another seizure but he doesn't want to increase dosage says I could become immune?

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notime

Stalwart
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Hi,

I had another seizure later on today, and now I am sore all over, and have a few scratches. Been seizure free for almost a year, until today. I called my neurologist, and of course it took him like 4 hours to get back to me.

He agreed with me on the keppra xr since it gave me bad side effects and he doesn't want to increase it. He then said that he doesn't want to increase the lamictal since it may be the cause of me missing a dosage. He said, that if he did increase it then later on it may not get to the point of working and controlling the seizures.

I can't talk to him, I have to do it directly through his nurse and I hate that. What does that mean? Does it mean that lamictal doesn't last for life and you become immune to it? Can anybody explain?
 
What made a HUGE difference for me was taking my Lamictal 4 times a day instead of 2. With the twice a day dosing I couldn't get higher than 500 per day without feeling completely drugged, and I still had seizures. Since I have gone to 4 times a day I am up to 650, I haven't had a seizure for two months, and am not feeling any side-effects. I pretty much decided to do that on my own, and in the 32 years I have been diagnosed with epilepsy not ONE doctor or neurologist or epileptologist ever suggested that to me! You might want to try increasing staying on the same dose and frequency and see what happens.
Best of luck!
 
notime said:
He agreed with me on the keppra xr since it gave me bad side effects and he doesn't want to increase it. He then said that he doesn't want to increase the lamictal since it may be the cause of me missing a dosage. He said, that if he did increase it then later on it may not get to the point of working and controlling the seizures.
Click to expand...

I have been on meds since I was diagnosed at the age of 6. I am now 71. I can give you some ideas.

With Keppra you have to take Vitamin B Complex, one pill a day over the counter. Without it, you can have problems with Keppra.

That is true, some medications that I have been on work for years and then quit working. I am also on Lamictal. So your doctor is right that it may get to the point of not working.

I would stay with your doctor. After all, you have been seizure free for a year.

I have missed dosages sometimes even though I have them in a pill box for the day. Sometimes, I have to remind my hus
 
It sounds like your doctor thinks you may have just forgotten to take a dose, so an increase may not be necessary? In which case, increasing it is increasing it to a level that may not be necessary at this time. He may want to wait to do an increase until its actually warranted. I don't think it's so much that you get immune to it, but you can get to a level where the side effects outweigh the benefits and if you increase up to a level that you don't need, you risk getting to a bad side effect level before you need to be there. That's just a guess from what you wrote. If you still have questions you might want to call back for clarification.
 
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what does it for me isTegretol & Topamax and I've been on a lot of med. I've been taken meds since I was two so if my doc upped my meds everytime I had a sz I would be toxic on all my drugs.
 
" I called my neurologist, and of course it took him like 4 hours to get back to me. "

He has other things he is doing during his day too. This might have been one of his least priority items at the moment.
 
notime said:
Been seizure free for almost a year, until today. I called my neurologist, and of course it took him like 4 hours to get back to me.

He then said that he doesn't want to increase the lamictal since it may be the cause of me missing a dosage.

I can't talk to him, I have to do it directly through his nurse and I hate that. What does that mean? Does it mean that lamictal doesn't last for life and you become immune to it? Can anybody explain?
Click to expand...

I have been on Lamictal for at least 20 years, maybe longer. I do not think that you or I will become immune to it. It has lasted me for this long.

The reason why your doctor takes so long in calling you back is to look up things for you. He is being careful to give you the best medical care he can.

I think your seizure was because you missed a dosage. Let him know if you have more seizures. Then it might be something else.
 
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