Anyone on lamotrigine??

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lisajane

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Hi There,
I have been diagnosed with partial seziures and have been put on Lamotrigine.
Is anyone else on this medication? If so, any size effects at all?
Also people that have children, did you continue to take the medication whilst pregnant or did you stop?
I'm about to get married, and looking to start a family soon after.
Any advice at all really would be appreciated x
 
Congrats on the upcoming marriage!! :D

Lamictal (the name brand, Lamotrigine is the generic) actually didn't have a lot of side effects for me when I was on it. Problem was, the generic didn't exist at the time and I couldn't afford it. :p

Most noticeable "side effect" for me was actually a general lack of emotions. That's actually not that surprising, considering it's also used as a mood stabilizer. I don't think it was a side effect at all actually.

I had difficulty sleeping, but I always have had insomnia so I don't know if they were related or not. There was also a bit of a lack in coordination for me, which is a side effect.

The big side effect to it is the dreaded "Lamictal Rash". It's a very serious condition which can be life threatening, but almost always occurs in the first 8 weeks of taking it. If you develop a rash, get ahold of your doctors immediately.

As far as pregnancy goes, I believe I read somewhere that it can cause a decrease in your vitamins which can lead to pregnancy problems. However, my neurologist treats a lot of women with E who have gone through pregnancies (he actually keeps photos of them and their newborns on his wall as a display, along with what medications they were on throughout their pregnancies.) I asked him about it one day and he said that making sure they take pre-natal vitamins throughout their pregnancy, and that those vitamins include Vitamins E and K, has counteracted their vitamin defencies, which would have otherwise lead to birth defects.

He also said he bans them from breast-feeding, especially with Lamictal, because the medicine gets transferred through breast milk. So to keep the baby safe from being dosed with anti-convulsants after its birth, he makes sure they don't breast feed.

As far as pregnancy goes, definitely talk to your doctors before you get pregnant, and see what they suggest. :)
 
Medications and Mothers Milk by Dr Hale is an excellent resource. Consult your MD before getting pregnant. Your OB doc and Nuero doc should work together to keep you and baby safe. Also note that there are two pregnancy risk categories for medications.

The first, called the pregnancy risk, tells you about the risk of the medication while you are pregnant and how the medication transfers through the placenta and if its harmful to the baby. Also medications can be harmful and safe at different times during the pregnancy.

The second, called the breastfeeding risk, tells you about how the medication transfers through breastmilk and if its harmful to the baby.

Its interesting to know also that one med can be safe in pregnancy and harmful in breastfeeding or the other way around... harmful in pregnancy and safe in breastfeeding. So make sure when you see your doctors to ask about both.

Cheers to a healthy happy marriage and babies :)
 
Hi lisajane,

I was just prescribed lamotrigine i was wondering how you have been doing with it?
 
I was on Lamotrigne for four days then took myself off of them. I had severe agoraphobia for four months and lived on diazepam during that time. The medication was thought to have brought these symptoms on. My GP put me on Tegretol in place of Lamotrigne and this suited me fine. I have heard of cases where Tegretol brought on agoraphobia and their meds was change to Lamotrigne and that worked for them. See how you go on the Lamotrigne - hope all goes well for you!
:)
 
Lamictal (actually I'm on the generic form, Lamotrigine) works okay for me, though I would still love to be med-free some day...

More threads about Lamictal/Lamotrigine can be found here:
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f23/lamictal-opinions-all-good-bad-sought-12552/
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f23/lamictal-lamotrigine-experience-15036/
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f27/lamictal-how-high-dose-13767/
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f23/lamotrigine-equals-more-seizures-14408/
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com...se-have-these-side-effects-lamotrigine-11275/
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f20/lamictal-memory-loss-14455/
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f23/lamotrigine-9467/
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f23/lamictal-rash-6102/
 
nicholasscott, its funny you say that. I have been on lamotrogine (lamictal) for a few years now. And I hate leaving my home, especially alone. There are so many things I want to do... I just walk out the door, and walk right back in. I always thought it to be a paranoia, but maybe the meds have a little something to do with it. Thank you for bringing that to my attention.

lisa jane, I have been on it for YEARS now, i can't even begin to tell you how long. I think it was just the year before they came out with the generic, which I take. I don't seem to have any other side effects from that particular medication. I am on 3 others as well. I have recently gotten married myself, and no... you cannot take it when pregnant. There ARE drugs that you can take, while you are pregnant. That is not one of them.
 
Apart from the agoraphobia, my mind became to 'sharp' at times and I lost all emotions- when I closed my eyes it was like staring into a void. I hated (and I very rarely use that word) being on them - even for four days. Like I said in a previous post, I went through 'hell' for four months coming off of them. Tegretol works better for me.
:)
 
you cannot take it when pregnant. There ARE drugs that you can take, while you are pregnant. That is not one of them.
Click to expand...
Actually Lamictal is okay for pregnancy, but tricky because of how it interacts with estrogen. Increasing estrogen levels can clear Lamictal faster from the body than would otherwise occur. So Lamictal levels need to be monitored carefully throughout the pregnancy and adjusted up or down both during and after as the estrogen levels change.
 
Hi Lisajane. I thought I'd chime in and let you know Lamotrigine has only had positive effects for me and I have been taking it for 3 years now. Before I was only on 4000 mg Keppra and some Dilantin for good measure. Keppra and I didn't take well to each other. Depression, anger blah blah blah. My neuro thought Lamictal might conteract the negatives and he was right. So now my Lamotrigine balances out the pissy side of Keppra. Kinda how a good wife balances out a crotchety old man.
 
Hi Lisajane. I have been on Lamotrigine/Lamictal for 18 yrs. I have noticed some side effects. One is many sleepless nights. Or, waking up in the middle of the night and not going back to sleep. So insomnia is one. Second is itchy dry skin. I have to slather on coconut oil to quell the itch when it hits. You have a computer. Punch in Side-effects of lamictal/lamotrigine.
I started smoking medical marijuana and I sleep soundly. I use it as a co-med. as Lam. only worked partially. MM works for me.
 
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