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Is it me or the meds...i dont know?
Tue, 02/16/2016 - 15:33Topic: Medication Issues
I'llsay it straight out...I'm scared. 45 years old. Ive been on 400-500mg Dilantin/day since i was 10 due to nocturnal seizures.I am also a recreational marijauna smoker (that has chosen to grow my own indica with the highest CBD content I could find over the years). A small joint in the evening gives me a deep sleep with no seizures(I may have 1-2 every 6 months). I guess I have it better than most,never a grand mal while awake. I've been soul searching,some days I dont want to get out of bed...most days a lethargic attitude towards life. Ive always thought it was just me&my anti-social behaviour,sometimes getting anxiety attacks & nervousness in social functions or crowds...until I have started reading forums on epilepsy meds.
I have 2 kids & have always felt bad that as their father I just have no energy or real initiative to do much. Mind you I also feel proud that i have taught them to flyfish as that is my passion. Wether it is being alone in a river with noone around,but that is my comfort.
My wife is 9 yrs younger than I and our sex life has very much depreciated over the last several years. So much so that i have no interest whatsoever in sex. Mind you 5yrs ago we were swingers going to clubs once a month and living the lifestyle. That is where again i put my age to be the reason for lack of sex drive...until i started reading about epilepsy medications.
Recently seeing a new neurologist i begin to think otherwise. He also mentions lack of sex drive & lethargic attitude. Anxiety attacks in public places due to the length of time ive been on dilantin and its sideeffects. He suggests Lamotrigine to boost my energy levels and prevent seizures. A slow addition of Lamotrogine as the Dilantin is decreased over a o month period. I'll admit the visit to the neurologist included a 45 minute interview with his intern & 15minutes with both the intern and Dr. After 10minutes of them talking separately. Not sure if that is a normal visit to neurologist as i havent seen one in years.
This is where my dismay comes into play. 13 years ago i was switched over to another medication Topomax, and my nocturnal seizures increased. Sleepwalking occured and scared my wife as to when I would walk out the front door next. I also started to hear voices in my head at work. It all lasted a month before I requested my failsafe dilantin back and all was well.
Now reading sideeffects for lamotrigine i begin to get frightened...will I make matters worse...is it the dilantin thats causing these effects or just me? Will switching over again worry my wife & kids with nocturnal seizures & sleepwalking through the house & outside? The reaction lamotrigine will have with the marijauna that i have tested & tried for years with dilantin ?Will lamotrigine cause psychotic episodes like the last drug that lasted only a month?
Jason
Fly
Submitted by just_joe on Wed, 2016-02-17 - 12:30
Fly I know about Dilantin. I took it for years. I also know that some of the things you posted can be due to the Dilantin. I was taking it back in the 1960's. I was taken off it in 1994 when I had gotten toxic on it. Any and all medications have their side effects. It generally takes about a month to get the therapeutic levels set in your body so the neurologist will know whether to raise the dosage or lower it. If the neurologist has an assistant then yes the visit will be with them first and the neurologist second. At times both. My neurologist didn't have them both in at the same time but he listened to them before coming in. The time was generally split 50/50 however Doc knew me and he knew I would be asking questions. He also knew I would use generics too if available and his assistant wanted name brand only. So visits do vary. The Dilantin could be causing some of your issues. There are newer medications with fewer side effects. I know because I am on 2 of them. The seizures I have were reduced from 2-3 a week to a seizure every 8-14 days. The tie in those seizures was 5-8 minutes and is now 5-8 seconds. The recovery time (get back to normal) was 15-45 minutes and at times longer is not 5-15 seconds. I can have one while talking in a group of people and they would not know anything about it. If it were me in this situation I would be asking Doc questions. Is there a better medication then the Lamotrigine that can control my seizures that have fewer side effects? Ask him about your marijuana use. It is being studied as medical marijuana and I do know that marijuana slows down the central nervous system which is where the seizures start. By asking simple questions and wanting them answered it shows the neurologist you want results. Questions also mean he needs to look at medications and procedures and the combination that will help you get the results you want. As for fly fishing. I haven't done that. Give me a spoon or spinner and I can use them and catch fish. Then I also need something for deep water since catfish are generally bottom feeders. I fish in the Gulf of Mexico, the rivers and lames in Texas.