Another post about memory loss (side effects)

[skyfire322]

As most of you know, I was placed on Depakote about a month ago and they said that it may magnify the side effects of my other medication. It clicked this morning, and noticed that Lamictal has memory loss as a side effect.

Could this be the reason why my STM is god awful at the moment?

 

[Nakamova]

Technically, Depakote doesn't magnify the side effects of Lamictal. What it does is slow the clearance rate by a significant amount. This means that in combo with Depakote, your Lamictal dose should be much smaller than what it would be if you were taking it alone. It also means that any ramping up of Lamictal should be done in very very tiny increments.

It may be worth having your blood serum levels tested to make sure that you aren't getting too much Lamictal. The signs of Lamictal toxicity to watch out for are: "restlessness, seizures, tremors, muscle weakness, and a staggering walk." Short-term memory problems aren't listed as a side effects caused by the med interaction, but since it seems like a new development, it's worth checking in with your neuro. What dose of Lamictal are you on?

 

[skyfire322]

I'm currently on 600mg of the Lamictal XR (300 two times a day). I do have a staggered walk, but something I can manage for the most part.

They have gotten the blood test results back today, so they will be telling me at my appointment on Tuesday about them. *crosses fingers*

 

[Nakamova]

That does sound like a pretty high Lamictal dose, given that the Depakote could be in essence raising it to 1200mg! You should definitely ask your neuro about the possibility of lowering the dose slightly if you are toxic or borderline toxic.

Keep us posted, I really hope you can find the right med balance and get relief.

 

[skyfire322]

Just a quick update. I saw my doctors nurse practitioner on Tuesday just as a follow up. She was nice enough to me, but it was like a brick wall when I told her about everything. All of her responses started with "When I started back in the '80's..." though. They hadn't received the test results yet so she could only base everything on what I told her.

Anyway, I had mentioned that the nausea and vomiting had subsided due to me being prescribed Zofran. However, I had still had back pain, double vision, and memory loss. She said it shouldn't be like that, but Depakote is the choice a lot of doctors go for. She also stated that maybe they could adjust the level or even ween me off of the Lamictal too. No mention of what I've been dealing with side effect wise though.

I see my actual doctor next month, so I'll be making him aware of every that has been happening. Hopefully by then things get better, but if not, there's definitely cause for concern.

 

[Nakamova]

Definitely keep track of how you're feeling, and make sure to ask about whether the Lamictal might be too high and causing your side effects. Can you ask them to send you the results of the blood work? I always requested that mine be sent to me, so I could have a record.

 

[ilexa margareta]

Shit, I have all of the symptoms of Lamictal toxicity Nakamova described above. I was never told that you could go toxic with Lamictal. I take a low dose of Lamictal (250), but also take Depakote. I've never had my Lamictal levels checked. Should I ask my GP? I don't meet my new neuro until March.

 

[Nakamova]

Hi ilexa --

If you feel like you are having problematic side effects, you should definitely discuss it with your GP, or ideally your neuro. It would be worth asking whether the combination of the two meds is responsible. It would be helpful to check BOTH lamotrigine and valproate blood serum levels -- Lamotrigine is the one that can potentially become toxic due to the presence of the valproate. (Basically the valproate interacts with the lamotrigine and slows down the rate at which the lamotrigine exits your body. So a 300mg lamictal dose could potentially behave as if it were a much higher dose.)

 

[valeriedl]

You probably saw Jill didn't you Skyfire? She never listened to anything I had to say. She wasn't willing to make anytype of changes to anything no matter what you told her. I almost believe she was partially deaf when it came to patients! I had a ton of problems with her.

Hopefully when you see your neuro you'll get a better visit.

 

[ilexa margareta]

Hi ilexa --

If you feel like you are having problematic side effects, you should definitely discuss it with your GP, or ideally your neuro. It would be worth asking whether the combination of the two meds is responsible. It would be helpful to check BOTH lamotrigine and valproate blood serum levels -- Lamotrigine is the one that can potentially become toxic due to the presence of the valproate. (Basically the valproate interacts with the lamotrigine and slows down the rate at which the lamotrigine exits your body. So a 300mg lamictal dose could potentially behave as if it were a much higher dose.)

I currently don't have a neuro. My last one discharged me as I moved out of her health board (NHS), and I don't meet my new one till March. Which is a pain. I'm hoping my GP will be able to tell me something about lamotrigine toxicity and get blood tests done that will tell me whether that's it.