SURVEY SHOWS LINK BETWEEN MEDICATION SWITCHING
AND
INCREASED RISK OF SEIZURES AND SIDE EFFECTS
Steven C. Schachter, MD on medication switching Schachter is Professor of Neurology
Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, MA and a member of the Epilepsy Foundation Board of Directors.
The Epilepsy Foundation announced a new report of survey data obtained from more than 1000 consumers who report an increased risk of seizures and side effects when they have switched from one manufacturer’s formulation of an antiepileptic drug (AED) to another. The switch can be between different manufacturers’ versions of the same generic drug, from a generic to the brand-name drug, or from the brand-name drug to a generic. It can also be caused by a switch from one manufacturer’s formulation of its antiepileptic drug to a new formulation of the same drug. The Foundation’s just-released survey tells the stories that too many individuals have experienced, and supports other newly published studies documenting that switching can cause breakthrough seizures and severe, unexpected side effects.
While most patients can safely switch their medications among different formulations of the same antiepileptic medication, the Epilepsy Foundation recommends that consent must be obtained from the individual with epilepsy and their physician before any such substitutions are made – to avoid potentially life-threatening seizures. Too many people have been harmed; some have even died as a result of an unsupervised switch. » Read more
Generic Drugs Can Save You Money, But Not When Switching Among
Different Versions Causes Seizures or Side Effects
Generic drugs are currently estimated to save consumers at least $8 to $10 billion a year at retail pharmacies because they cost less than the brand name versions of the same product. The Epilepsy Foundation actively supports the increased use of generic medications as a way to save money in healthcare. Because medications are a major cost of epilepsy, the availability of less expensive versions of brand name medicine can be very good news for people with epilepsy.
Medication switching is a major concern because seizures are serious events that can have considerable cost to one’s health, well-being, and pocketbook – and can even be life threatening for the person experiencing the seizure, or because that person accidentally injures someone else during the seizure. As is being shown in related studies, the cost savings in the less expensive medications may be lost when overall health costs and societal consequences are taken into account for those patients who experience breakthrough seizures or troublesome side effects when switched from their usual seizure medicine.
