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has anyone heard of lamictal causing more seizures?

Sun, 06/26/2005 - 15:19
My daughter has been on lamictal for awhile now and the Dr increased her dose and i swear her seizures and falls are worse.  Can the lamictal be causing more seizures.  Shes also on 2000 mg of keppra daily.  Thanks for any input!

Comments

RE: has anyone heard of lamictal causing more seizures?

Submitted by grez-monkey on Sun, 2005-06-26 - 09:12

Currently, I'm also on lamictal [150mgs bid] and keppra [750mgs bid], and don't have any problems of increase frequency of seizures. But however, when I was taking lamictal and dilantin, the frequency of me complex partial seizures jump way up. Roughly 33 cps in the year 1999, then 82 cps in the following year 2000, and 85 cps in 2001. In November 2001, I went in for my second video eeg [veeg] and my neuro/epi found out the one medication (dilantin) was knocking down the strength/potency of the other medication (lamictal). The neuro/epi switched the dilantin over to what's called divalproex, which is basicaly a slow release of valproic (depakote) and over the following 18 month my cps stopped completly, because the lamictal and divalproex were working together. Because my simple partials were still continuing onward, the neuro/epi switched the divalproex to keppra in the summer of last year, 2004.

What I was having to deal with is that one of my neurologist at the veteran's outpatient clinic, was the one who put me on lamictal and dilantin, and slowly wanted me to increase the doseage. But when I realized that my cps were still increasing in frequency and he wanting me to raise the dosage amount of one of the two meds, I told him NO. I had enough.

Maybe you can do like I did. Request to have a video eeg test done for your daughter, but to have it preformed by a group/team of experienced neurologist, or even better, a pedatric epileptologist. Maybe they can find out why your daughter's seizures have increased in frequency, like mine did.

Wish you the best.

Bruce J

Currently, I'm also on lamictal [150mgs bid] and keppra [750mgs bid], and don't have any problems of increase frequency of seizures. But however, when I was taking lamictal and dilantin, the frequency of me complex partial seizures jump way up. Roughly 33 cps in the year 1999, then 82 cps in the following year 2000, and 85 cps in 2001. In November 2001, I went in for my second video eeg [veeg] and my neuro/epi found out the one medication (dilantin) was knocking down the strength/potency of the other medication (lamictal). The neuro/epi switched the dilantin over to what's called divalproex, which is basicaly a slow release of valproic (depakote) and over the following 18 month my cps stopped completly, because the lamictal and divalproex were working together. Because my simple partials were still continuing onward, the neuro/epi switched the divalproex to keppra in the summer of last year, 2004.

What I was having to deal with is that one of my neurologist at the veteran's outpatient clinic, was the one who put me on lamictal and dilantin, and slowly wanted me to increase the doseage. But when I realized that my cps were still increasing in frequency and he wanting me to raise the dosage amount of one of the two meds, I told him NO. I had enough.

Maybe you can do like I did. Request to have a video eeg test done for your daughter, but to have it preformed by a group/team of experienced neurologist, or even better, a pedatric epileptologist. Maybe they can find out why your daughter's seizures have increased in frequency, like mine did.

Wish you the best.

Bruce J

RE: has anyone heard of lamictal causing more seizures?

Submitted by mexican_fire on Sun, 2005-06-26 - 15:17

As an E/R RN (used to work iin an EMU back in the early 90s, and have been n the ER since fall of 2000, I can assure you that all drugs, to some extent, can cause more seizures.

However, the AEDs, psycho-tropic, anti-psychoctic, TCA ani-depressants (and others), some anxiolytic drugs, narcotic pain killers, certain asthma drug, and birth control can all cause an increase in the frequency, intensity and severity of seizures.

AEDs can aggravate epilepsy in someone who has seizures, by default--they aggravate each other, and most of us are on more than one, so they fight each other.

I take Depakote ER--1500 mgs and Neurontin--3600 mgs, and right on the side effects page of the internet for that drug it actually says "increased seizure activity" at one site, in my 3 books it says "lowers seizure-threshold", or "aggravates condition", or "will aggravate seizures".  There are more but you get the point, there.

It seems silly to take a drug to get rid of the core problem only to have it to be one of the side effects listed.

For some people it never reeks havoc on them, while for others, they can't control their seizures with their drug or drugs, because it makes it worse for them.

Most AEDs have some side effect related to having some sort of seizure increase for some reason.

Like people with any kind of Myoclonic activity can't have Tegretol because it causes huge increase and makes the Myoclonics worse, even if it does help the TCs.  They have to take something else, beause it isn't right for  them,  or people whith any type of seizure but Absence won't have ANY luck using Ethosuximide, because it only affects people with Absence seizures and nothing else.

Sometimes too much medication can cause more seizures in someone.

I don't know how old your child is who take this combination of drugs is, but she is taking ALOT of Keppra, it sounds like.  They may need to back down on that one some and bring up the Lamictal some.  Or just drop the Keppra some and keep the Lamictal where it is.

I would bet on her being a bit over-therapeutic with her meds since she is taking all that, and having more serious seizures, as well.

get her checked out at your neuro.

Nancy

As an E/R RN (used to work iin an EMU back in the early 90s, and have been n the ER since fall of 2000, I can assure you that all drugs, to some extent, can cause more seizures.

However, the AEDs, psycho-tropic, anti-psychoctic, TCA ani-depressants (and others), some anxiolytic drugs, narcotic pain killers, certain asthma drug, and birth control can all cause an increase in the frequency, intensity and severity of seizures.

AEDs can aggravate epilepsy in someone who has seizures, by default--they aggravate each other, and most of us are on more than one, so they fight each other.

I take Depakote ER--1500 mgs and Neurontin--3600 mgs, and right on the side effects page of the internet for that drug it actually says "increased seizure activity" at one site, in my 3 books it says "lowers seizure-threshold", or "aggravates condition", or "will aggravate seizures".  There are more but you get the point, there.

It seems silly to take a drug to get rid of the core problem only to have it to be one of the side effects listed.

For some people it never reeks havoc on them, while for others, they can't control their seizures with their drug or drugs, because it makes it worse for them.

Most AEDs have some side effect related to having some sort of seizure increase for some reason.

Like people with any kind of Myoclonic activity can't have Tegretol because it causes huge increase and makes the Myoclonics worse, even if it does help the TCs.  They have to take something else, beause it isn't right for  them,  or people whith any type of seizure but Absence won't have ANY luck using Ethosuximide, because it only affects people with Absence seizures and nothing else.

Sometimes too much medication can cause more seizures in someone.

I don't know how old your child is who take this combination of drugs is, but she is taking ALOT of Keppra, it sounds like.  They may need to back down on that one some and bring up the Lamictal some.  Or just drop the Keppra some and keep the Lamictal where it is.

I would bet on her being a bit over-therapeutic with her meds since she is taking all that, and having more serious seizures, as well.

get her checked out at your neuro.

Nancy

RE: has anyone heard of lamictal causing more seizures?

Submitted by susan2 on Sun, 2005-06-26 - 15:19
HI Stevies Mom, My 7 year old son was on lamictal for about 8 months and from the first month he started having a strange grunting seizure which got worse and worse with the lamictal, anyway the neuro weaned him off it, unfortunately he still has these strange grunting seizures, not as frequent as when he was on lamictal but still in the region of about 20-30 a day, I have never been told what these seizure types are even the neuro couldn't put a name to them! My son is currently on EPILIM/ CLOBAZAM/ETHOSUXIMIDE/AND KEPPRA. He has Polymorphic refractory epilepsy. I wish your daughter improves and i wish you all the best. Susan

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