Anyone else have these side effects with lamotrigine?

[midge18]

Since I upped my dose of lamotrigine I've had tingling in my hands, have felt very dizzy and also have developed insomnia. Anyone else on this drug, and what, if any, side effects did you have?

[RobinN]

My daughter was in a fetal position, and told me the pain was extreme. She went through this for a week and then we dropped the med.

You might want to read others symptoms at:
http://askapatient.com

[midge18]

Thanks, I'm looking up the side effects now, I just hope they wear off soon.

[Nakamova]

I had the insomnia, and still get the dizziness but not as badly. The insomnia went away as my body adjusted (and I also backed off my dose a bit). The dizziness is much less worse than it once once, now it's just an occasional unpleasant feeling when I move my head.

Hope things even out for you. It took a few months before the side effects lessened for me.

[Endless]

Hi, Midge,

I'm on lamictal. I had some pretty bad dizziness. The doc told me dizziness is dose related and reduced the dose for awhile. That worked. I also have extreme insomnia. I'm getting between 2-4 hours of sleep per night. I feel like a walking zombie. I've been on Lamictal several months and so far the insomnia isn't getting better. I've tried 3 different sleeping pills, none helped.

I also have muscle and joint aches, shooting pains through my bones, headaches, and blurry vision around the edges of my eyes. I have an infection that isn't going away after a month of antibiotics. My PCP thinks it could either be lack of sleep (which affects your immune system) or the lamictal (which has increased infections as a side effect). I"m exhausted and feel like I'm on speed all at the same time, which I suspect is a combination of sleep deprivation plus lamictal.

Despite all this I can think again, I'm not sleeping approx 20 hours a day, and I'm not depressed, so for me all of the above is better than the rest of the drugs we've tried so far.

Here's a link to a site that has all the package inserts for our meds. It has the package insert for lamictal, just type in lamictal in the search box:
http://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/about.cfm

[BuckeyeFan]

I have been on Lamictal for 2 years now. No dizziness or confusion that I tie to the meds (I switched from Keppra which was causing those problems after 5 years).

I do now have some insomnia and weight gain. I don't know if these are Lamictal related since they did not start with the drug. The insomnia is getting rather irritating. The weight gain started when I stopped an exercise program. Thus, it is hard to say if that is the cause or if the exercise was keeping the Lamictal in check. My appetite at night is sometimes ravenous, especially when I can't sleep.

[Endless]

Thanks, Buckeye,

I wasn't relating the nighttime munchies with the lamictal. i'm so hungry!!!!

[Nakamova]

I get the nighttime munchies with Lamictal too. It might be a salt craving, though I'm not too particular about what I pig out on when the munchies hit.

[sbncmo]

Hi Midge. I was on lamictal/lamotrigine for about 3 weeks. I started it a few days before going on vacation. My neurologist wanted me on it for 3 days before going out of state, saying if I was going to have an allergic reaction to it, it would be in the form of a rash within the first 3 days. The rash never showed, so we took off. Within a few days, I started having trouble breathing. At first I thought it was the altitude or my asthma. I was very dizzy & in severe pain. It was so bad, that my husband had to literally pull me up the walking trails where I had to stop every 15-20 feet to catch my breath & let the pain ease up a little. I didn't have the insomnia. In fact after 4-5 days into the trip, I had to take naps for 2 days. Then on the way home, I started throwing up & had diahrrea, which I thought was food poisoning. But those symptoms continued for another 4 days after reaching home. I finally called my pharmacist (it was after hours for my neurologist) & he said I was having a severe allergic reaction to the med & told me to back down a little until I could contact my neurologist the next week. My neurologist of course took me off of it.

With any med, if you are having unusual symptoms, contact your doctor or pharmacist. Your doctor my have you stay on the med if there is a possibility of the side effects going away. But you need to let the doctor know what is happening.

Shelia

[Minkels]

Hi Midge,

When I upped my dose of Lamictal XR from 100 mg to 150 mg per day, I too had the tingling in my hands and fingers and got dizzy when I would bend over...also felt pretty unsteady on my feet and almost like my leg muscles were going to give out, if that makes any kind of sense. I didn't have insomnia, but I am also on Topamax and am weaning off Keppra..not sure about Topamax, but I know the Keppra tends to make me want to sleep 12+ hours, even at a low dose. These side effects went away after about 2 weeks.

When the dose was upped to 200 mg (about 3 weeks ago), I have headache, some joint pain, and what I think is a sinus infection that won't go away. I also had some moodiness and depression the first couple of weeks after the dose increase. Not trying to be gross, but I am also experiencing nausea, occasional vomiting, and diarrhea a couple times a day. I am also constantly thirsty on this drug...probably it's just my reaction (drinking constantly) to the dry mouth it causes at the higher dose. I'm down to 250 mg a day of the Keppra now and still don't have an issue with insomnia, I actually feel MORE tired...so maybe Lamictal XR is causing an unusual reaction in me...everyone else seems to have insomnia on it from what I have read.

Despite the side effects I have had on it, Lamictal XR does not seem to have the host of cognitive side effects that come with many of the other anti-epileptic drugs and the upped dose of it has helped counteract the "dumb as a rock" feeling the Topamax gave me. The doctor is keeping me on Topamax. Lamictal XR in combination with the Topamax is the magic combination that got my tonic clonics under control; I started on Keppra and liked it better than Lamictal XR but unfortunately the Keppra did not control my seizures very well at all.

Lamictal XR hasn't caused any weight gain, which I had kind of hoped it would. The Topamax unfortunately caused me to drop 18 pounds that I didn't need to lose and I had read that Lamictal XR could cause weight gain. I actually ended up losing another 4 pounds on Lamictal XR. I guess it is one of those drugs that everyone reacts differently to.

My side effects diminished with time, and the most recent dose increase side effects are also improving.

[cher1985]

I have been on lamictal for about a year now, it does cause me to have dry mouth, gives me the munchies and I have been sleeping odd hours. and it helped counter act the keppra weight lose <for a time the weight lose was good> I went down from 178 to 120 and now I'm at 135(both doctors are happy) and the lamictal is helping with my depression.

I have also had a sinus infection(this was going around the house) and now I have a cold, thanks to my nephews(lol).

one thing I've read on all the meds that I am on or have been on can cause hair lose so be sure to order some kelp(swanson vitamins), I used to be able to brush threw my hair and feel where the leads for the eeg wires went.

hope this info helped and happy new year ~S~

[midge18]

Thanks all, I had a really bad reaction last night, two days after the neurologist upped me from 150-200. I had terrible double vision, was vomiting everywhere..ie on the floor of my student accomodation. I also had the worst seizure yet, in the daytime, which I haven't had for over 3 years. I couldn't move, not even my eyes or I'd vomit. Luckky my door wasnt locked and my friend found me and called an ambulance. It was absolutely awful, I got burns from lying against a hot pipe and carpet burn on my face. I was terrified I was gonna choke on my vomit, cus I physically couldn't move without being sick..Worst day ever, only back from the hospital now, they kapt me in overnight.

[Nakamova]

Oh Midge, I'm so sorry, I hope you feel better soon. Did they give you any meds in the ER? I assume they're going to take you off the Lamotrigine.

[Endless]

Oh, midge. I'm so sorry. It sounds like a miserable day. I'm glad they kept you in the hospital. Do they think it is a reaction to the Lamictal, or just a really really bad case of flu?

I'm on Lamictal and boy, do I understand the insomnia. Have been living with it for several months.

[mihaela]

I am taking lamotrigine and I' m feel good. I haven't dizzines or others side effects. I am just really hungry every 3 hours...

[sbncmo]

Hi Midge,

Sorry to hear how bad you got a few days ago & am glad you are back home. Did the doctors decide it is the lamictal that made you sick? Are they taking you off of it? I totally understand the vomitting. Like I said in my earlier post, I thought I had food poisoning & I was ready to have my husband take me to the ER. I couldn't move either. I just laid on the bed with a large bowl beside me.

I hope you are feeling better.

Shelia

[ColmanMac]

Hi Midge- Hope U R ok - My Consultant took me off Lamotragine - dizziness was so bad I could only come downstairs on my bum!
(Where in Ireland are U? - I'm a Cork lad myself!)
Col

[midge18]

Colman Mac, I'm from Tyrone Best county!
And the doctors weren't sure, they said it was nearly too early to tell after just two days, but I can't think of anything else that might have triggered it. Possibly the fact I'm stressed when I go back home from university ever month or so, me and my mother don't get on, we had a huge fight when she found out i was in hospital. SO either that or exam stress could be affecting me, but I've never been so sick in my life.