Lamictal - do you experience tolerance?

[Mike88]

Anybody familiar medication Lamictal experience tolerance? I have a epilepsy (Tonic–clonic). Not have a severe seizure about 6 months.

For this reason, my neurologist has stopped increasing the dose - it's sat for 4 months 325mg. Now, started to get seizure (focal).

Is it I’ve tolerance Lamictal, therefore the dose as be increasing in definitely?

Thanks

Mike

 

[Nakamova]

Hard to say whether you've developed a tolerance, since everyone is different. The new focal seizures might be due to changes in your metabolism or some other factor that is affecting your seizure threshold. I started on Lamictal about 8 years ago (200mg/day) for my tonic-clonics, and they were fully-controlled. Then about two years ago, I got a tiny, tiny breakthrough seizure (like a very brief absence seizure), which I recognized as a sign that my dose might be too low. So I went up to 225mg/day and have been fine since (knock on wood).

Do you keep a seizure diary? You might be able to note a pattern or trigger for the recent focal seizures. Maybe it's seasonal or related to some physical stressors like fatigue.

 

[masterjen]

Since most of the time doctors prescribe the lowest effective dose of medication, I would wonder if the breakthrough seizures are because your Lamictal dose is too low to "cover you" in all situations. In other words, something might have lowered your seizure threshold causing the breakthrough. I'm a believer in keeping a seizure diary; if it turns out that there is/are trigger/s you can reduce or avoid, this is by far better than increasing a medication dose and dealing with side effects

 

[Mike88]

Thank you, both for your prompt replies.

Little bit concern about the doses. Prospect of “industrial” doses, terms of side effects etc.

I have started a diary to recording everything about seizure.

Mike