OMG! My back is killing me!!!

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Rhonda

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Okay friends, I was changed from Carbamazapine because it made me a majorly depressed zombie. I only took it for two weeks (newly diagnosed with seizures by the way) and then saw a neurologist. He switched me to Lamictal. I have been taking it for 2 weeks + 2 days now and the front of my neck where my lymph nodes would be is sore on the right side only and my back...OH MY BACK...is killing me! The muscles are so sore that I cannot tolerate it much longer. My wrists are also sore and my fingers are "tight" feeling--they feel the same as if they were swollen. Does this sound like a concerning side effect? I have no fever and no rash that I have noticed. I am still very fatigued like I was before I started on meds and if I don't take a nap I feel like I'm reallly drunk in my head-hard to hold my eyes open and difficult to focus, vision gets tired-like. I started with 50mg once a day for one week and then moved to 50mg twice a day and have been taking that for one week now. The Neuro took me out of work because I am an ultrasound tech (patient's lives in my hands and I have to interpret correctly and have a clear mind) and I take call night and day. How in the world am I suppose to go back to work when I am so tired from nocturnal and daytime seizures together, especially when both of the meds are intollerable??? I know it's still new and I should be patient, but honestly I am questioning if I will ever be able to work a full-time job again. Please help me here. I can handle the truth so please be honest with me.:ponder::ponder::ponder:
 
I really can't give you an answer but I'd call your neurologist to find out if that is a side effect that can be caused by the medicine. If the side effects are to bad to handle, which it sounds like they are, then ask to be put on something else.
 
Hi Rhonda --

I didn't have those side effects while on lamictal. But it does seem to me that your ramp up has been a little fast -- I think I started with 25mg/day, and stayed at that dose for at least two weeks before moving up to 50mg/day, and so on. You've gone from zero to 100mg in only two weeks! Are you still on the Carbamazepine, or were you completely off before switching to the Lamictal? Either way, I would ask your neuro about taking a slow step back with your Lamictal dosing, and scheduling a much slower ramp-up. "Low and slow" is more likely to minimize the risk of side effects.
 
Call your neurologist as soon as you can, and you may be able to backtrack on the Lamictal increase. Like Nakamova, I started at 25 mg for 2 weeks, then 50 for two weeks, and so on. It meant a long wait before seeing any benefit, but the reason behind the slow titration is to avoid or minimize side effects.
 
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