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Catemenial epilepsy and mirena

Mon, 04/09/2012 - 16:08
Hi there I have catemenial epilepsy due to excess estrogen and get a week of seizures once every month. I am on a mixture of lamictal and progesterone cream which got them under control more or less. I have had a mirena put in to add some progesterone and wondered if anyone had some experience in this area and if the mirena effects lamictal working? I keep hearing different things from everyone. Any advice really appreciated on this one. :)

Comments

Re: Catemenial epilepsy and mirena

Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 2012-04-16 - 10:28
When hormonal medicines are taken, it's important to talk about these with the neurologist or epilepsy specialist. Lamictal can interact with hormonal medications so the level of Lamictal in the blood changes. As a result, Lamictal levels need to be watched and adjusted, depending on the changes seen. Sometimes checking lamictal level weekly during a menstrual cycle helps pinpoint the changes more easily. Take a look at the home page content on Lamictal. epilepsy.com/medications/b_lamictal_interaction Hope this helps! Epi_help Resource Specialist

Re: Catemenial epilepsy and mirena

Submitted by Susannah on Mon, 2012-04-16 - 15:45

If a personal anecdote will help: I have what my neurologist thinks is probably catamenial epilepsy, and for many years my seizures were uncontrolled - I suspect this type of epilepsy's a little harder to treat than some others.  I'm on low doses of three different drugs, including Lamictal, plus Mirena, and seizure-free (fingers crossed!).  The drugs gave me some seizure control, but I've only been seizure-free since combining them with Mirena - I've even been able to take a little less medication which was a surprise.

Of course you need to make sure your drug levels are monitored as you get used to the new combination of chemicals, and the right medication and dose for you now may not be the right one in the future.  But provided you tolerate both the Lamictal and the Mirena well, from what I've seen you should get good results.  Good luck!

If a personal anecdote will help: I have what my neurologist thinks is probably catamenial epilepsy, and for many years my seizures were uncontrolled - I suspect this type of epilepsy's a little harder to treat than some others.  I'm on low doses of three different drugs, including Lamictal, plus Mirena, and seizure-free (fingers crossed!).  The drugs gave me some seizure control, but I've only been seizure-free since combining them with Mirena - I've even been able to take a little less medication which was a surprise.

Of course you need to make sure your drug levels are monitored as you get used to the new combination of chemicals, and the right medication and dose for you now may not be the right one in the future.  But provided you tolerate both the Lamictal and the Mirena well, from what I've seen you should get good results.  Good luck!

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