Side effects whilst on Lamotrigine

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Booboo982

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Hi, I have noticed that since I started taking Lamotrigine I have become really angry which gets worse with each increase. It's upsetting me as I always take it out on my Fiance. I have also notice that I'm really tired and am constantly aching from head to foot. I am on 75mg at the moment but I go back to see my neurologist next month. I'm planning to go back to see my GP on Monday to see if he can help me as I can't stay on it anymore
 
Oh goodness I'm so sorry :(

Lamictal has an opposite effect on me. I end up with more energy and less obvious mood swings. I'm at 100 mgs regularly.

I would agree, that's not working for you. (((hugs))) I hope you find something better soon!
 
Hi all, I have been away for weeks and missed this site. I have especially been wondering about this drug Lamictal. My neurologist has recently had me switch to it from kepra I am starting on 25 mg twice a day. It is a pain that i will need to take it twice a day but hope it will stop all seizures (many absence seizures lately). I know repeated absence seizures is usually a pre-curser to a coming bigger one. I am worried about other effects from this drug and hoped to find some experiences from it. Been wanting to check in here and am so glad to see this post now when I check in. (smile).
I am going to double the amount after another week and every two weeks double it. I am still taking 1250 mg keppra until I guess, a month and stop that. I love, love, love this site. Hope everyone is well. -Douglas
 
BooBoo - I am glad you are calling your GP and will be seeing your neurologist next month. It is my understanding that lamictal is also used as a mood stabilizer so the spikes in anger may be something to talk about with your dr/neurologist. I will say my daughter is tired and sleeps very soundly. She needs 8-9 hours each night.

Janus,
My daughter (age 14) is currently taking 300 mg of lamictal and with every increase we did see some minor side effects. Mainly dizziness and some minor chin acne. She does seem tired and really needs 8-9 hours of sleep each night. Paige is on lamictal XR so she only has to take the med once per day. The XR is only available in the name brand. She usually is in a good mood and continues to enjoy each day. She is able to carry all honors during her 1st year in high school and even made high honor roll. So she is able to concentrate and stay focused. I hope this is helpful and best of luck with lamictal.
 
Boo Boo I am sorry that Lamictal isn't working for you. I began a titration on the XR this past April. I am now at 150 twice daily on the generic form. I have been episode (complex partial szr) free for 8 months now. I noticed an improvement with my mood. Trileptal was my Bad experience drug-depression weight gain, dizziness, sleepiness which led to an overall lower quality of life and even then didn't control the seizures- yet it works so well for others. The neurologist wouldn't listen to me...I quit going and stepped off Trileptal. I have a new neurologist now and the Lamictal has worked so far with some minor side effects (mainly dizziness/imbalance and a few aches and pains) which were much improved with increased potassium in my diet. I hope the GP was able to help, but if not, DO talk with your neurologist about your side effects-Lamictal just might not be the drug for you. Hope the best for you :)
 
Anna started Lamictal two years ago, while gradually decreasing Trileptal. As soon as she was on the Lamictal alone we started to notice she was having sad spells and anxiety. The doctor did not think it was a side effect, due to Lamictal being a mood stabilizer. She also has had difficulty concentrating, saying she feels "stupid", although she continues to get good grades. She lowered her dose from 500mg to 300 mg/day, and is now taking 200mg of Vimpat too, but is having breakthrough seizures fairly often so it doesn't seem to be working for her.
 
Some of the side effects may disappear once your brain "gets used to" the Lamictal. When I went on Lamictal it revved me up during the day, and gave me very poor sleep at night. I was pretty cranky as a result. But after two months, my brain adjusted and those particular side effects went away.

It's your call to make -- if you find the mood-related problems intolerable, and see no signs of them disappearing, then definitely let the doc know that it's the wrong med for you.
 
I went to see my GP who has reduced the strength of Lamotrigine from 75mg to 50mg and told me to see how I go. Things stabalized out when I was on 50mg. Also found out the fatty tissue around part of my brain is less than there should be and they are trying to find out why, so I will be having abother MRI scan on 3rd Jan.
 
I started taking Lamictal about a month and a half ago. I am titrating up the medication 50 mgs at a time (almost done! Next week will be the last week til I'm at the dosage!). I'm going to wean off Carbamazepine XR after the Lamictal is therapeutic.

When I first started, I had crazy side effects: numbness in my legs and tongue, frequent panic attacks, nausea and headaches - not to mention horrific nightmares.

My neurologist said that my brain is just freaking out since I've been on Carbamazepine for over 20 years and that once we wean down, the side effects should disappear or at least lessen. I can't wait for that day.
 
The nightmares might be Lamictal-related -- that's a common Lamictal side effect. But it's also a side effect that tends to go away once the brain gets used to the med.
 
I hope the Lamictal works for you. It has mood enhancing properties which can be very helpful. Unfortunately, I got "THE RASH" about 2 weeks into the starter package. I also know that it completely obliterated my appetite which isn't great to begin with.
Good Luck, dont you love being a Lab Rat?
 
Hello,

I am on Lamictal 300 mg per day (150 mg; 6 AM & 6 PM). I noticed when I first went on it, an upkick in obsessive-compulsive activity. It was awful--I wanted to pull my hair out.

I have insomnia whilst on it--I wake up 2-3x per night. I need my sleep; lack of sleep is one of my seizure triggers. It took 8 weeks to get up to this dose--I am having more and more autonomic seizures than usual lately.

I see the neuro next Wed, please send up a prayer for me. Neuros seem to really not believe any thing patients say, it's discouraging to go, and I anticipate being upset afterwards. I'm also paying out of pocket, a little disconcerting too, lol. :)

Best wishes,
Chels.
 
PSUgirl2009 said:
I started taking Lamictal about a month and a half ago. I am titrating up the medication 50 mgs at a time (almost done! Next week will be the last week til I'm at the dosage!). I'm going to wean off Carbamazepine XR after the Lamictal is therapeutic.

When I first started, I had crazy side effects: numbness in my legs and tongue, frequent panic attacks, nausea and headaches - not to mention horrific nightmares.

My neurologist said that my brain is just freaking out since I've been on Carbamazepine for over 20 years and that once we wean down, the side effects should disappear or at least lessen. I can't wait for that day.
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I had frequent panic/OCD with it as well--I was a ball of anxiety, haha. It was REALLY bad! :( --Eventually it went away, thank God.
 
deeds said:
I hope the Lamictal works for you. It has mood enhancing properties which can be very helpful. Unfortunately, I got "THE RASH" about 2 weeks into the starter package. I also know that it completely obliterated my appetite which isn't great to begin with.
Good Luck, dont you love being a Lab Rat?
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I have also lost significant weight on Lamictal. When I started it, I weighed 180, I now weigh 140...it's the total opposite of the medication Tegretol which put all that weight on me. I get nausea, and have little appetite on Lamictal, though. I set my watch and force myself to eat 3x daily.
 
Chelsea said:
I have also lost significant weight on Lamictal. When I started it, I weighed 180, I now weigh 140...it's the total opposite of the medication Tegretol which put all that weight on me. I get nausea, and have little appetite on Lamictal, though. I set my watch and force myself to eat 3x daily.
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This sounds funny, but I hope this is the case for me. The combination of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Carbamazepine had me constantly battling with my weight. I have been trying to contain the same 20 pounds for the past 7 years (when I was diagnosed with PCOS). I was always STARVING.

So far, over the 6 weeks I've been on Lamictal, I have lost 6 pounds. My appetite has definitely lessened. I hope this trend continues so I can finally maintain a healthy weight.
 
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