I've possibly taken too much Lamictal, can anyone help please?

[Wobblez]

Hi everyone,

This morning I woke up feeling foggier than usual. I sat down next to a friend and filled my 7 day pill box with my tablets for the week. I was paying attention but I suddenly realised I didn't remember if I had taken my morning dose or not. I asked my friend and her daughter and both of them were sure they hadn't seen me take it. I'm 90% sure I didn't. My cofffee was on the bench so I would have to lean over to get it too.

The problem is, there is a chance that I did take 400mg (whole daily dose), forgotten then taken 200mg, my usual morning dose. So worst case scenario, 600mg.400mg is my usual daily dose.

I spoke to my pharmacist and he said he couldn't find any information advising more than a 400mg daily SAFE dose. I'm sure i've heard of you guys having taken more than that. Does anyone know for certain what is safe? I can't get hold of my Neurologist and the Pharmacist struggled to know what to tell me. He did say that "overdose" range is around 10grams. I'm already having partials and diazepam hasn't really helped so I don't know what to do.

I feel so silly but this is the trouble with feeling "out of it!"

Appreciate any help x

 

[Nakamova]

The recommended maintenance range for Lamictal is 300 to 500mg of Lamictal/day, but there are folks who fall on either side of that range. See: http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f27/lamictal-how-high-dose-13767/ I know of someone taking 800mg/day. If you've accidentally taken more than you need, you may feel some side effects, and should probably play it safe and not run around.

You're nowhere near the 10gram "overdose" amount, but just to be safe: One of the ways you might be able to tell if you've taken way too much Lamictal is if you're especially uncoordinated, or feel like your eyes are moving back and forth uncontrollably. If you feel anything like that, or just aren't sure, call or go to the ER.

 

[Chris515]

I've doubled up on my meds before as well.. I'm normally on 550mg/day, taken twice daily. A couple of times I thought I forgot to take my meds, and then had to make the decision - do you take the risk of taking too much or too little?

Anyways. The few times I've taken 775mg in one day -- I feel like I just took 5 sleeping pills. I'm normally tired, but this made me very uncoordinated and groggy. Almost like being drunk.

I don't think you're in any danger, but if you're feeling anything Nakamova mentioned, it may be safe to hit the ER. Better safe.

 

[Wobblez]

Thanks Nakamova, I had googled Lamictal but didn't find any sites that felt reputable. I'll check that one out now!

Hi Chris515, thanks for your input. I'm not surprised you felt drunk! An epileptic's equivalent of a big night out huh! After speaking with the pharmacist and having to take 10mg Diazepam to slow down the auras and partials, I decided the Diazepam would keep me safe, combined with the 14hour half life of my morning dose (doubled or not). I set my alarm for 5am this morning and took half my morning dose then, then half at my usual time with breakfast. I'm alive so that's a start=) I also have a cold so that would explain the dizziness and increase in auras.

I didn't have any extreme symptoms like eyes going back and forth but thanks for the tip =)

 

[Endless]

I'd definely keep calling your neuro if you are worried about it. Call even if it's after hours. It's why they make the big bucks. They are here to help us with urgent issues even if it's a late or early hour. Also call the poison control center for FAST and reliable information on what is safe or unsafe and what to do: 1-800-222-1222 .
http://www.poison.org/



My favorite site for info on any drug is the NIH (National Institute of Health) site with the official package inserts:

http://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov

The specific info on Lamictal is here: http://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?id=15349#section-12

It has info on dosage ranges, management of overdosages, etc.