1. Patient perception of generic antiepileptic drugs in the Midwestern United States.
- Author
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Papsdorf TB, Ablah E, Ram S, Sadler T, and Liow K
- Subjects
- Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Anticonvulsants adverse effects, Data Collection, Epilepsy epidemiology, Female, Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice, Humans, Kansas epidemiology, Male, Middle Aged, Midwestern United States epidemiology, Patient Satisfaction, Young Adult, Anticonvulsants therapeutic use, Drugs, Generic, Epilepsy drug therapy
- Abstract
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.
- Published
- 2009
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