Side Effects After Coming OFF of Lamictal
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UPDATED: Tue, 04/08/2008 - 8:52am
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Peaches78
Constant sleepiness with Lamictal and Lexapro
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I have a problem I'm not sure how to deal with. I have been taking Lamictal for my seizures for about a year and a half with no problems for a long time. A few months ago I started gaining weight and I can't seem to keep from it. I work out almost every day and I try to eat healthy so I don't know why I would be gaining weight. I have had to go up a size in jeans and I'm really starting to look flabby. I am constantly tired even though I get enough sleep. Its like I don't achieve good quality sleep or something. I can literally fall asleep anytime anywhere. I have been thinking of having a sleep study done to see if I possibly have a sleep disorder because I've had sleepiness problems since I was a teenager. My brother has sleep apnea and my dad also is like me in that he can fall asleep anywhere. I don't snore so I don't think I have sleep apnea, but perhaps some other problem is going on. I can't seem to be motivated to do anything any more. All I think about is taking a nap and even though I've had sleep problems for a long time I have never been one to take naps during the day. I have no energy it seems. I am in grad school so this is not good. I fall asleep when trying to study or if I'm in class. I have been feeling overwhelmed this semester and also feel kinda down, but I don't feel my problems are due to depression because I have been on Lexapro for a little over a year now. I was wondering if perhaps the Lamictal was causing these problems. I was feeling great last summer, the best I've felt in years mood wise between the Lamictal and Lexapro. I stopped taking Lamictal briefly in December but it increased side effects from Lexapro so I started taking the Lamictal again. I don't know if stopping the med and then starting back caused this problem or not. I am going crazy right now from the sleepiness. Does anyone know another med I could get on that could fix this problem? I am sick of always feeling sleepy and I feel like I'm wasting my time having a gym membership because I'm constantly gaining weight instead of maintaining a healthy weight like I always have. I originally started working out to relieve stress and tone up, not to control weight or anything because I've always been one of those fortunate people who has had a high metabolism and hadn't had to worry about weight. Does anyone know if all these problems are caused by Lamictal or Lexapro? Is there a better med I can get on to help with simple partial and complex partial seizures?
By Peaches78 at Tue, 04/08/2008 - 8:52am | 122 views | 11 comments
Topic: Medication Issues
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Recent Comments on this Discussion
I am on topomax and before you get excited about it giving you energy, it lists specifically as a side effect that it increses the risk of drowsiness...I am constantly drowsy, and have not lost any weight...not all side effects apply to every single person...sorry to be a debby downer....
Holy crap ... you're defining my life exactly. I fall asleep when I'm sitting at dinner, and my fiance is going crazy. I actually lost a job (a great, $90,000+ job) because I couldn't stay awake, and now I'm in jeopardy of losing another for the same reason.
I've tried backing off of the lamictal, but I had a seizure, so I'm kind of stuck right now. The doctors are trying to move me to Depakote, but I can't stand it, so I don't take it. I'm thinking of a move to Topomax .... my sister takes it for Bipolar disorder and my fiance takes it for migraines, and both said they love it - plus, it gives you energy and causes weight loss. I'm going to try and ask the doctors to switch me in the next few weeks, so I'll let you know how it goes. Good luck with everything!
Thanks for the reply. Nice to know its not just me. I was actually thinking about switching to Topomax also, but I had heard the side effects were horrible until you got used to the med. Also I have a history of kidney stones and I heard Topomax can increase your risk of this so I don't know what I am going to do. I quit taking Lamictal about a month ago. So far I haven't had any major problems or at least none that I am aware of. Sometimes I feel funny and I get deja vu like feelings but nothing else happens. I am going to see my neuro May 19 to see what he says. If you get on Topomax let me know how it goes.
I too am a complex partial patient due to a car accident back in 1992. The doctor put me on Lamictal and I was on it for a good 8 years and took it all throughout my pregnancy. It is definately one of the safest and best anti-convulsants for women interested in becoming pregnant. Because I now have a beautiful healthy 8year old boy. But one of the main side effects along with feeling tired and drained all the time is weight gain. None of my family would ever believe me that it was my medication that was making me fat because it is not actually listed in the side effects. I also started taking Lexapro but only take it when I feel that I need it. I know your probably thinking uh?. Lexapro has worked for me for about a year on an as needed basis. When I feel like I am started to go down in my mood, especially during my menses then I will take it for about a week to get me over the hump and then I am fine. But I have been doing that for about a year and it has seemed to work just fine. But the Lamictal I had to get off of because I could not stand the effects of being fat and feeling tired all the time. So my Doctor switched me to Topamax. The only good thing that I like about it was that the first month that I was on it I lost 20lbs. But another name for Topamax is aka "Dopamax" you think Lamictal was bad, this stuff is ten times worse and I feel like I am one step behind everyone else. I have trouble concentrating and am in the process of getting on something else that will not make me so tired. Because there are lots of days where I feel like I have been ran over by a truck and have been dragged behind it. Like you, if someone told me to go to sleep I would be more than happy to. It just so happens to be one of my favorite hobbies SLEEP!!!. So hopefully it will work for you but it hasn't been the best for me. I have even asked my Doctor for some Adderol to help but he objected to that. So I'm also looking for something that won't make me soooo tired. If anyone has any suggestions then let me know! Good luck.
its a bit like going shopping with the wife with regards, trying to find the right tablets. You have no idea why your there and you'll have no idea which ones are right for you. I lost my job as a fire-fighter, then got a kick in the jewels when they then decidid to take my driving license. Good old depression then took a swing at me. But i keep bouncing back. I totally humour the fact I have it because i find its the easiest way for people to openly talk about it.
Lamicital or lamatrogine as their known can leave me tired but memory loss is the big killer. I feel like i should be in an old folks home, but I've had some good times so now i gotta take the bad.
I had a fit and knocked myself out. I then wandered aimlessly around the city, even on the dual carriageways. I came too at a bus stop sometime later un able to communicate at all with the bus driver and then that lovely wave of fear came over me as I had another simple partial seizure. This wave of fear is a sunami that leaves you feeling like your a mad man. My face is black and blue and i ache. Its a horrible illness. My heart goes out to all and any families who have to see there children cope with it.
These are people who deserve medals in my book.
I lost everything through it. My job, my car, my ex missus couldnt cope. I can only see my kids if i have someone with me now.
However I was the lucky one, I got epilepsy at 28 and had some enjoyable experiences up until then.
However iam selfish. I still off piste ski alone and Kayak and have made it clear that I wont change. I still want to do the things I love and although this maybe seen as selfish by many or all. I would rather that I live my life doing what I love and if I die doing it then I died a happy man and they allowed me to die a happy man and in this day and age that in itself is a very very lucky way to go.
I recently started Lamictal, and have started gaining weight but I needed to add a few pounds. The reason I've started adding weight is not because of Lamictal, it's because my appetite is much better. I've been keeping track of what I eat, and I'm eating more junk food. I'm a lousy sleeper anyway and could have used something to help me sleep. I think eating better, the fact that the weather is warmer and I feel like doing more on Lamictal, is making me tired moreso than the Lamictal. I've taken just about everything out there, and have noticed the side effects of most effect you how you let them. Some of them you can just live with, and some make you feel better like Lamictal is doing for my appetite. If drowsiness is a side-effect, eating better is helping me have better control of my seizures.
I'm glad Lamictal is working for you. It works good controlling my seizures but I just need to get something done about the sleepiness side effect. Its gotten out of hand. I got fired from my job last week because I fell asleep on the job. I don't know if its all because of the Lamictal or not. I need to get a sleep study done to see if something else is possibly going on. Does anyone know what could be going on with me?
I'm sorry you got fired, that's kinda' crappy of your employer to do something like that especially if he/she knows about your Epilepsy. I would get in touch with a lawyer about unlawful termination if you want to pursue it that far. There are laws against this kind of stuff, it's discrimination.
They didn't know about my epilepsy. I worked in a mental health program for adolescent girls and they said my falling asleep was a safety issue. A lot of the girls are suicidal and have to be constantly watched so my falling asleep could have been really bad. I told them I take medication that makes me sleepy and I could provide a doctor's statement, but they just said that maybe that wasn't the job for me if that was the case. Which doesn't make any sense because I am going to be sleepy regardless of what kind of job I have. I just hope I find a job soon. Its a bad time to be unemployed.
I know how you feel. It's like I almost feel bad taking any job, because I feel irresponsible for not being able to stay conscious. I'm on medical leave right now for my job because of my inability to work while on Lamictal ... I can't stand it. Just know that you never have to provide any information about your medical history to any employer unless you know you will require special accomodations. That's my only saving grace, since my company is pissed that I never told them about my condition/medicine until a few months in. Good luck to you, and if you need help with a job, check out http://www.ada.gov. Know your rights so you can make a living ... seizures aren't your fault, and employers (with over 15 employees) are legally obligated to facilitate your needs for any diagnosed medical condition ..... non-compliance is the same as any type of discrimination.
I don't sleep well when taking Lamictal - I tried switching it to the morning instead of the evening and it makes no difference. I am taking 200 mg in one dose for an episode of bipolar type 1 two years ago. I am not taking any other antidepressants with Lamictal.
Also I have gained 14 pounds in 6 months.
So yes to tired, can't sleep well, and weight gain.