What are your experiences with Lamictal?

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Hi

I have just found out for the second time that Keppra is not playing nice with my liver, and that it wasn't having my gall bladder removed that caused my LFT's to go down the pan the first go round. My ALT and GGT's are both over 280 iu/l, so now I've been prescribed Lamictal (lamotriigine), which I'll be starting Friday.

The Keppra will be dropped down in 250mg steps every fortnight til I'm off it, I'm currently on 750mg twice a day. I'm also on 600mg three times a day of gabapentin, which I call 'The Hitch-hiker' as that's how I feel most the time when I'm taking it on it's own, like I'm hitch hiking in my own body. The Keppra will be forever known as 'the hair-loss liver killer' to me, tho this go round I've not lost any; last time it was hand fulls at a time.

I guess what I'd like to ask everyone, is what are their experiences of it, and what side effects you have most experienced. I know everyone is different, but after doing the see-saw of one medication going up, one going down, and feeling like roadkill thru most of it, I'd like to kinda have an idea what I may be in for; as reading the list that comes with the tablets doesn't really include the human persepctive of people currently taking it.

For the record I have left sided TLE, presenting as Complex and Simple Partial's and Secondary Generalised Tonic Clonic's. I also have severe photophobia, which Keppra helped a tiny bit.

Any help, advice and experiences would be greatly appreciated as I'm at a point where I'm totally bummed out by it all, and finding out which way is up would be a definite plus at this point.

Sally
 
Hi, Sally. And Welcome!!! :)

I was on Lamictal for a short time, and was just ramping up on it. For the time I was on it, I liked it. My brain was the sharpest of any of the meds I had tried so far. It also made me feel extra zippy, which was a nice change. I got lots of stuff done! Alas, I developed a rash and was taken off of the stuff. Withdrawl was hell.

It's been a good drug for a lot of folks in here, and a not so good drug for some folks in here. Everybody is an individual.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you.
 
I didnt like Lamictal. lots of side effects for me and inconsistent seizure control. I'd be good for 4 weeks and then a seizure every second day. it wasnt nice to me,

but like endless said, it has worked for a bunch of people on here.
 
My husband was in Lamictal twice I think. But he would be UP UP UP..up for 22 hours if I didn't beg him to get some sleep. He loved it. Docs love to order it too. I think he he had good seizure control but staying up like he did was not good so was taken off.

OH..he had the rash..and that is one reason they took him off too.

But man he had the energy...so opposite of all the others which are like downers.

Let us know how it goes ok?

Jan
 
I'm on Lamictal now. I've been on it since Fall of 2008. There were some side effects in the first few months that seem to have faded (restless sleep, hair loss). There are other side effects that have persisted (occasional light acne on my chin, dry mouth and eyes, blurring of vision). I did taper down from the original dose of 250mg/day to my current level of 175mg/day, so that may have helped moderate some of the side effects. My seizures are completely controlled.
 
My son 20 on Lamictal since 2006. He take 375 a day. He only has grand mals and his EEG shows activity in both front temple lobes. His EEG looks like he is having seizures all the time but usually he has one a year. They say lamictal also a mild antidepressant. It seemed to make him eat less and have a harder time getting to sleep. Once hes asleep he can sleep 12 hrs easily.

My daughter 17 was on lamictal for under 3 mos and had to come off due to the allergic rash. We have never tried the generic form.

I wish you well.

joan*
 
When I was on it at small dose as an adjunct it wasn't bad, the only side-effects was soem hair lass, slowing down and tiredness along with the trileptal. Now, as the keep upping it I don't like it so much. I'm up to 200 mg a day; it is a downer for me, I'm tired, I've had mood swings, memory problems, clumsier than usual and seizure control is all over the place. It probably isn't interacting well with my topomax but it is the drug of choice for my neuro and she is going to take me off of Trileptal.

I have the same type of E and general seizures as you but not the photphobia. Definitely don't take that to mean the med will work the same for you though...these things always work differently for everyone :)
 
My son was on it when he was first diagnosed with seizures. He developed a rash right away and was taken off it within 2 weeks. He looked like a raspberry! Poor thing. I think it also calmed him down and made him think clearly too. Too bad he developed that rash.
 
Lamictal has been very good to me. As Joan said, it is both a mild anti-depressant and a seizure control med. I supplement it with Effexor and Klonopin for depressioin and I'm happy to have found a match. The only bad part is that my memory stinks!
 
lol.. I forgot.. his memory does suffer on lamictal. That combined with being a teen?

joan*
 
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