Switch Lamictal - Lyrica. Feelin' weird :)

[john_williams]

I'm still having complex partial seizures after my gran-mal last november (2007). I'm on tegretol as my base med, but have been on abotu 4 different meds to try and control the partials...which don't seem to want to be controlled.

So I've been on lamictal for about 3 months, and we've switched me to Lyrica now, 100mg x2 a day. Ever since i started the switch (went from tegretol * lamictal one night, tegretol & yrica next morning) my head is feelign weird.

It's like a slightly drunk state / light headedness. Is this just me getting use to the new drug, or the effect of coming off lamictal? ANy ideas?

I walk around the house having to stabalize myself right now. It's not like I'm stumbling real bad or anything, just a little. My wife said I'm really doing shots and using this as an excuse for the wobbling lol.

So anyways, like i said, lamicatl withdraw, or the lyrica, or a combination of both till the lamictal is out of my system?

thanks guys! Hope everyone's having a GREAT holiday season!

[Bernard]

Did you wean from the Lamictal or drop it cold turkey?

Did you ramp up on the Lyrica or go full dose immediately?

[BuckeyeFan]

Along with about 4 or 5 others here, I am starting Lamictal. From what I have read about it, I am surprised you were taken off cold turkey unless you were reacting to it badly.

So many things could be causing your symptoms. I would contact your neurologist. It could be from any of the three meds or from the E itself. It could also be related to any underlying cause of your E.

Best wishes! I hope you feel better soon. I hate those wobbly days when you feel like a drunk.

[john_williams]

Did you wean from the Lamictal or drop it cold turkey?

Did you ramp up on the Lyrica or go full dose immediately?

We dropped lamictal cold turkey, two days ago. Went to Lyrica, did one does of 50mg in the am. Told him I had had 2 paritals later in the day, and he went ahead and upped it to 10mg for the evenign does, (and 100mg 2x a day from then on).

I hate those wobbly days when you feel like a drunk.

I know! Especially since I cant' drink amymore even! At least give me a real reason for it lol

[RobinN]

In your profile you state that you only had one tonic clonic. Medication isn't typically prescribed until you have had multiple seizures. Did the partials begin after the meds were introduced? For my daughter I would begin to suspect the drug to be causing the added seizures. When we dropped the med she also lost the partials.

Seems like you could check out some alternative therapies, and perhaps lower the meds or lose them entirely.

[Kansas Educator]

I must have misunderstood. I thought John was saying that he HAD had multiple seizures but only one of them was a grand mal -- the rest were complex partials. My understanding is that the medication is a response to trying to control the complex partials which hasn't happened yet. I have been on the same medication since diagnosis so can't answer to the side effects you are feeling. Seems to me that maybe you should call your neurologist and talk to him/her about it. However, to respond to Robin's comment which has merit too -- did the complex partials start or worsen only after starting the medication?

[Bernard]

We dropped lamictal cold turkey, two days ago. Went to Lyrica, did one does of 50mg in the am.

I imagine that would be like throwing a monkey wrench into the gears of a machine that was running at full steam.

When weaning off drugs, RAMP DOWN

[john_williams]

Sry for the confusion robin - yes, i've had complex partials before the tonic-clonic, i just didn't know that's what they were. I do have them ALOT more often now since the tonic-clonic though, not sure why that is.

I tt my neurologist about it, and he said it's probably just a side effect of the Lyrica and should go away in a few days. he said Lamictal doesn't usually have side effects when quiting.....but that seems to be the opposite opinion of people here. So we'll see how wobbly i am in a few days i guess

[Cinnabar]

Good Luck with Your Lamictal

I've been on it for years. It's a good drug. I was happy to hear from my neurologist, yesterday, that Lamictal is not the cause of my recent hair loss. (Blood tests on the horizon to rule out problems and double check my Lamicatal levels which is a good thing to do now and then.)

I take 600 mg of Lamictal and find it to be very "potent" (it takes some time for the body to adjust). He just switched the "dozage taking" around, so I will be a bit more tired throughout the day until my body acclimates.

One thing you should be careful of is that taking too much (that little extra for whatever reason) can cause seizures. I wonder if this is the case with all anti-epileptic drugs?

Well, best of luck on Lamictal! Let me know how it goes? Cinnabar

[Cinnabar]

You say you've been on Lamictal for three months then "switched" to Lyrica.
Did you go cold turkey off Lamictal? I'm just one with epilepsy, like yourself, but I would never go cold turky off any meds, It's too jarring to the system. It's sounds like there's alot of "switch-a-roing" going on with your meds on a daily basis.

I'm assuming you're following your neurologist's advice as to how/when you take your meds, but if his/her methods are causing you such malfuntion, I would stay very calm and look into finding another doctor and keep in touch with us all about what your experiencing and the headway your making. This is the best I can offer as I'm just a "professional patient". Cinnabar

[skillefer]

Hi john! Although I don't take lyrica or Lamictal, I have to agree with the others....from what I've read, patients are to be weaned slowly off anti-epileptic drug's. They aren't to be going cold turkey from one med to another unless it's for very serious reasons like Stevens Johnson syndrome, and even then, the research suggests the patient be hospitalized while the switch is taking place. I would talk to your neurologist if I were you and see if either the dosage of the new med can be spread throughout the day, or something.....

[CindyD]

Hi John,

Could your blood pressure be affected? Have you the ability to check and make sure it is within normal range? My only experience is with Lyrica and I had an adverse reaction to it. It caused me to have severe edema (water retention - swelling) in my feet, legs and hands. Within two weeks of being on Lyrica my feet looked like someone had blown them up like a baloon! I already have high blood pressure and take meds to control it. The edema made my blood pressure skyrocket and when I called my GP, I was told to immediately discontinue the the Lyrica and come in so that he could check me over.

I have never taken Lamictal so there was no combo effect. Just wanted you to be aware of my experience, which, by the way is one of the side effects listed in the drug handout that was given to me by my CVS pharmacy. I just usually don't experience major side effects from my meds so it was a real surprise when that happened with the Lyrica and I try to make sure that I let anyone that is taking the drug know how it affected me so that they will be careful to monitor their own bodies carefully for side effects.

Hope you get to feeling better very soon.

Cindy