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Published on: May 16, 2019
Patient perception of generic antiepileptic drugs in the Midwestern United States
Tania Beltran Papsdorf1, Elizabeth Ablah, Surya Ram
1University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita, Wichita, KS 67214-3199, USA.
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.
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