By Katrina Robinson
Generic alternatives are offered for about 75% of medications approved by the Food and Drug Administration. They save both patient and insurer a bunch of money, sure, but did you realize that switching medications—even just from brand-name to generic—can actually be dangerous? And that’s a real issue now, as insurance companies are beginning to push generic medications more than ever before.
Earlier this month, Deborah Jordahl, a volunteer with Lily’s Fund, wrote an informative and disturbing article that discussed her daughter’s struggle with finding the right epilepsy drug. Along the search for the right epilepsy drug for Anna, Jordahl’s daughter, Anna’s doctor informed the mother-daughter pair that while the differences between name-brand and generic drugs may be minimal, they’re enough to worsen side effects or to cause breakthrough seizures. Jordahl believes that a generic drug that her daughter was on may have caused her breakthrough seizure and led to the worsening of her epilepsy symptoms.
She goes on to explain that her home state of Wisconsin, like many other states, doesn’t require pharmacists to inform customers if their medication has been switched to a generic drug. “Insurance companies not only push, but actually pay ‘bonuses’ to pharmacists who do this because generic drugs are cheaper and will save the insurance companies money,” Jordahl explains. “While switching to generic allergy or acid reflux medications might carry little to no risk, that’s not the case with epilepsy.”
Indeed it’s not. We’ll take it one step further and say that while it may be fine to switch 
acne or dandruff medication to a generic, it would not be acceptable to switch birth control pills, blood thinners, or other medications that can have life-changing consequences to generic medications.
If you are contemplating switching to a generic medication, there are several things you can do to ensure a smooth transition. Dr. Oz, that beloved celebrity doctor, recommends doing the following after switching to a generic medication:
- Monitor how you’re feeling before and after the switch.
- For diabetic medication switches, keep close track of your blood sugar count and report any significant changes to your doctor immediately.
- For blood pressure medication switches, keep track of your blood pressure and report any changes to your doctor.
- With epilepsy drugs, request that your doctor take blood levels before and after switching to generics.
What do you think? Are insurance companies putting their customers’ health at risk by pushing generic medications?
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