600mg Lamictal and Zonisamide... A lot to handle... Surgery Time?

[ranet_jeno]

Hi community! Good to be back....

SO 600 lamictal XR and 300 Zonisamide is apparently a pretty high dosage to be on to control seizures... for a while, just the 600 of lamictal was COMPLETELY controlling my seizures... and I was still contemplating surgery.. now I am on that drug plus the Zonisamide and I started having complex partials again... No grand mals however (thankfully) I am SICK of UPPING my dosages and changing drugs. So besides saying talk to your doctor, I was hoping to get some input/discussion. I have already started the process and am candidate... we are talking about intracranial eeg right now...

bottom line... Am I going overboard with surgery? I mean, this is a pretty high dosage, and I dont want to be on the drugs for the rest of my life (26 now). I am only having the complex partials so was not sure if that alone is worthy of surgery or if grand mals is a requirment for surgery...

thanks guys,

 

[Cint]

SO 600 lamictal XR and 300 Zonisamide is apparently a pretty high dosage to be on to control seizures...

I mean, this is a pretty high dosage, and I dont want to be on the drugs for the rest of my life (26 now). I am only having the complex partials so was not sure if that alone is worthy of surgery or if grand mals is a requirment for surgery...

Not really. Sometimes it takes more than monotherapy to control seizures. Currently, I'm on a high dosage of Keppra, 3000 mgs a day + 200 mgs. Topomax a day. All this after my unsuccessful Left Temporal Lobectomy and a VNS. I started out having CP's, but after surgery they went into more TC's as well as CP's. So unfortunately, so of us are on drugs the rest of our lives.

 

[CQ:)]

Hi community! Good to be back....

SO 600 lamictal XR and 300 Zonisamide is apparently a pretty high dosage to be on to control seizures... for a while, just the 600 of lamictal was COMPLETELY controlling my seizures... and I was still contemplating surgery.. now I am on that drug plus the Zonisamide and I started having complex partials again... No grand mals however (thankfully) I am SICK of UPPING my dosages and changing drugs. So besides saying talk to your doctor, I was hoping to get some input/discussion. I have already started the process and am candidate... we are talking about intracranial eeg right now...

I would have thought that was a low doseage compared to what doseages other people have to take to help control their seizures.
I had my surgery last March & I had to wait until i was 12 months seizure free before I could have my medications reduced.
I saw the neurologist in March this year for my 12 month checkup & he reduced my Tegretol. So I am currently on 200mg Tegretol & 1000mg of Keppra (both twice a day). I have to stay on this doseage until I see the Neurologist again in September.
I think I may have mentioned this before Nick but even if you have the surgery & it is a success there is still a good chance you will remain on meds all your life.

I already know I will most likely be on medication for the rest of my life but hopefully just a lower doseage of one medication.

 

[ranet_jeno]

I had my surgery last March & I had to wait until i was 12 months seizure free before I could have my medications reduced.

Well Even if I could reduce my medication that would be a plus..

I am wondering how long your surgery process took? (eeg, MRI.. up until date of surgery) I started in Jan and am now looking at August for the intracranial EEG... I was also wondering what the medication amount you were on before the surgery?
Thanks!

 

[CQ:)]

I am wondering how long your surgery process took? (eeg, MRI.. up until date of surgery) I started in Jan and am now looking at August for the intracranial EEG...

I would think the time it would take to go through the process involved with the surgery would vary for everyone, depending on the specialists, the hospital & even the country you are in.

For me from the time my neurologist 1st suggested I think about surgery & referred me to a epitiologist to the time I had the surgery it was roughly 18 months.

In November 2009 I saw my Neurologist which is when he suggested the surgery & gave me a referral to see the epitiologist. I couldn't get into see the epiitologist until June 2010 then once I met the epitiologist & he said I was a good candidate it went pretty fast from there.
I had the following tests before my surgery -
September 2010 - PET/ SPECT scan & MRI
November 2010 - 1 week long stay in hospital for Video EEG, while in hospital I also met my neuropsych & had my Neuropsych evaluation. A few days after I had finished the Video EEG I had a fMRI.
March 2011 - I had my Surgery on 10 March. In the days leading up to the Surgery I had the last of my appts which included meeting the Neurosurgeon, seeing the Neuropsych, having my eyes tested, another MRI & pre surgery tests (check heart, lungs etc).

I was also wondering what the medication amount you were on before the surgery?

When I went in for my Video EEG in November 2010 I was on Tegretol 400mg (2 times a day), Keppra 1500mg (2 times a day) Neurontin 400mg (3 times a day). While I was in for the Video EEG the epitiologist changed the doseages of my meds, he took me completely of the Neurontin which was at my request & also lowered the Keppra to 1000mg but kept the Tegretol the same.
I stayed on that doseage - Tegretol 400mg (twice day) & Keppra 1000mg (twice a day) until March this year when the Nuerologist reduced the Tegretol.