Sometimes the name brand is essential for optimal health from certain meds.

Xcopri (the newest approved anticonvulsant in the USA) is the only of my medications that is not the generic version. I thought I had been switched to the generic, but my sister, who takes care of my medications for me, explained that it has not. It might be the pharmaceutical company who makes Xcopri (only approved in 2019) that is persuading my insurance company (after all more experimentation years with it on people) that it was not changed.

Personally switching from name brand to generic gave me a horrible experience. Insurance companies are out to save money for themselves not to benefit You. The pharmacy I was getting my medication at switched to generic medication without telling me, I don't think the pharmacy knew either. After a week of taking the generic 911 had to be called because the amount and kind of seizures I was to much for my body to handle. My neurologist discovered the effect of the generic medication was not strong enough. Now to make that does not happen again my Dr. writes on my perscription: Brand Name Medically Necessary. So I know I can't take generic medication and my Dr. has made sure the last negative experience will not happen again. Tell Your Dr. some of the horror stories about what happened to people when they did not get the correct medication, and the cost of staying in the hospital that could have been avoided just by taking the correct medication.

I am sorry to hear what you are going through! Unfortunately, in the USA, the priority of the US Congress is keeping their jobs for the rest of their lives (or choose to retire), thus they do not care about us but rather the large corporate beasts who can put big money into their campaigns, and there are many who get money from these large medical insurance companies AND if your source is Medicare or Medicaid, then they can claim that they are helping save taxpayer money by not stopping them switching patients from name brand to generic.

Years ago, my previous primary care doctor was told that my medical insurance wanted to change the my medication to the generic, but the key is that there are 3 parts of Cholesterol and my medication is for HDL (bad cholesterol), but they wanted to switch me to one for Triglycerides (because it was cheaper). My doctor was not allowed to tell them NO (love the US Medical System), but rather I had to. Mind you, if I had not already been switched to the generic version of the medicine for lowering bad cholesterol, then even I would not have had a say.

Ask our friends in Australia (and possibly some other nations), then you will find out that their government has installed in the protections in law to keep them on the name brand medicines. One of them can give you more details (as they did in the past to me, but this is as much as I can recall).

Switching to Generic from Brand for Lamictal and Depakote has resulted in seizures for me. My Dr is currently fighting the insurance to allow me the brand name medications. Be aware Dr putting brand medically necessary is not a guarantee you will be allowed the Brand in the US anymore. Insurance has way more power and owns our government. .