Like everyone knows, all these medications depend on the person.

Personally: I've had seizures since I was around 12 yrs old... I'm 22 now and lucky for me nothing horrific has happened. I get tonic clonic seizures.

Anyways, when I first started taking lamictal (when I was young and little) it was small dosage and I didn't notice any particular bad side effects.  I didn't have any seizures for a few years and my EEG showed nothing as well. I still stayed on the medicine however. My neurologist says the main reason I got seizures is because of my lack of sleep. I was doing better with this habit until I stared college.

My first year I made it seizure free. Second year, I got my first seizure after years. So that was mortifying because driving was off limits.

Since that time I believe I increased my dosage for lamictal. Sorry I don't remember to what, but it wasn't THAT much.. mainly because I'm a small girl. I was fine for a year or more and then bam, I had an episode.
I think the reason for all of it is because of the stress in college. I clearly don't know how to handle my workload responsibly.

I get really paranoid with this ordeal so I just told my neurologist I want to increase the lamictal dosage all together. I started taking 300 mg a day. One day, I got extremely paranoid of getting a seizure and overdosed. It was so shitty...... The side effects on the bottle happened... times 100. I GOT SO DAMN DIZZY. I couldn't walk straight, I couldn't stand up! When I tried to stand up, my motor skills were so bad that I would just start falling back down. This was in public so I had to play it cool and go to the side of a building and then call someone to come help walk me back to my place. I was starving so I ate food and shortly after, I puked it all up.
Ok the side effects were extreme, but that was because I didn't increase it gradually.

Anyways, I know my story may be confusing.. because honestly I don't remember the timeline myself... but NOW I am taking 600 mg of lamictal a day (300 mg in the morning & 300 at night). I told my doc that I'm still scared of that dosage, I wanted more... but he wasn't feeling that idea so he suggested that we add Keppra. So now I'm taking 150 mg of Keppra in the morning and 150 at night.

One thing I have noticed that is clearly due to the medicine is that if I take them on an empty stomach, I get dizzy... Again, to the point where I can't walk straight and almost fall down. I MUST eat something before taking it.

At some point, I decided to decrease Keppra without doctors consent (I know....) and seeing how smart I am, I did this the same week that I was had a lot of school stuff to do. By the end of the week, instead of sleeping in, I woke up fairly early and as I was eating breakfast.. BAM, I feel on the floor and had a seizure. I woke up in my bed and then fell right back asleep and didn't wake for hoursss.

All in all, I STILL think lamictal is good (for me). I wouldn't go off of it, but that's because I've been on it for almost a decade and it's controlled it well. Granted I did have a seizure, but no medicine is ever going to be a miracle cure.

I wanted to say that after reading everyones posts about their side effects, I feel so much better.. and so sad at the same time. I have noticed my memory is terrrrrrrrrrrrrrrible too, but I just thought it was because I'm just stupid, not medicine related. And lately I randomly get into such bitch fits for no reason. It's hard to control it.
I won't risk changing medications though.

You just gotta find what is the safest for you.

I don't know........ good luck! We all need it:)

Dilantin, I forgot the horror of that miserable experience!

Here is a link to what my story is, from this site in another topic.

I started lamictal, 25 mg 5 days ago.

 I know all meds are different for each of us.

I have comed to learn that the process is akin to a Rubix Cube where I seemingly only get one or two sides complete. From there I ahve to mix things up agian - ie: re-adjust the meds.

Link:

http://my.epilepsy.com/node/984117#comment-1024266

Yes, I am memory man, I always associated it woth other things... :(

BTW I will be 40 in a week, the seizures have been noticeable for about 15 yrs ( ??? I think :p  )

I am in my early 30's and diagnosed with epilepsy 3 years ago. The first medicine I was put on was Lamictal. It seemed to help control my seizures at first, but the side effects for me were horrendous. I was extremely tired all the time. I was also "zoning out" as friends could speak to me from only a few feet away and I would never know they spoke to me. I was dismally depressed and having suicidal thoughts. I felt I was living in a dark, gloomy fog. I began to realize that when my friends started asking "What's wrong with you?" I was quickly switched to Keppra. I have found Keppra to be what I call a "fluffier" version of Lamictal. About the same seizure control, but so much happier and no depressive side effects. Still some tiredness, but not as much. Since we have added Klonopin (clonazepam) to induce sleep/reduce late night seizures. This has been a huge help to me. Now trying new AED called Vimpat, hoping to reduce Keppra dosage. Just started, no results yet. Just wanted to give my experiences on Lamictal. I will never go back there again!

Hi! I'm also taking lamical, and yes I'm having just about the same effects as you. You see, I always seem to lose interest in the things in my everyday life. I feel like I don't have any insperation I always tend to lose focus, and I'm also gaining a great deal of weight. I keep telling my doctor that I believe that the meds. are to blame, but he disagrees with me through it all. I feel like he's saying this because this med. has been seeming to control my seizures. I didn't have a gran-mal for 8 to 9 months, and then out of the blue I had another gran-mal, it upset me so much, because I got to the point that I was finally gonna be seizure free of them. Except I know now that I have been set back again. I just wish that my doc. would try me on another med. something that would stop my side effects, yet give me the help that I need. I have had sz. for 33yrs now, so I have tooken many meds. over the years, and I know that even though the docs. and pharmacist say this med. or that med. doesn't have such side effects in certain meds. I can't help but disagree with them. Only because I have learned that our systems are all different, so we all react to the meds. side effects differently.

THANKS!!! my son who is almost 15yrs old just recently began Lamictal in combination with Zonegram while they are phasing out Banzel and Klonopin.  He has been on Tegretol, trileptal, Deapakote, Keppra.  He is also taking B-6 which actually slowed the frequency down immediately within  a week of starting this.  I contributed the fatigue & motor coordination& memory to being on alot of meds now I am truly wondering if the Lamictal only further intensifies this.  He is on 1200mg of Banzel .75mg klonopin, 100mg zonegram, 50mg Lamictal, 50mg b-6 all twice daily (7a/7p).  He seems to have the majority of seizures between 4-7pm when he is exhausted.  i do believe he is having aura but can't tell us.

What do you all experience when you have an aura?  I know they are uniquely different but any & all info will help me better help my son... 

 My son is primarily nonverbal so I must gauge everything by  his outward responses. Eventhough we have been moving very slow w/ the Lamictal (every 4 weeks 12.5mg) increase has hit him like a semi truck.  he is 150lbs and 5'9 but for some reason this med wipes him out!! We also have notice an increase in seizures the first 2 weeks of the increase.  We are no where near the target dosages and He just sits there like he is "stoned", dark circles under his eyes, and his coordination & balance is way off.  His ability to execute speech sounds and simple words requires sooo much energy where just a few months ago he was "flying" with basic sentences.  He just began having "gran mal (ok know its not the correct term) in September of last year in which they last for close to 5mins.  With the other meds there was only brief fatigue yet the seizures just increased in intensity and frequency! ARGH!

Please continue posting everyone for this is offering me such a window to what he is possibly experiencing so I can help advocated for him w/ the docs.

 Any ideas & tips that you have found helpful (ie protein in Am vs carbs only was great) will be fantastic.  He is a fabulous kiddo and I just really know that through networking we are moving forward versus this backward peddling we have done including the 3 doc who passed him on to another because "his epilepsy is really complicated".

Just need to put this out there too-my son was bit by a tic in march treated for Lymes and then 5 months began having seizures. He had febrile seizures as a toddler but had been seizure free ( medicine free) for over 10 years.....just trying to put the puzzle together!

Thanks- Donna

Ataxia, that's the description I've been looking for!!  Depending on the day, time, food that I've eaten before, my coordination can vary.  On the worst days I've almost fallen down the stairs, I've fallen into a filing cabinet at work (in front of people, embarrassing myself), and sat twitching.  It's a horrible feeling.

This isn't every day, and I've noticed that if I'm sure to take it exactly at every 12 hours (no less), and I have some protein for breakfast (as opposed to just carbs - b/c maybe the blood sugar level affects the response), it's much better.

Aside from that, I too have horrible issues with my memory. Sometimes I just feel like an idiot, not being able to articulate what I want to say, or I forget words and they'll be on the tip of my tongue.  When I'm typing, sometimes I forget how to spell words, or I'll be slightly dyslexic, both of which I've never had an issue with before.  It's so frustrating.

I've been on Keppra, which stopped working after two months, and also Gabapentin, which actually worked for about 2 years.  Now I'm on Lamictal and I just don't know what else to do.  I have an appointment with my doctor in a couple weeks to discuss the side effects and see if I can get my levels tested.  Hopefully we can reduce the dosage and see if that helps.

I took lamictal for about 6 months and was up to about 1600mg a day and it did absolutley nothing to help my seizures. It did not cause be to gain weight, but it did make me extreemly tired.

My memory is terrible since I've been taking Lamictal and is getting worse. I know memory loss with Epilepsy is a common thing anyway, but my memory was never anything like it is now on Lamictal. I'm glad to see it's not just me. My memory is to the point that if I need to remember something, I have to write it down. People who know me will also tell me to write things down because they know I won't remember.  

My son has been on Lamictal since September/October 2008 (I posted a comment around this time asking for experences).  We haven't noticed any side effects and are finding his siezures are more controlled.  Last December he has a case of pneumonia with high fivers and no seizures!!!  Although over Easter he had his first break-though seizure that wasn't accompanied by a fever.  This seizure was more of a absence seizure without the muscle jerks of a tonic-clonic.  It was extremely mild and was over in about a minute.  He immediatly sat up and wanted to continue to play on the swingset.  I did read in a reply to my earlier comment that the generic form can cause more breakthough seizures.  Has anyone else noticed this?

All in all, we are very happy with the Lamictal.  No weight gain, no memory loss, in fact, we don't see any side effects.

Has anyone taking Lamictal long term noticed any learning difficulties?  Alex also does some hand-flapping when he's really excited.  It has diminished over the past 2 years.  Any thoughts on this?

This website really is wonderful.  It is great to connect with others.  To the others that experience seizures...Remember, everyone on this website support you and care about you.  God Bless!

I'm on 400mg twice a day and have noticed the weight gain and a bit of tiredness. The tirednness does get better. The biggest challenge I have dealt with is memory loss. I work with challenging myself to memory games and trivia to keep my mind fresh and working sharp. It really works and my Neuro says it's a great idea. Been Grand Mal epileptic for 31 years with only the occasional breakthrough on it.

my husband is on 300 mg of lamictal a day and hasn't had any side effects at all. his memory seems to be worsening, but we're not sure if it's from the meds or the seizures.

I am in the process of switching from Keppra (now just 1 500mg @night) to the generic Lamictal (1/2 100mg 2xday for about 3 more weeks or so then 1 100mg 2xday).  I have actually noticed that since the transition started I can barely sleep, usually 3-4 hrs. a night broken up, and I have actually lost weight.  I do not know if it is the Lamictal or not but that has been the only change in any meds since being diagnosed a few months ago.  I do have to agree with the laziness thing though, I have noticed I do not want to do anything lately, but I figured it was just because I still have to get used to all of this and it's just a 'funk' I need to get out of.  The more I learn about this the better I have been getting with that though, so I cannot say for sure it is the meds.

I do not know if this helps or not but that has been my experience so far.

Good Luck and Best Wishes!

I've been on Lamictal for a little over a year now and have experienced no weight gain or excessive tiredness, although I could use a little of both! As a little side note, during the past year + Lamictal has been my 1st line treatment for simple partial seizures and it didn't change anything, so I've tried a handful of add-on medicines (actually they've all been primarily 1st line medicines added as secondary medicines) and still no improvement whatsoever. Maybe it's time to add a third... yuck

I have been taking lamictal for 8 years it really never made me gain weight!But it does make you lazy,I also take Diamox with it too!

I'm still taking Lamictal, and from what I've been reading here about the side effects from it, I realize I'm experiencing more side effects from Lamictal than the seizure control I seemed to have on Dilantin. My memory is horrible and I seem to have more Gran Mal seizures. I think I'm going to talk to my Dr about it and tell him about the ups and downs I get from Lamictal and being tired all the time. I know he switched me from Dilantin to Lamictal because of the effects on my gums from Dilantin. I'm willing to try something different if I can gain better control of my seizures. My family thinks I'm having fewer seizures on Lamictal than I was on Dilantin. I'm only taking Lamictal now, and I hate the memory loss I have on Lamictal. Maybe I just need to find a different drug altogether. My family is not liking the fact I want to get off Lamictal because of the side effects. They think I'm having better control on it than I was on Dilantin. I know I wasn't taking care of myself the way I should have been when the switch was made, but I didn't have the memory and sleep problems I am now. The med game is just a crap shoot anyway. Some drugs work for some but they don't work for others and vice versa.