Questions about Lamictal

[BAHAMAS]

My Neuro is considering putting me on Lamictal as the Keppra I have been on for many years is and not working.

In asking this question I realize that everyone is different so I’d just want to get a rough I dea & I would like to know what are some of the average doses that people have had success on with Lamictal.

Also I have heard that Lamictal is sometimes used in conjunction with Keppra to control seizures and if so if you could tell me the minimum dosages that work.

The problem I have is that in my younger years I was overdosed on Dilantin and as a
result I have now have ataxia resulting from the medication , so therefore I am more sensitive to side effects of any medication. So dosages that may work for the average person may not work for me, And if I go to high on a medication I will get bad side effects eg - everything like dizziness or sickness is multiplied.

Thanks for all your replies Craig

 

[arnie]

I have been on Lamictal for maybe 20 years now, and in that time tried several times to switch to other meds but the side-effects were too bad to stay on them. I was not able to get higher than 400 mg. per day (200 in the morning and 200 at night) without being so groggy I could barely function. I didn't have the tonic-clonic seizures but I had lots of complex partials. In talking to my pharmacist and tracking my seizure frequency I found out that for me (and for many people who are fast metabolizers of meds) it is better to take your meds 4 times a day instead of twice a day. (same total amount, just spread out more.) Doing that I've been able to get up to 650 mg. per day. I've been seizure-free for 6 weeks now and have no side-effects. I wish one of my docs would have talked to me about that a long time ago. It took a pharmacist and my own research and seizure monitoring to come up with the solution. My epileptologist agrees with everything I have done.
You might try the 4 time a day thing and see if the side-effects lessen.

(Also, I should add that my epileptologist did a Lamictal level before I started to increase the dose, and on 400 mg per day the level was 4.9, which apparently is at the low end of the therapeutic range, so I had room to move up. I will get another level done soon, when I remember to. I've been really busy lately and have sort of forgotten about it until just now . . .)

Good luck!

Onward!

 

[Nakamova]

Hi Craig --

FYI: I moved your post to The Kitchen forum (for epilepsy issues) as opposed to the General Issues forum (which is for general site-related problems). More folks should be able to see and respond here:

My seizures have been controlled by Lamictal for the last 6 years. My dose is 175mg/day (100 in the morning, 75 at night). That's considered a relatively low dose for Lamictal (suggested range = 200mg to 400mg/day), but there is no definitive therapeutic dosage. A high dose for me might be a low dose for someone else. Basically, whatever gives you seizure control is the right dosage for you.

I haven't tried Keppra, so hopefully other members who have been on both drugs concurrently will chime in with their dosage history. below are links to some threads that may be of interest:
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f27/lamictal-how-high-dose-13767/
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f27/keppra-alone-adjunct-2740/
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f23/leaving-keppra-starting-lamictal-5196/
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f23/switching-keppra-lamictal-lamotrigine-21974/
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f20/problems-w-lamictal-keppra-11213/

 

[MAB]

My Neuro is considering putting me on Lamictal as the Keppra I have been on for many years is and not working.

In asking this question I realize that everyone is different so I’d just want to get a rough I dea & I would like to know what are some of the average doses that people have had success on with Lamictal.

Also I have heard that Lamictal is sometimes used in conjunction with Keppra to control seizures and if so if you could tell me the minimum dosages that work.

The problem I have is that in my younger years I was overdosed on Dilantin and as a
result I have now have ataxia resulting from the medication , so therefore I am more sensitive to side effects of any medication. So dosages that may work for the average person may not work for me, And if I go to high on a medication I will get bad side effects eg - everything like dizziness or sickness is multiplied.

Thanks for all your replies Craig

Hi Craig.

I have been on Lamictial since the beginning of November. I took Keppra for 4 days and had an allergic reaction so I don't have any experience with it.

I am on a pretty low dose of lamictial, 125mg am and 125pm. I was recently increased because I had a status partial seizure.

Occasionally I have blurry vision, especially in the beginning. It doesn't happen much now. My hair is falling out at a greater amount than before I started. Neuro said she never heard of that side effect but I am sure I have read other people say the same thing. I have lost 30 pounds since starting it but I have been working out more now that I feel better. My PC also increased my thyroid meds about the same time so I don't really know for certain what is causing the weight loss, probably a combination of all 3 things. I have heard others say it made them gain weight.

My moods are more stable than before I started it. Also the nerve pain in my right leg is gone. The neuro thinks the nerve pain disappearing is more the result of taking curcumin which she recommended that I double the dose I was taking since before I started seeing her rather than the lamictial.

I am more forgetful and confuse things more often. I'm not sure if is from the meds or from the seizures. I have accidently over-dosed on lamictial twice since I started taking it with no harmful effects thankfully.

Since starting lamictial it has drastically decreased the phantom odors I experience. Overall I am happy with the drug. She wanted to add neurotin to help with my sleeping issues but I refused. I took neurotin when I was in pain management and absolutely hated it.

I had an MRI and MRA's last week. I called today for the results and the neuro is out of the office until Thursday. She will call me then.

I see my neurosurgeon tomorrow for a 3 year check up on my back surgery. I asked that the reports be sent to him also. I'm hoping he can shed some light on my test results.

 

[MAB]

Forgot to mention I also having more bruising. The last time I had a blood draw I commented on my blood looking thin and the person drawing it even agreed. It was red but looked like it had been thinned with water.

 

[mspang]

Have been on Lamictal since 2000, but unfortunately it stopped working in 2007 causing probs. Eventually was put on another drug along with the Lamictal that would finally fix things.

 

[photoguy]

Hi Craig,

I'm actually on Keppra and Lamictal. I take 2000mg of Kepra, twice a day; and 250mg of Lamictal, twice a day. I've never had any issues with either drug. I've been on Lamictal since 2008 and Keppra replaced Tegretol XR last August (I had been on Tegretol for 20-ish years after being toxic, like you, on Dilantin). I've had no side effects from either, but I'm also refractory complex partial.

Best of luck,
--Dan