Keppra Generic Brands

[Alliezig]

Hi -
Update - Ziggy had another seizure on 2/11/18 - quite bad. He was on 500mg Keppra 2x a day and 1 g Phenobarbital 2 x a day. The doctor increased the Keppra to 750mg in evening and the usual 500 mg in the morning.

However, he was on a Camber generic and the Keppra I picked up today at the vet is by Bluepoint Laboratories. Have any of you experienced problems when switching generics?

Thank you.

[Box40Rin]

Hi, it's me again. I don't know if switching will be a problem or not. It shouldn't be as regulations for drug production exist but you never know if your dog's body sees it as the same. Let us know how this works. box40rin

[GentleJacob's Mom]

Jake had a problem with Keppra at one point, and I contacted the pharmacy at NC State and asked about fillers used in generic Keppra. I was told that while the base drug itself has to be identical there are different fillers used in each generic brand. They also said that those fillers can make a difference in seizure control depending on the dog and how they tolerate or metabolize those fillers. So I spent many hours calling about and researching different pharmaceutical brands and found that none of them had the same fillers as the non generic form of Keppra. There were only two that had one filler that was the same. They can use a few different fillers in each brand. So I whittled it down to two different brands and basically closed my eyes and picked one. From then on we always got the same brand. We used Lupin Pharmaceuticals. It can be a pain to make sure the pharmacy remembers, but at least you know if you run into a problem that the base drug and the fillers are the same.
I hope this helps,
Lynne

[Alliezig]

Thank you - I get my generic Keppra from my vet and she gives me the generic she is using at the time. I do know that fillers are different and it concerns me and I have addressed it with her but Ziggy is having seizures frequently - 2/20/18; 3/3/18 grand map and focal seizures almost every day so I have to chose my battles to fight.

Right now, Ziggy is on Keppra 3x day 500 mg each dose; 1.5 grams of Phenobarbital 2 times a day. In addition, I am giving him CBD oil 2 x a day.

Now, the vet has suggested two things: (1) neurologist consultation; (2) adding potassium bromide.

Thank you again.

[dekeoboe]

We too are trying to stick with the Lupin brand. It can be difficult. NC State cannot guarantee which brand they will have month to month. Luckily our local pharmacy does carry the Lupin brand, but only in the 500mg (the 750mg they have is a different brand) to we need to give Maggie 2 1/2 pills three times a day.

Twice I tried ordering from Allivet. I called ahead of time to see if they had the Lupin brand in stock and made sure my order said not to send if it was not Lupin and to call me first. Twice they did not send the Lupin brand.I just spoke with them yesterday about the latest order and all they do is apologize. They issue a refund, but that is not the point.

[Alliezig]

Hi all -

Ziggy has been doing well - last seizure was 9/5/18; he is taking Keppra generic 1000 mg three times a day and phenobarbital 1.5 grams 2 times a day. His blood work came back good; he is still only eating Hills Z/D and has no nausea and diarrhea. However, he has been on the Camber generic keppra - the last time we switched generic brands he began to have frequent seizures. My vet called last night and said she cannot find the Camber brand keppra - I am now contacting pet drug companies and other vets but so far no luck.

Research online indicated that the Keppra generic Bluepoint which is what Ziggy was given last February does not work as well in humans. Interestingly studies show that generics do not always work as well in humans but some studies feel that it is psychosomatic as a person knows when a brand is being substituting. Well Ziggy does not know and yet he did have more seizures on the Bluepoint generic.

Is there any generic any of you would recommend? Any advice on locating the Camber which I know works.

Thank you so much.

[GentleJacob's Mom]

I'm so glad to hear Ziggy is doing much better. We found ourselves in the same position you're in and had to switch brands. It was scary because we had no idea if it would work as well. We used Lupin Pharmaceuticals brand for the last several years and it worked as well.
I hope Ziggy continues to improve.
Take Care,
Lynne

[Alliezig]

I was able to get the Camber generic Keppra from Ziggy's neurologist's office. She agreed it is best to stay with the same generic if at all possible. One crisis averted for now.