Hi everyone,
This is my first time ever joining a forum, but you have shared so much of your experiences :clap:, I felt compelled to respond to a post of someone increasing lamictal.
I'm currently (well, v slowly over the past 3 years!) reducing Lamictal and I feel the withdrawal symptoms are not well documented at all. I am teaching so I can only reduce during the summer months as otherwise I would not be able to do my job properly.
I've reduced alot slower than the doctor recommended, but it has still been rough at times. I was on a very low dose 3 years ago compared to alot of you (100mg twice a day), decreased to 50mg twice a day the first summer, 25mg twice a day the second summer, and in the past few weeks I've reduced to 25mg in the morning only. It's so tiny, but this last withdrawal has been the roughest, but I think I was just exhausted to begin with.
Symptoms include light-headedness, confusion, dizziness, difficulty with alot of noise, problems concentrating and verbalising (sounds perfectly fine in my head, but it's just not getting out!), slurred speech, stammering, and the sheer exhaustion!! It's difficult each time, but it improves slowly and then I'm great - the fog clears and I'm more efficient with work. I'm reducing at the moment, so my grammar isn't great so please forgive me, I just can't find words. With lifestyle, I have remained seizure-free, although there are times where I just need sleep. I eat regularly, avoid stress if at all possible (especially people who just drain me .. and if its not possible, I take deep breaths, tune out or walk away), I nearly always leave a party first (and always before midnight!), and mind myself. I gradully (over months) changed to the blood-type diet (mentioned in other threads) in January, and also found cranio-sacral therapy excellent.
As with alot of you with photo-sensitive epilepsy, I can't go to the cinema now for past 3 years or watch TV in the dark or party into the wee hours of the morning, and although it sounds dull I feel so much better (apart from when reducing) ... most of the time.
Thanks so much for sharing your experiences and I would love to hear more about Lamical withdrawal symptoms.
This is my first time ever joining a forum, but you have shared so much of your experiences :clap:, I felt compelled to respond to a post of someone increasing lamictal.
I'm currently (well, v slowly over the past 3 years!) reducing Lamictal and I feel the withdrawal symptoms are not well documented at all. I am teaching so I can only reduce during the summer months as otherwise I would not be able to do my job properly.
I've reduced alot slower than the doctor recommended, but it has still been rough at times. I was on a very low dose 3 years ago compared to alot of you (100mg twice a day), decreased to 50mg twice a day the first summer, 25mg twice a day the second summer, and in the past few weeks I've reduced to 25mg in the morning only. It's so tiny, but this last withdrawal has been the roughest, but I think I was just exhausted to begin with.
Symptoms include light-headedness, confusion, dizziness, difficulty with alot of noise, problems concentrating and verbalising (sounds perfectly fine in my head, but it's just not getting out!), slurred speech, stammering, and the sheer exhaustion!! It's difficult each time, but it improves slowly and then I'm great - the fog clears and I'm more efficient with work. I'm reducing at the moment, so my grammar isn't great so please forgive me, I just can't find words. With lifestyle, I have remained seizure-free, although there are times where I just need sleep. I eat regularly, avoid stress if at all possible (especially people who just drain me .. and if its not possible, I take deep breaths, tune out or walk away), I nearly always leave a party first (and always before midnight!), and mind myself. I gradully (over months) changed to the blood-type diet (mentioned in other threads) in January, and also found cranio-sacral therapy excellent.
As with alot of you with photo-sensitive epilepsy, I can't go to the cinema now for past 3 years or watch TV in the dark or party into the wee hours of the morning, and although it sounds dull I feel so much better (apart from when reducing) ... most of the time.
Thanks so much for sharing your experiences and I would love to hear more about Lamical withdrawal symptoms.