Lamictal, Anyone?

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that is good to know qtown, I just browed this article, I will have to do some reading tonight on this site!
 
My doc always tells me a medication cannot make me lose or gain weight. Only food can do that. So I've always taken care not to let my meds change how much I eat. As a result, I've never gained or lost weight from medication and I find that the appetite changes that happen initially go away as long as I sustain the right food quantities.

Lamictin cured my TLE related mood swings like no other medication has. That part was marvelous--I felt happy and calm for years. Then I had a Stephen Johnsons reaction so I had to change meds. After I went off the lamictin I discovered that I had not lost the person I had been before--lamictin had taken it from me. I was ecstatic when I started feeling like a real person again, and began to feel as though I was in the real world instead of walking around with a giant marshmallow separating me from everything and everyone else. On the plus side, the drug really did more for my epilepsy than anything else has.
 
My doc always tells me a medication cannot make me lose or gain weight. Only food can do that. So I've always taken care not to let my meds change how much I eat.
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Easier said than done in some cases though. When I was on Zonegran I was really trying to eat, but my stomach was so acidic and painful it was difficult to figure out what foods would work. And since Zonegran was suppressing my appetite, it made the effort doubly hard.
 
I'm actually taking 600mg of Lamictal XR per day. Once my neurologist prescribed me that, I have been fine for the most part. Only two "medium" seizures in the past five years.
 
Hey! I found side-effects-wise lamictal was my dream drug :hugs: Doing the swap from epilim over to lamictal was not a barrel of laughs, but that only lasted about 1 month.
Lamictal kept me seizure free for a year. I still had jerking in my right limbs & sometimes my right leg would fall out from under me. I didn't have any gran mals for a year though. When they did come back it was out of the blue.
 
Thanks everyone, for the feedback! I go in next week for my Amb. EEG results so with those she will either let me know I have a choice or not. :)
 
Lamictal has worked well for me. Was on Keppra alone for my first few months, then my neurologist added Lamictal and my seizure activity has decreased a lot, plus the side effects have seemed pretty minimal compared to what other people have dealt with. Well, they kinda sucked when my body was adjusting, but now I feel pretty normal.

As far as weight gain - I didn't gain any weight, or lose any weight. At first with Keppra my stomach wasn't feeling so well so I wasn't eating as much, but then the stomach aches went away, and my appetite came back :) I'm also on antidepressants and THOSE initially changed my appetite (which kinda makes sense if you think about it), but then once I adjusted to those too, I have stayed pretty even.
 
lamictal

BrandiBrat, interesting name. How did you get that? I started taking lamictal in approx. 2004/5. Before that was tegretol, combo of dilantin and tegretol. The efficacy of lamictal controlling my seizures has been really good. There have been a few break-through seizures; but overall a vasttt improvement. As far as side-effects their aren't any really apparent to me. Have no awareness of sedation, rashes, losing my hair---unfortunately, my genes took care of that. The only side-effect I can attribute to lamictal is constipation. That is a possible side-effect listed I the PDR. There isn't the sedation, lethargy, drowsiness and the often times struggle to make yourself do things-----especially wake-up in the morning. I hope this helped you to figure out what is happening with you and be able to figure out how to deal with it.>>>>>>>>Robert
 
Hi, I have tried in the past different combinations of medicine. Lamictal 400 daily and keppra 1500 daily has worked out very well for me.
 
I hated lamictal simply because it caused more myoclonic seizures on me. My son is on Depakote and he might be added to that but we shall see.
 
ROBERT45 said:
BrandiBrat, interesting name. How did you get that? I started taking lamictal in approx. 2004/5. Before that was tegretol, combo of dilantin and tegretol. The efficacy of lamictal controlling my seizures has been really good. There have been a few break-through seizures; but overall a vasttt improvement. As far as side-effects their aren't any really apparent to me. Have no awareness of sedation, rashes, losing my hair---unfortunately, my genes took care of that. The only side-effect I can attribute to lamictal is constipation. That is a possible side-effect listed I the PDR. There isn't the sedation, lethargy, drowsiness and the often times struggle to make yourself do things-----especially wake-up in the morning. I hope this helped you to figure out what is happening with you and be able to figure out how to deal with it.>>>>>>>>Robert
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interesting name. How did you get that? My dad gave it to me as a 2 year old and it stuck...terrible 2's that I never quite grew out of I suppose lol.

My Dr. put me on Lamictal at 600mg this week and 1200 mg next and kept me on the Topamax. She also added a VNS. A big HIYA to E. :) Hopefully it will get a handle on the seizures. So far, the biggest side effect is sleepiness during the day, but not too bad. A bit spaced out, as well. A few months ago the Topamax started to take a toll on my dental health (my gums started to recede) and I'm hoping the lamictal doesn't add to that.
So far the seizures have gotten a little worse during the day (I mostly have nocturnal seizures) but I'm hoping it's just me getting used to the med...I'll give it time.
 
I tried Lamictal in May 2011 and had a horriable reaction to it. My glands in my neck got sore and huge. very swollen to the point that I couldnt sleep or turn my head. I also noticed what looked like acne was occuring around my mouth and chin area. But when I increased the dose, it got worse and formed scabs and started to bleed. My neuro said I had a sinus infection. I went to my primary care dr and she confirmed I was having an allergic reaction to the medication and it needed to be off. The acne I thought it was, was actually the steven johnson syndrome. Just be on the look out for signs like that. Good Luck!
 
That sounds horrible!!! :( Sorry you had to go through that! One thing I feel that isn't necessarily uncomfortable but I'd say it's peculiar is that in the evening (when I get tired from running around busy all day from the horses and kids) is I have what feels like a low grade fever (I don't have a thermometer so I have to say "feels like") and I've had a sore throat for the last 4-5 days. My glands feel ok, not swollen or sore. My throat isn't raw or red. It's just scratchy and sore as if I'm catching a cold but I'm not. I had a 4 month check up with my GP yesterday and brought it up to him and he didn't seem too concerned but I'm keeping it in the back of my mind, you know?
 
I'm on Lamictal, it was the first drug I was put on along with Clobazam to get it into my system quicker. I can't really say much about swapping meds because I haven't but the Lamictal has been working really well for me! The only side effect I had was I lost my apetite, but that's about it! I have myclonic seizures which is what they used it for, and they have decreased in frequency since being on Lamictal!

I used to have several a day, but now I am only having one or two and they aren't as violent as they used to be :) I hope you do well if you decide to change, keep me updated on how you're doing!!!
 
Hi EllyPaddington!
My Doc actually kept me on the Topamax and added the Lamictal, and after a week I found that I am allergic to it. I immediately got a sore throat (which I thought was odd but didn't say anything about it) and then I got swollen lymph nodes and a fever after a few days and my eyes felt like they were on fire. Then, I got flu-like symptoms so I paged her and she took me off it immediately. I've been off of it for 4 days now and I still have a fever of 101 and my eyes are still burning.
This stuff was really bad for me! I saw her yesterday and she gave me a prescription for Depakote to replace the Lamictal but I'm not starting anything new until my poor body is recovered from this experience. I'm scheduled from VNS next month and she said I can stick with just the Topamax after the surgery anyway. Gee whiz, we go through a lot to control our seizures, don't we? haha
 
I've been on mono therapy Lamictal for 2 years now but it didn't seem to work so I'm weaning myself off and going to attempt something new. Memory really bad and I heard that is a side effect of the meds but could also be a side effect of the seizures ???
In the medical world Lamictal is the drug with the least side effects but I didn't want to have to take hundreds of mg's worth of it just to test out this theory.
Good luck with it, it tastes like candy at least
 
Hi Lainsta, I ended up having an allergic reaction to it and had to come off of it immediately. I ended up with the beginning stages of Steven Johnson Syndrome and had a fever, swollen lymph nodes, sore throat, flu symptoms, burning eyes, and was starting to get a rash on my face. It was horrible stuff for me. And that was only after 2 weeks! haha But hey, I'm down to try anything that tastes like candy! :)
 
I am on Lamictal now (400 mg--200 qam, 200 qpm). I've had an upkick in obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and it has aggravated that condition in me. I wanted my ARNP to help me wean off of it, because it just doesn't work for me. It takes a while to load the dose too! It took about 2 months to get stable on it (because of the risk of a deadly rash called Stevens-Johnson Syndrome-Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis). I'm dissatisfied with it. It is one of the first lines of defense for seizure control. Hope everything works out.
 
BrandiBrat, I take and have taken Lamictal for the last 9-10 years and with both great control and no recognized side-effects. I can't say there aren't any; but none that are really obvious. The drugs like tegretol, dilantin, phenobarbital, and others I have taken are debilitating in and of themselves. Lamictal may possibly contribute to constipation. I think that is a possible side-effect. Anyway, I have no side-effects that I can distinctly attribute to lamictal. Good luck and I hope this helps you decide. >>>>>Robert45
 
Given that Stephen Johnsons can eventually end in death, I would say someone else's lack of side effects doesn't really come into the equation. We all respond differently to different drugs. I get Stephen Johnson's syndrome from both Lamictal and Topomax. Trust me, you don't want to get to the skin rash phase--I have never been so maddeningly itchy in my entire life.
 
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