lamictal and weight loss..help please

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bowly

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hi guys..had a seizure 9 months back and started with oxcarbazepine..recently i shifted from ox to lamotigrine due to the higher percentage of risk factor during concieving from oxcarbazepine..

now after 3 months of transition period have seen a rapid loss in my weight..

my question is has anyone gone thru this before with lamtec..

is oxcarbazepine better than lamtec as far as weight loss is concerned..

ox has 7 to 8 percent and lamtec has a 4 to 5 percent chances of having fertility issues and embryo troubles to fetus..but this weight loss is killing me..

ur veiws are valuable..please chip in..thanks
 
I lost weight on lamictal, but as I'm already overweight I didn't mind too much.
 
Hi bowly --

Unfortunately I've gained weight on Lamictal. The meds affect everyone differently, so it's tough to predict how they'll behave for you.

Is your weight loss due to a lack of appetite or to an increased metabolism? Have you talked to your doc about ways to control or slow your weight loss?
 
I would check with your doctor and make sure routine testing is being done.

Weight loss can be from the drug but can also be from diabetes (happened to my hubby). Have you decreased the amount you are eating because you are not hungry anymore (side effect of drug)? Usually with diabetes you also are eating a lot, drinking a lot of water and losing weight.
 
I gained on Lamictal, too, but lots of people in here have lost a lot of weight on it. Do call your doc. He may make a change in your meds, or suggest that you see a dietician to help beef up the number of calories in your diet.
 
thanks everyone..

i also have hypo thyroid for which i am taking thyronome 25 mg ed..

so i dont know which to blame..as i know with hypo thyroid you gain weight..

also i was on a transition period where i had to continue my 750 ox and add 50 mg lamtec every 15 days till i reached 250 mgs..only then could i taper ox..so i was practically loaded with both drugs..

my ox has reduced to 300mgs and lamtec is at 250mgs..30 more days and my ox will be out..

is there a specific test that can derive what is causing the weight loss
 
It's very possible that the Oxcarbazepine was partly responsible for your hypothyroidism, or exacerbated it. (Some studies have shown that it interferes with the hypothalamic–pituitary axis, and people on it have developed hypothyroidism). So now that you are decreasing the Ox, your thyroid is recovering -- and that, in combo with the thyronome may be making you hyperthyroid and causing the weight loss. I think the your doc might want to check your thyroid again and consider adjusting the thyronome based on the result.

There are other causes of weight loss, but since you have thyroid issues that's a logical place to start. If that's ruled out, your doc will probably try to determine whether it's related to appetite, metabolism, endocrine system, or gut-absorption issues.
 
I can't be sure if I gained or lost weight on Lamtical. I'm overweight already. I think the drug really has adverse side effects especially when you don't take them. Personally, when I didn't take my Lamitical, my appetite increased.
 
Nakamova said:
It's very possible that the Oxcarbazepine was partly responsible for your hypothyroidism, or exacerbated it. (Some studies have shown that it interferes with the hypothalamic–pituitary axis, and people on it have developed hypothyroidism). So now that you are decreasing the Ox, your thyroid is recovering -- and that, in combo with the thyronome may be making you hyperthyroid and causing the weight loss. I think the your doc might want to check your thyroid again and consider adjusting the thyronome based on the result.

There are other causes of weight loss, but since you have thyroid issues that's a logical place to start. If that's ruled out, your doc will probably try to determine whether it's related to appetite, metabolism, endocrine system, or gut-absorption issues.
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hey nakamova that was great insight..i am so relieved just by this explanation..god bless you..my hubby had reduced the dose from 50 to 25 but now i guess i will reduce it further after i get my blood work done..thanks
 
I lost 25 pounds on lamictal. But I was 265, and I had already started to eat better so I don't think it was all lamictal, but it did cause some weight loss. But I am now fairly skinny at 6' 240.
 
VintageRacer said:
I lost 25 pounds on lamictal. But I was 265, and I had already started to eat better so I don't think it was all lamictal, but it did cause some weight loss. But I am now fairly skinny at 6' 240.
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Just the opposite here. I have been gaining big time lately, though it may be lifestyle changes. I am constantly hungry.

I should probably have my thyroid checked again. I had hypothyroidism a few years back.
 
BuckeyeFan said:
Just the opposite here. I have been gaining big time lately, though it may be lifestyle changes. I am constantly hungry.

I should probably have my thyroid checked again. I had hypothyroidism a few years back.
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Every two weeks or so I get super hungry and gain about 8 pounds then quickly lose it.......:ponder:
 
I lost a lot of weight when I was on Keppra and Topamax that I didn't need to lose...lost about 15 pounds in the first 3 months without changing my eating habits or exercise habits.

When the doctor took me off the Keppra (he left me on the Topamax) and changed me over to Lamictal XR, I lost ANOTHER 7 pounds that I really didn't need to lose. When I called the doctor about it (I lost the 7 pounds within a month of being on the 100 mg/day dose), he said he found it "odd" since most of his patients either gain weight on it or it doesn't effect their weight one way or the other.

The doctor essentially told me to "be patient" since the other 2 patients he had that lost weight on the Lamictal XR regained it after 3 months...it's been about 5 months now and I am still waiting...lol.

Like the others have said, it's probably a very individual thing. From what I have read, Lamictal is supposed to be safer if you are pregnant. If the weight loss is really bothering you, see if you can work with a nutritionist.
 
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