Author: Colin Poitras
Published March 5, 2012
“The substitution of brand-name anti-epileptic drugs with cheaper generic equivalents has been an ongoing point of contention among doctors, federal officials, and people with epilepsy.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration claims generic anti-epileptic drugs have the same dosage, purity, and strength as their brand-name counterparts and the two are interchangeable. But doctors and people with epilepsy remain concerned, citing widespread reports of individuals suffering seizures after switching medication.
A new comprehensive review by pharmacists and doctors at the University of Connecticut and Hartford Hospital shows that it is not the drugs themselves, but the switching aspect that may be causing the problem.
In a review of 89 different studies dating back to 1950, the researchers found that the efficacy, tolerability and safety of brand-name and generic anti-epileptic medications are virtually the same. But switching from one form to the other may cause patients to have more hospitalizations and longer hospital stays. The study results were first reported in a Comparative Effectiveness Review issued by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) in December 2011.
“If you have epilepsy and want to start on an anti-epileptic drug, the evidence is compelling that it doesn’t matter if you use a brand-name or a generic product. But if you’re already using one version of the drug (whether generic or brand-name), there may be a concern if you switch to something else,” says C. Michael White, a pharmacy professor at the University of Connecticut and director of the federally-designated UConn/Hartford Hospital Evidence-Based Practice Center in Hartford, Conn.
The same concerns apply whether a person switches from a brand-name drug to a generic version or from one generic version to another, White says. While many individuals with epilepsy may not experience any problems switching medications, some people may have complications and the consequences could be severe” (Poitras, 2012).
Another concern in the epileptic community. The simple swap of a pill, the same medication could end an individual with epilepsy’s life. It is a common practice to swap medications to generic brands. People have no reaction from taking acetaminophen instead of Tylenol. But for some with epilepsy, it can mean life or death. Medication is a major concern for this community. If an implantation, new drug system, new servicing system can solve this problem and decrease the amount of worry for an already stressful condition, I think it needs to be addressed. What if the symptoms of epilepsy could be solved without medication. These concerns would vanish along with the eminent health risk.
Manufacturers and medical professionals prescribing these medications need to be conscious the decisions they make. Just as when coming up with products for epileptic support and solutions, I need to be cautious of all the risks.
Reference
Poitras, C. (2012b, March 5). Study: Switching anti-epileptic drugs could increase risk of seizures. UConn Today. https://today.uconn.edu/2012/03/study-switching-anti-epileptic-drugs-could-increase-risk-of-seizures/
