AED for Children

[hootie]

My son's neurologist prescribed Depakote for his absence seizures. His other doc was wondering if Lamictal would be a better choice. The neurologist said no due to higher incidence of "the rash" (SJS). The more I read about Depakote, the more I see that it has many side effects.

I'm hoping he will get off the drugs once NFB kicks in.

What med(s) are your kids taking?

[Rae1889]

actually, the rash is a little rare but serious, but allergies are common with any drug. lamictal is actually one of the anti-epileptic drugs with little side effects as well as less harsh side effects. If your son gets the rash, its a simple ER visit where they wil wean him off and start a new anti-epileptic drug. It is only fatal if left untreated.

It really is your call though. You as a parent have a right to determine which drug your child is on. If you find the side effects unacceptable, then by all means, let his neurologist know and request that he tries Lamictal anyway.

Edit: I have been on Lamictal for just over 3 months now. I am at 150mg but on the 25th I raise it to 200mg. I am only 20 years old *still a kid to some* and the only side effect that I for sure know I had is a bit of hair loss

[RobinN]

Lamictal is not recommended for those under the age of 16.

The revised labeling now includes a boxed warning which emphasizes that LAMICTAL® is not indicated for use in patients below the age of 16 years. Specifically, reports from clinical trials suggest that as many as 1 in 50 to 1 in 100 pediatric patients treated with LAMICTAL® develop a potentially life-threatening rash, as compared with a rate of approximately one in every thousand adults.

http://depts.washington.edu/druginfo...motrigine.html

[hootie]

Rae and Robin--
Thanks for the information. My son is 10 so I guess I will stick with the neurologist's recommendation. 1:50 to 1:100 is a little to common for my liking. I knew it was more common for children to get SJS while on Lamictal but I didn't know it was that common.

[DanaC]

My daughter took Depakine for a year. We imediatly saw an increase in her appetite and later on hair loss. She didn't have any other side effects. However, first change in dose (either + or -) was a full week of moodiness.
Good luck.

[hootie]

Thanks!
My son is still at half the dose of what the neurologist prescribed. I noticed more moodiness when I tried to increase to 3/4. I am not seeing any absence seizures on 1/2 dose although I guess he may still have seizures without me seeing anything happening.

We started neurofeedback so I am hoping the seizures will be controlled this way so we can wean him off the meds.