Objective: Concerns have been raised about the safety of switching from a branded antiepileptic drug (AED) to a generic AED. The goal of the study described here was to understand patients' experiences with generic AEDs in the Midwestern United States.
Methods: A one-page, six-item survey was mailed to 356 patients to determine patients' awareness of the existence and their usage of generic AEDs.
Results: Twenty-eight percent (27.8%) of respondents (N=179) reported breakthrough seizures they believed were a direct result of the switch from a brand to a generic AED, and 33.7% reported side effects due to the switch. Thirty-one percent (31.2%) returned to a brand-name AED as a result. Sixty-nine percent (68.8%) reported being unaware that some pharmacies switch to generic AEDs without a patient's or physician's consent, and 78.7% expressed concern over this.
Conclusion: A significant percentage of patients reported that generic AEDs were responsible for breakthrough seizures and increased side effects. A significant percentage of patients also reported switching back to a brand-name AED and expressed concern over pharmacies switching to generic AEDs without a patient's or physician's consent.