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.
Has anyone had troubling breathing when taking lamotrigine?
Tue, 09/22/2015 - 08:06hi my daughter is on 400mg of lamotrigine. For 1 1/2 years now. Upon initially starting she also began having apnea like episodes. Did not see connection. We did a sleep study and it showed no central apnea or obstructive apnea but she would have such depressed breathing her O2 levels would drop to low 80's. We started O2 at night. It all seemed to get better. But last week we started to increase the lamotrigine b/c her seizures have gotten worse and by second day her awake episodes of shallow breathing started again. O2 while awake in low 80's. Now we have O2 on her continuously? Has anyone else had breathing problems with lamotrigine? I'm afraid to continue with the slow increase.
Yes! I just did a search on
Submitted by haneenay on Sat, 2019-01-12 - 15:38
Yes! I just did a search on this. Every time I "up" my lamictal I get hyperventilation syndrome (aka "air hunger") and feel like I can't get a good breath, yawn a lot, sigh deeply, feel drained. It's often mistaken for asthma or exacerbates asthma, and it's very uncomfortable. It is validating to find a few of you talking about it. Lamictal lists it as only occurring in like 4% of patients so I wanted to check it out. I hope everyone finds something that works instead or in conjunction with.