Hi!! 

My daughter just turned 5, was diagnosed with epilepsy since almost 2.5 years of age. She has tried Lamictal. The first time, and she broke out on a rash. Her neurologist told me to stop the medication immediately.  He then asked me if I want to try the Lamictal again, at a lower dose before switching to other medications. I agreed to have my daughter tried the Lamictal again, and of course she was doing okay the second time, without any rash.  However, she was on the Lamictal for 6 months with the gradual increase of the dosage, but my daughter's seizures did not stop. 

Last august 2009, we had an overnight video EEG done at UCSF. The neurologist there felt that my daughter would benefit from Depakote and Lamictal.

The first day she was two 2 Lamictal (50mg) daily and 2 Depakote daily (250mg), her seizures increased, and I was concerned and notified the neurologist right away. He immediately reduced the Lamictal dosage down to 1 (25mg) in the morning and kept 50mg Lamictal at night, which was so helpful because she wasn't seizing uncontrollably.  However, she was always tired and sleepy that she couldn't do anything. After one week seeing her being so non-functional, I told the neurologist and he reduced the dosage of Depakote in the morning to 1, instead of 2, which helped tremendously. Her seizures are under controlled and she's functioning like a regular child...getting up, going to school, play, and run about instead sleeping all the time.

My suggestion to you is to consult with your child's doctor about perhaps reducing the dose of the Depakote.  The doctor needs find a balance of the meds to help your child.  I hope this helps and I wish you and your child all the best as you try and find a balance to help your child control the seizures and live a regular life. Good luck and God bless.

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