it again. Can we please re-open discussion about other generic brands people take? Also, if anyone is ordering brand name from elsewhere, would you mind sharing where, and the cost? 200mg for me.

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Ashlie (# 76) --

Hi Ashlie! I actually take lamotrigine/Lamictal for BiPolar. I believe with XR (extended release) you take it once a day, as opposed to multiple times a day (as I currently do - I take it once in the morning and once in the evening) - according to my neurologist and psychiatrist. It titrates the active ingredients throughout the days, I guess. I am not a medical professional or scientist, so I can't say I know all the details of this... I'm only sharing what's been shared with me.

Teva is not discontinuing the XR. If I had to take a stab, it's because that is a more profitable drug for them because the XR is more pricey - though, again, I don't know anything about it, so that's all conjecture.

So, since Teva is the only generic that's come close to getting it right, for me, I'm going to try to stick with them and see if the extended release will work as well or close to as well for me, before I go to other generic brands - though, if I can't get a pharmacy around here to order Teva for me, I may be stuck with the other generic brands of the regular release, which is why I am so grateful for any and all info that people are willing to share here about their experiences.

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