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Lamictal Side Effects

Tue, 02/06/2007 - 17:06
I started having seizures a little over a year ago due to extreme trauma during brain surgery. My neurologist put me on Lamical, 200 mg a day but it didn't control my seizures so he uped it to 400 mg a day-he did this in April of last year. For the last few months I've been starting to get almost all of the side effects that I've heard people can get (bruises, nausea, vomiting, headaches, dizziness, etc.) and I have really noticed that my cognitive ability has been lacking. I am completing my senior year of college so my Neurologist put me on Lamictal because it didn't have any cognitive difficulty side effects. Did anyone have cognitive difficult due to Lamictal-and how bad? Is it really that much worse on other meds?? Ashley

Comments

Re: Lamictal Side Effects

Submitted by IloveHistory on Tue, 2007-02-06 - 17:29
Hi! I'm so sorry to hear about your medication side-effects! :( Are you sure that it's the Lamictal that's causing all of the side-effects? Are you on any other medication which could be causing problems? I used to be on Lamictin (South African brand name for Lamictal), but didn't experience any side-effects, apart from extreme fatigue in the first few weeks of starting it, which eventually went away. However, the Lamictin wasn't really controlling my seizures well enough, so I changed to Epilim (Depakene in the U.S.A., I think) and it's been fantastic! :) I have been on it for approximately two months now and have experienced no side-effects whatsoever! :) Plus, it's controlling my seizures really well! :) Have you spoken to your Neurologist about this problem? Perhaps your doctor should take some blood, just to check that everything is all right (because of the bruising); they need to do a Full Blood Count (F.B.C.). Please speak to your Neurologist or your Primary Care Practitioner A.S.A.P. because the bruising is worrying and could be a sign of a serious problem! Keep well and please let me know how everything goes! :)

I did talk to my neurologist

Submitted by musmashels on Tue, 2007-02-06 - 19:36
I did talk to my neurologist and he said Lamictal has none of the symptoms that I am experiencing. One of my friend's sons was on Lamictal and it effected him so bad that he was diagnosed mentally retarted. He was slowly taken off Lamictal some years later and now he is a sophomore in high school and doing perfectly, all of the signitive side effects were completely gone. That fact just makes me nervous because my neurologist made me feel like I was almost making things up or making a bigger deal out of the symptoms but I know Lamictal can have my side effects. I am going to another neurologist for a second opinion, I guess we'll see what he say and I'll request full bloodwork. -I am only on Lamictal-no other medications Thanks for the feedback!

Re: I did talk to my neurologist

Submitted by Tjtoday on Sat, 2007-02-17 - 16:05
Good for your idea get another neorologist. My brother had all them side effects, we was just switching doctors. Wish we would of done it sooner. Your hiring the doctor, they should listen an learn from your feelings, your taking the medicine an everyone has different effects. Keep me informed your other neorologist change. TJ

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