Weight gain and dosage

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Lizzybee630

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I feel like this is a silly question that I’m thinking I already know the answer to...but still curious of opinions. Before I was pregnant I was on a dosage that was doing great for me for years. During my pregnancy and after I’ve had a couple episodes. I gained weight during the pregnancy (of course) lost it then gained it back plus some. Does my weight have an impact on the dosage working well? I already have an appointment set up in two weeks.

Thanks for any input! I’m stressing myself over this so much. Partly because it’s embarrassing I gained the weight and I’m also trying to lose the weight now when I finally decide to talk to a doctor about it. 🤦🏻*♀️
 
Hey Lizzybee630 --

Your weight might be a factor, but metabolism, diet, and/or hormones could also play a role. What med are you on? Some seizures (and also some seizure medications) can be affected by spikes in estrogen (as can happen during in pregnancy and with catamenial epilepsy).
 
Lamotrigine is a med whose clearance rate can increase when estrogen increases (effectively dropping the level of the med in your blood) -- so it's possible that that's what led to the uptick in seizures during your pregnancy. Over the course of pregnancy, the clearance rate of lamotrigine may increase by as much as 200 to 300.

If you're on The Pill, that can also reduce blood levels of lamotrigine by 40%-60%!
 
Oh, wow! I didn’t realize it worked like that. 😕 That makes a lot of sense though. I’m going to bring that all up when I see the doctor next week. Have you ever experienced problems with lamictal?

Thanks again for responding! It’s nice to speak with someone who knows about this stuff.
 
When I went on Lamotrigine I switched from the pill to the IUD, just to be on the safe side. I haven't had any major issues with Lamotrigine, and I've been seizure-free for a few years now.
 
I've never gained weight with Lamotrigine and I take 400mg
I have gained 45ibs since they took me off Topamax and added Depakote a year ago though.
 
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