The Ketogenic Diet?

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TeriAdele

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I am currently taking Lamictal but I am wondering whether or not I should do The Ketogenic Diet.

Has anyone here been on this Diet as well as meds, if so how did it work out for you?
 
Hi TeriAdele,

I am taking Lamictal but I am not on the Ketogenic Diet. I am on the Glycemic Index Diet.

It is up to you what diet you go on. It might or might not work for you. Have you asked your doctor what diet he/she recommends?

Welcome to CWE, it was made by Bernard out of love for his wife Stacy. That love permeates throughout the whole forum.
 
I do the same thing. Lamictal 200 mg's in the am and 100mg's in the pm did not control the nocturnal tonic clonic's. I needed a co-med but nothing worked. My doctor was at a loss. I happened on the ketogenic diet by accident. It has, been my saving grace. Gluton/Sugar free plus increased consumption of meat protein and fat have been a gate way to an almost,(minimal peti-mals), seizures. I agree what works for me might not work for others. It has been my experience that I have to research and come up with options when chemicals don't work.
 
I am taking Lamictal. It worked partially still I would have 1-2 tonic clonics monthly for years. I needed a co-med but nothing worked without side effects. By accident I started eating high protein and fat. Something inside said go gluton/sugar free. If I get seizures they are conscience peti-mal's. I reported this to my doctor who said this was the ketogenic diet. Sugar/Gluton free means a lot of will power. Now this works for me I'm not saying it will work for you.
 
I am taking Lamictal. I needed a co-med but nothing worked without side effects.

Ask your doctor for Ativan or Lorazepam for a co-med. They use Ativan in the ER during seizures. I have a prescription for Lorazepam. It is a great co-med. I only take it if I need to.

As far as diets, I will not tell you what diet to use. If the one you have chosen works for you, stick to it. I think I mentioned which diet I am on, The Glycemic Index Diet. It might have some gluten free products. You can google it on the internet.
 
Lol I was going to post a new thread about this diet but I see one already exists...and yes it's totally awesome! I've actually been kind of following this diet without knowing it for quite some time now as I have been doing weight training and various other forms of exercise including aerobics, HIIT, and Yoga...but I intend to follow it more intensely...

I actually lost weight during Thanksgiving...last summer I was up to 157lbs when I got hospitalized and was taking Lithium but I am no longer in that weird funk and believe that medication causes more damage than repairs so I work hard to counter any negative effects it may be having on my body, mind, and spirit...about a week ago I was 147lbs but now upon my new discovery of this awesome diet I have quickly lost 5lbs in just a week! I have about 15% body fat (20lbs essential) and 120lbs of lean muscle mass, bone, and water...however my goal is to reach about 10% body fat...I feel my body constantly going into burn mode it's amazing how it feels...I feel great and have better focus and clarity...not to mention a better mood and increased stamina! I also drink lots of water but not too much because that can be toxic...timing is everything...I fast for 16 hours then eat within an 8 hour window getting all my macro nutrients in within that time frame...


but yeah here are some good links to calculate your macros and get more advice:

http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/

https://www.stephanieperson.com/the-ketogenic-diet/ :)
 
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You have nothing to loose by trying it.

I am on <20 carbs a day, sometimes less. I don't keep track anymore because I eat the same things all the time. My ketosticks read 80. I'm not where I want to be with the seizures, but am tremendously improved fro last spring when I started.

I would go for the straight up classic Ketogenic diet to start. You can always go to something less restrictive. If you start with the less restrictive diet, you end up wondering if it would work better on less carbs. I started on the LGIT, and reduced my carbs from there. Keeping track of the glycemic index was too complicated.

Make sure you have enough support. My epileptologist agreed to let me try, and I saw a dietician, but it was obvious that neither of them had much experience with it. The diet was the opposite of what I was used to, but I didn't get any help witheal plans or recipes. You need someone you can call with questions. Online forums aren't a lot of help if you haven't been put on the classic diet properly, and the posts are almost exclusively parent discussions.
 
but yeah this fasting is not easy :lol:
 
I've been able to cut my meds back by 50% with a ketogenic diet. I started with a Paleo/Primal diet and then was feeling so much better without the grains and extra starch that I kept going into ketoland.
My neurologist was totally useless in this department. She feels that as long as meds are working, there is no point in exploring alternatives.
 
Hi All-

I self-started the Keto/Paleo diet 2 months ago. I spent my life underweight and Zonegran put me in at 83 lbs (and in the hospital for 3 weeks). Depakote made me gain 90 lbs in 3 months. As a woman that was really difficult for me. Exercise was literally doing nothing. Finally I was in the library and found a book called The Cantin Ketogenic Diet and decided to try it. I lost over 20 lbs in 2 1/2 weeks. Now I've just maintained the weight loss because I haven't been as strict. I need to start back though because I'm just not feeling as well. I've noticed not only do I get auras when I add items on the YUCK list, but I get moody and develop facial tics. I've noticed Keto uses dairy but the primal diet does not. What works for each of you? And do any of you get dizzy from milk? I'm fine with butter probably a minute after drinking milk I get dizzy.
 
I think one of the major flaws in the traditional keto diet is the heavy reliance on dairy. I have done keto with and then recently without the dairy and I feel much better without it.
Milk doesn't make me dizzy but it does make my sinuses all stuffy which doesn't do good things for breathing well at night ( my seizures are nocturnal.)
 
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