Medical Legal Advice Regarding Generic Epilepsy Drugs?

Question

I have been prescribed Generic Anti Epileptic Drugs and have just suffered a severe breakthrough seisure which i believe to be caused by the use of Generic Brand AEDs. Have i any legal Legal chanels that i can go down ?

Answer 1

You would have to get your view confirmed by a medico-legal expert, who would need to have access to all your notes. But it's very rare for the generic version of a drug to produce adverse effects when the proprietary brand of the same drug doesn't. They are produced to the same formulation and it simply means that the originating drug company's patent has run out (unless, of course, you got your drugs through an unorthodox channel like buying them from a third world country, in which case I'm afraid you've got no recourse at all).

Epilepsy is a malady for which the medication may need to be re-calculated as the patient's condition changes - through age, if nothing else. So it could well have been the case that you'd have had a breakthrough seizure anyway due to changes in your body chemistry. You should talk to your physician, and if necessary seek a second opinion, but I honestly doubt whether you'll get very far if you try to make a case based on moving to generic drugs.

Sorry that's probably not the answer you wanted to hear, but it may save you a good deal of time and effort (not to mention anger) talking to expensive lawyers.

Answer 2

Generic Drugs are the same as Branded - that's not the reason for your seizure - maybe you've had a change of medication type? Go back to your GP/consultant and discuss it with him/her.

As the previous answer says, if you got your meds from an unorthodox source, you have no comeback, be they generic or branded.

Answer 3

im sorry i have no idea my sister died from a huge fit 3 year ago ,swallowed her tongue . the tabs she was taking didnt control her fits at all . good luck ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, x