Break through seizures?

[Beanogirl]

A little history. I'm 33, diagnosed in May with simple partial seizures when I was pregnant. I had a very healthy baby girl in Oct. Started Lamictal in Nov. I have been seizure free since my daughter was 2 weeks old. I have some side effects but nothing compared to what I read about other drugs. My right hand gives out from time to time. I've dropped my cell phone more times than I can count. My memory is horrible and I jumble my words but I'm functioning. Last week I had my first seizure since starting meds. I was up all night with the baby and in the morning it hit. It was just like my normal simple partial's but no deja vu. I've had 6 more since then. My neuro is increasing my Lamictal. My question is, once you have one break through seizure are you more likely to have more? I was just starting to feel normal and now I am scared and anxious again.

 

[Nakamova]

It varies from individual to individual, depending on their seizure threshold, safety margin, and susceptibility to triggers. For some folks, a breakthrough may just be a blip -- perhaps they were ill or unusually tired -- and more seizures won't necessarily follow. For others, it may be a sign that that medication dose hasn't been high enough all along, or other factors may have changed (like hormones or metabolism), and the seizure threshold is just too low. Ideally your dose of med will provide a "safety margin", so that even if your seizure threshold is lowered (say, by fatigue or infection), the medication will still be effective.

An additional possibility is that you have developed a tolerance at a given dose, and the med needs to be increased as a result. This doesn't happen in the majority of cases, but it can happen for some.

Keep track of your seizures with the Lamictal increase. After you are stable on the higher does, your seizures should be better controlled. If they aren't, let your neuro know.