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Doctor wants him to switch from Dilantin to Lamictal

Tue, 05/06/2008 - 21:53
My husband is 37 and has been on Dilantin since he was 12   .  His seizures are under control but his doctor has ordered a MRiIto check for Cerabellum(spelling?) shrinkage and a bone density test.  The Dr. says of there is evidence of damage, he wants my husband to switch to Lamictal.  MY concern is  if there is damage what will  this mean?  and If he does have to switch meds, what is the process for that?  it seems a little scary to me, with the possibility of seizures until meds are stabalized. How long does it take?  What about work? the children?

Comments

Re: Doctor wants him to switch from Dilantin to Lamictal

Submitted by leftoverhippie on Sun, 2013-07-28 - 16:48
I was an AT&T corporate manager until my job was surplused after the bellsouth merger. During that time I had become toxic from 25 yrs of dilantin. Dilantin has SO many irreversible side effects it is unreal. So my Dr. switched me to Lamictal. To keep me safe as I had to travel during my job he took 6 months to convert me from dilantin to lamictal.  Now I am on Lamictal xr. I do take a percentage over what I need but that was at my request. I will NEVER regret the change. Life is so much better and thinking has dramatically improved. I have only had one seizure since 2007 and that was a day I had forgot to take it and it was very light. I am happy. I was not a born epileptic but was in a wreck when I was 17 and sustained head injuries. Then the seizures started.

Re: Doctor wants him to switch from Dilantin to Lamictal

Submitted by just_joe on Wed, 2013-07-31 - 09:24

I had to switch to another medication but it was not because the dilantin wasn't working. It was keeping my seizures down,After being on it for over 30 years you can become toxic on it. One of the side effects with dilantin is fluctuation in your gumd. After being taken off the dilntin my gums receeded all the way back and my teeth were all loose. I had to have dentures made because there was nothing holding them in you could see the roots of my teeth. With most dentures they get molds and they have to adjust them after the gund receed mine were adjusted 1 day after they were put in and I haven't had anymore adjustments. I wil need to do something soon because these are showing wear but then they have been used every day since 1994.

Hope this helps

I worked for the OLD AT&T and the project I worked on was downsized. When southwestern bell got it they did not know how to fix anythig  in our operation

I had to switch to another medication but it was not because the dilantin wasn't working. It was keeping my seizures down,After being on it for over 30 years you can become toxic on it. One of the side effects with dilantin is fluctuation in your gumd. After being taken off the dilntin my gums receeded all the way back and my teeth were all loose. I had to have dentures made because there was nothing holding them in you could see the roots of my teeth. With most dentures they get molds and they have to adjust them after the gund receed mine were adjusted 1 day after they were put in and I haven't had anymore adjustments. I wil need to do something soon because these are showing wear but then they have been used every day since 1994.

Hope this helps

I worked for the OLD AT&T and the project I worked on was downsized. When southwestern bell got it they did not know how to fix anythig  in our operation

Re: Doctor wants him to switch from Dilantin to Lamictal

Submitted by Cathy M. on Tue, 2013-09-24 - 14:12
After having my 1st two tonic-clonic seizures (2nd was in ER) hours apart, I was put on Dilantin. I ended up with either my blood levels too low or toxic for years. I was only taking the Bad D for about 5-6 years The absolute worst part was the development of Osteoporosis, and damage to my teeth and gums! All of these are side effects of Dilantin. I unfortunately didn't do my research until AFTER suffering numerous broken bones, a bone density test that shows I have the bones of an 80 yr old (I'm only 43), gum loss and tooth damage! IMO, this gentleman deffinately needs a bone density test and a med change! This is my first post, so please accept my apologies if it's disjointed, wordy or not in the right place. I'm learning... also on a tablet which isn't too typing friendly.

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