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Memory Loss & Lamictal

Fri, 08/12/2011 - 23:08
Hi everyone. I'm Kat, I've been active on this board for a while but mostly in the Women With Epilepsy forum. I was going to post this in there but I feel like it should be more open to everyone since it's not focusing on women only issues. Since starting Lamictal almost two years ago, I have noticed some fluctuations with my mood as well as my ability to concentrate, that showed mostly as I got up in the dosage. I started at 25mg like most patients and eased my way up to my current 250mg BID (twice a day) dosage. I did the escalation slow as recommended & did not experience any obvious side effects. However, as I've gotten more into my medication routine with it, I have noticed that my moods seem to fluctuate (just a little bit, but still noticeable) and I know that Lamictal is also used to manage bipolar disorder. I am currently in the process of switching doctors so I've been waiting to talk to my new doctor about these issues. I don't have the best relationship with my current doctor & feel as if he doesn't listen so I don't see the point in even bringing it up. In fact, I believe I brought it up to him in the past but to no avail. His answer for everything is either "that's normal but not worrysome" or "lets increase the dose & call me in a week". To run through what I've noticed, the main thing is that I have a hard time handling a day regimen that requires me to multitask. This presents a lot of problems because I have a very busy life with working, managing my home due to my boyfriend being away a lot for his work, taking care of a new puppy practically by myself & being a college student, about to enter a very heavily crowded schedule. I have taken on two jobs in the fall after school starts & even though I have an optimistic look to it, I know from my past that my memory lapses cause a lot of problem. For example, I missed the deadlines for several things involving school that will make my semester hard such as missing the deadline for a grant that would be very helpful & missing the date to order the main campus parking permit & having to get one that's much more difficult to deal with. I've always been a little scatterbrained but it seems much worse lately. Sometimes someone can tell me something & in just fifteen minutes, I forget what they said. This causes a lot of frustration with everyone around me & makes me feel incompetent. I'm not entirely sure it's just the medication but in my heart, I feel like it has something to do with it. Does anyone else that's on Lamictal (I take the generic lamotragine) experience similar problems? If so, how much does it affect your life & how much is your current dosage? I appreciate any feedback. Thanks guys!

Comments

I've had a lot of trouble

Submitted by Xtra2maxwell on Thu, 2017-11-30 - 21:54
I've had a lot of trouble with forgetfulness and concentration.it seems to be getting worse,I've been on 300 for 1-1/2 years.

Omg me too. I can relate to

Submitted by terriboberry on Sun, 2017-12-10 - 00:50
Omg me too. I can relate to so many of your comments.  I’m in tears. Has anyone found a way out of this?  

Hello everyone,I have right

Submitted by Aripierce on Thu, 2017-12-14 - 11:27
Hello everyone,I have right temporal lobe epilepsy with several types of seizures.I have been on lamotrigine since 2012, 200mg twice daily. I have started having seizures again, so that may increase soon. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I am afraid that the medication could be to blame. I have noticed marked changes in my memory, vocabulary, and personality.HOWEVER, I do not believe that the medication is the main culprit. I do believe that seizures HAVE to cause some sort of damage to those faculties as well.I would like to add though, that I have tried MANY other medications and this is the only one that didn’t cause my life, body, and brain to fall apart.Being quirky and silly aren’t that bad I know it sucks and I STILL get get extremely pissed that I have to deal with medication for the rest of my life.... but what Can I do right? It is what it is, and it could be worse

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