Generic Rx Although Less Expensive Than Brand Names Are Considered Just As Good, Right? ButAre They Really?? (579 hits)
Generic drugs are considered “just as good” as their more expensive brand-name counterparts—but, as one writer experienced, in certain circumstances their effects can be dangerously different. Back in 2009, when I was a graduate student, I was studying late at the University ...and suddenly realized that my prescription for my seizure medication had to be refilled. One problem: I was the holiday the next day. I have seizures and without medication its trouble, during which I collapse and thrash violently. They last only a few minutes, but they’re not pretty.
I still had a week’s worth of medicine, but transferring the prescription to a another pharmacy and then back again to my regular pharmacy (some distance away)., is a big headache. So I called my regular pharmacy to let them know I was coming. I was hoping the little stapled bag would be ready when I arrived. No such luck. I sat down beside the dispensary at the back of the store and waited. When I was finally called over to the counter, the pharmacist greeted me with a concerned sigh. “Oh, I never like giving this one out.”
“Really? What’s wrong with it?” I asked. I had taken Keppra for years and had never suffered anything worse than a little sleepiness in the morning. “We’re out of the brand-name,” said the pharmacist, “so we’re giving you the generic version.” He told me he was an epileptic and was taking Keppra himself. He had recently switched to levetiracetam, a generic version of the drug, because it was cheaper. On average, generic drugs cost 60 per cent less than the brand-name drugs they are designed to replace. But soon after he made the switch, the pharmacist said, he experienced several auras—sensations that often signal an impending seizure—and was unable to come to work.
When he switched back to Keppra, things returned to normal. I dismissed the pharmacist’s warning because I’ve found that everyone’s an expert. I’ve seen a slew of neurologists, consulted a bunch of GPs and have been to several epileptologists. Every one of them has a different explanation for the seizures and has recommended different courses of treatment. And anyway, why would Health Canada approve a generic version of Keppra if it didn’t work?
One week later, in the lead-up to New Year’s Eve—a period in which I had been dutifully taking my meds—I could tell something was off. I was on the couch when it happened. Once I realize I’m about to have a seizure, it’s already too late to do anything. All I can do is hope that I regain consciousness afterwards. In the seconds afforded to me before it hit, I remembered the pharmacist denouncing the generic anticonvulsant he had dispensed.
I lay there helpless, convulsing and unable to draw another breath, as 100 billion neurons fired simultaneously inside my head.
Generic drugs are immensely popular in Canada, where they account for about 57 per cent of all prescriptions. Intended to have the same pharmacological effect as brand-name drugs at a fraction of the price, they have proven indispensable to Canadians. ...
