Community Forum Archive
The Epilepsy Community Forums are closed, and the information is archived. The content in this section may not be current or apply to all situations. In addition, forum questions and responses include information and content that has been generated by epilepsy community members. This content is not moderated. The information on these pages should not be substituted for medical advice from a healthcare provider. Experiences with epilepsy can vary greatly on an individual basis. Please contact your doctor or medical team if you have any questions about your situation. For more information, learn about epilepsy or visit our resources section.
Max. allowable dose of lamictal
Fri, 11/19/2010 - 11:36Comments
Re: Max. allowable dose of lamictal
Submitted by Terribee on Fri, 2010-11-19 - 20:24
Hi there:
I've been taking 450 mg of Lamictal for 7 years--and I'm definitely not bipolar!. Around that that time of month I add one more, 600mg in total. It seems to work well since my seizures are mostly catmenial.
Teresa
Hi there:
I've been taking 450 mg of Lamictal for 7 years--and I'm definitely not bipolar!. Around that that time of month I add one more, 600mg in total. It seems to work well since my seizures are mostly catmenial.
Teresa
Re: Max. allowable dose of lamictal
Submitted by Texas_med on Sat, 2010-11-20 - 14:56
My name is Shawn. I am a Nurse and EMT in East Texas. I have seizures as well and can help you out with your concerns. I can tell you that the recommended maximum dosage for lamictal is 500 mg. The large group of neurologists I work with have told me that the dosage that a patient is put on depends on several factors. The two main factors in determining the proper dosage are weight and metabolism. One example I can give (as the neurologists have told me) is that a 21 year old athlete will most likely have to have a larger dose than 45 year old office worker. The key to that is the athlete burns more calories much quicker, so the body will get rid of the medication much quicker and be out of the therapeutic range as well. If you are on your feet a bunch or are still young, that may be the main key to increasing the dose. The blood serum tests are really the only way to determine if you are staying within the therapeutic range on your dosage.
I can tell you I am a good example though of using medication over the recommended maximum dosage. I am on Carbatrol and Keppra. I take 5000 mg of Keppra daily whereas the maximum recommended dosage is 3000 mg/day. My blood tests were showing that the 3000 mg/daily was getting me nowhere near the therapeutic range. They had to raise it to 5000 mg/day and I have actually had better control of my seizures than I have in over 17 years. The main key to the dosage though is what the blood serum tests show to determine if you are within the therapeutic range and if you can tolerate the side effects (if there are any). I wish you the best of luck. If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me.
My name is Shawn. I am a Nurse and EMT in East Texas. I have seizures as well and can help you out with your concerns. I can tell you that the recommended maximum dosage for lamictal is 500 mg. The large group of neurologists I work with have told me that the dosage that a patient is put on depends on several factors. The two main factors in determining the proper dosage are weight and metabolism. One example I can give (as the neurologists have told me) is that a 21 year old athlete will most likely have to have a larger dose than 45 year old office worker. The key to that is the athlete burns more calories much quicker, so the body will get rid of the medication much quicker and be out of the therapeutic range as well. If you are on your feet a bunch or are still young, that may be the main key to increasing the dose. The blood serum tests are really the only way to determine if you are staying within the therapeutic range on your dosage.
I can tell you I am a good example though of using medication over the recommended maximum dosage. I am on Carbatrol and Keppra. I take 5000 mg of Keppra daily whereas the maximum recommended dosage is 3000 mg/day. My blood tests were showing that the 3000 mg/daily was getting me nowhere near the therapeutic range. They had to raise it to 5000 mg/day and I have actually had better control of my seizures than I have in over 17 years. The main key to the dosage though is what the blood serum tests show to determine if you are within the therapeutic range and if you can tolerate the side effects (if there are any). I wish you the best of luck. If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me.
Re: Max. allowable dose of lamictal
Submitted by phylisfjohnson on Fri, 2010-11-19 - 18:03
I can only tell you what I've been told by my doc. At its lowest level, Lamictal is an anti-anxiety drug. At its next level, it's an anti-anxiety and anti-seizure med and theoretically, beyond that, it's for bipolar people.
I'm at 300MG, possibly changing to 400MG. Just because I've been having a lot of accidents (falling down the stairs, etc.) that have led to dire consequences. (I have stictches in BOTH legs!) But I think 400MG is supposed to be the limit of effectiveness. At least as far as I know.
And I do have life-long clinical depression. I think Lamictal helps with that, but I'm not sure, because the Lamictal is supplemented with Klonopin, another anti-anxiety, anti-seizure med.
It's always good to hear from you. Hope you're faring well. Phylis Feiner Johnson www.epilepsytalk.com
I can only tell you what I've been told by my doc. At its lowest level, Lamictal is an anti-anxiety drug. At its next level, it's an anti-anxiety and anti-seizure med and theoretically, beyond that, it's for bipolar people.
I'm at 300MG, possibly changing to 400MG. Just because I've been having a lot of accidents (falling down the stairs, etc.) that have led to dire consequences. (I have stictches in BOTH legs!) But I think 400MG is supposed to be the limit of effectiveness. At least as far as I know.
And I do have life-long clinical depression. I think Lamictal helps with that, but I'm not sure, because the Lamictal is supplemented with Klonopin, another anti-anxiety, anti-seizure med.
It's always good to hear from you. Hope you're faring well. Phylis Feiner Johnson www.epilepsytalk.com