Question about Lamictal

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Literophile

Literophile

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Has anyone ever taken it for migraine prevention? My neuro just put me on it, and I'm more than a little worried about how it will work... My current medications are Dexamethasone (a hormone steroid because my hormones are ALL WRONG) and Spironolactone (a heart medication frequently prescribed for an excess of testosterone in women) so it shouldn't interact but... Even if it doesn't interact, it will have side effects.

So I guess my question is: What has been your experience on Lamictal?
 
I'm on Lamictal for seizures, but I started noticing that after my dosage got up over 350mg my headaches started getting better. So many other med changes were in work that I have no idea if the improvement was due to something else (like my Diamox dosage was doubled). Lamictal isn't FDA approved for headaches/migraine prevention, but my neurologist told me some doctors use it off label for that purpose.

If headaches are occurring more than twice a week, prophylactic therapy is appropriate. Commonly used medications include topiramate (Topamax), propanolol (Inderal), valproate (Depakote), amitriptyline (Elavil), and nortriptyline (Pamelor). However, many other medications have been used to prevent headaches, including Lamictal, Keppra, verapamil, Zanaflex, and lithium. Botox injections may be effective in many cases of intractable headache, but insurance coverage is difficult to obtain.
Click to expand...

http://enfieldneurology.com/headache.htm

Everybody is different - lots of people take Lamictal and LOVE it. No side effects except the good ones, like for some people it evens out moods.

My worst side effects on Lamictal are brain fog and insomnia. The insomnia is big time insomnia, like 2-3 hours sleep a night insomnia. The brain fog makes life difficult when it gets really bad, but NOWHERE near as bad as I was on Topamax or Trileptal. On trileptal I'd just sit there and stare sometimes - not a seizure, just an empty brain. Not good. So for me Lamictal is very far from perfect but it's the best of the bunch. I have a bunch of good days when it comes to the brain fog thing. Not many good days with the headache thing.

There is a newly added package insert black box warnings for Lamictal and asceptic meningitis, but that is really rare, so no worries.

http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety...ormationforPatientsandProviders/ucm221847.htm
 
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My doctor tried me on it in april of this year and I made it through a couple of weeks, but after seeing my primary care dr, they said I was having an allergicuy reaction to it. I had huge swollen glands in my neck, and sores all over my jaw and chin area. My dr head me on it to treat seizures, but it didnt work out for me. The highest I got in dose, was 100mgs twice a day.
 
Yikes. That sounds horrible. I'll keep my eyes peeled for that... Thanks for the heads-up.
 
Endless said:
I'm on Lamictal for seizures, but I started noticing that after my dosage got up over 350mg my headaches started getting better. So many other med changes were in work that I have no idea if the improvement was due to something else (like my Diamox dosage was doubled). Lamictal isn't FDA approved for headaches/migraine prevention, but my neurologist told me some doctors use it off label for that purpose.



http://enfieldneurology.com/headache.htm

Everybody is different - lots of people take Lamictal and LOVE it. No side effects except the good ones, like for some people it evens out moods.

My worst side effects on Lamictal are brain fog and insomnia. The insomnia is big time insomnia, like 2-3 hours sleep a night insomnia. The brain fog makes life difficult when it gets really bad, but NOWHERE near as bad as I was on Topamax or Trileptal. On trileptal I'd just sit there and stare sometimes - not a seizure, just an empty brain. Not good. So for me Lamictal is very far from perfect but it's the best of the bunch. I have a bunch of good days when it comes to the brain fog thing. Not many good days with the headache thing.

There is a newly added package insert black box warnings for Lamictal and asceptic meningitis, but that is really rare, so no worries.

http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety...ormationforPatientsandProviders/ucm221847.htm
Click to expand...
Wow, thank you so much for all this info! Very helpful! I really hope I don't have to take that much to prevent my headaches... But if I do and it gets rid of them, yay!

Brain fog is something I try to avoid when it comes to side-effects, but I know in AEDs it's hard to do that... Thanks for the heads-up.
 
Yes, mm3b,

You sure had a bad experience.

That makes TWO black box warnings on Lamictal now - one for Stevens Johnson Syndrome, and one for meningitis. They hardly ever happen, but still....
 
Endless said:
Yes, mm3b,

You sure had a bad experience.

That makes TWO black box warnings on Lamictal now - one for Stevens Johnson Syndrome, and one for meningitis. They hardly ever happen, but still....
Click to expand...

Yeah, talk about a bad experience I would never want to have happen again! I kept thinking it was just me, and things would get better. But the more I went up in dose, the worst things got. Im just glad to be off of that stuff! Im thankful the Keppra is working great for me! :)
 
Hi-ya! I had a terrible reaction to Lamotrigne in April this year. I was only on it for four nights but then didn't go out for 7 months! it caused me severe anxiety- it seemd to make everything to 'real' as if I was experiencing everything for the first time. Weeks later I was put on quetiapine, tegretol and clonazepam- I'm much better now. Some people have had the same experience as me but starting on tegretol so being changed to lamotrigne. I guess we are all different. I hope you find they work for you.

Nick
xx

Merry Christmas!
 
I used to have bad migraines with auras every month and lately have been having seizures so I was put on Lamotrigne and haven't had any migraines. It's great for me. But the first week I started to take it I was really screwed up over a grand mal seizure and I felt really sick while I was taking it but now I don't even know I am taking it and I am afraid to stop because I am feeling so good for a change.
 
Literophile said:
Brain fog is something I try to avoid when it comes to side-effects, but I know in AEDs it's hard to do that... Thanks for the heads-up.
Click to expand...

Lamictal is generally known as one of the AEDs that affect thinking ability the least. It's supposed to leave a person's brain relatively sharp.

We're all on so many meds sometimes it's hard to tell what's making us feel what side effect. I try to make changes to only one thing at a time if I can. That helps pin down what's causing what. I THINK lamictal is causing brain fog. Is it that and not something else? Like the headache pain itself? Can't tell for sure.

Anyway, Lamictal is supposed to have the best odds of being able to take your meds and think at the same time.
 
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