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Quitting my medicine was wrong
Sat, 04/18/2020 - 11:28Topic: Share Your Story
I was diagnosed with epilepsy at 19 years old. I am 33 now. Until one month ago I have been treated with tegretol (carbamazepine). In December I decided that I wanted to check my health status, so I did all of the necessary medical tests (MRI, EEG, and heart and blood tests). Since all of my medical exams came out within normal parameters, the neurologist that followed me came up with the conclusion that I was cured so she asked me to gradually quit my medicine. I reduced the doses of my medicine for three months and then at the third month I had to quit taking it. I was scared to stop taking my medicine because I had bad experiences on doing that before. However, I decided to follow the doctor's advise so I quit. Four days after i stopped my medicine, while having dinner with my husband I had a seizure, which was followed by another seizure that same night. I felt very sick. I had a strong headache and for the first time in my seizure history I throw out after the seizure. I called my doctor and she told me to take my medicines again. So I started taking one pill a day. After 5 days, I am still feeling weak and having nausea all day long. Cannot hide that I am also feeling a little scared. My family kept saying to me that I shouldn't quit my medicines, but I followed the doctor's advise, and inside me I was really hoping that I was going to be well, but I wasn't.
Comments
So glad to hear that you were
Submitted by Patriotrehab on Tue, 2020-04-21 - 03:11
So glad to hear that you were able to see your new neurologist. I was excited to try Lamictal, but it didn’t work out for me because I had too many side effects. I’ve seen posts from lots of others on the board though that it works well for them and others that have side effects not as intolerable as mine though. Everyone reacts differently though. What I’ve found is that starting out on a low dose and titrating slowly helps reduce the problems with side effects and lets the body get used to medications more easily. Your neurologist may even advise taking both until you are at a dose that gives you seizure control with no side effects with Lamictal. I’m getting ready to add a new medication called Onfi aka Clobazam because my trial with Lamictal didn’t work out. I do hope it works for you though. It works for many. I also take Topamax and while some people have issues with it, I’ve never had any problems with it. Best wishes!
Thank you for sharing your
Submitted by Ina_5e9b1353731fd on Tue, 2020-04-21 - 13:04
Thank you for sharing your experience with me Gianna. I have red on the various side effects of Lamictal. Some of them were very frightening, can't hide that. Let's see how it will work out for me. Best wishes to you too with your medication!
Thank your for your comment
Submitted by Ina_5e9b1353731fd on Mon, 2020-04-20 - 16:35
Thank your for your comment and your helpful suggestions. I met with my new neurologist today. I shared with her my story and concerns. She suggested me to take a new medicine which to her is less damaging, Lamictal. I am starting to use it tomorrow. Can't hide that I am scarred and worried on how I am going to react to it. I would appreciate learning from the experience of people who have used Lamictal.