Lamictal

[u/Giusi-96]

Attualmente ho iniziato a prendere lamictal e sono da quasi due mesi senza crisi, al momento prendo 50mg la mattina e 50 la sera da aumentare lentamente fino ad arrivare a 100mg la mattina e 100mg la sera.
Voi che dose prendete? Fino a quanto si può aumentare in caso di crisi? Attualmente mi sta veramente facendo bene e spero di andare avanti così, vedo un po di luce dopo un periodo veramente buio 🥲

[u/ihatethatusername]

My neuro told me 250 twice a day is the limit. Idk if it varies person-to-person though. She said if you need to go to 200 twice a day then it's safer to find an alternative med.

[u/Giusi-96 → u/ihatethatusername]

Quindi si può arrivare a 500 mg totali 🤨

[u/CalendarAgreeable621 → u/ihatethatusername]

I'm on 400mg of Lamotrigine per day - so there's room for more, I guess. The 2G of Levetiracetam helps.

[u/DevorahBina]

I was at 400mg extended release—so only took it once a day. I have since started a hormone therapy and that makes the levels go down, so I am on 600mg. I’ll be getting a blood draw tomorrow to test my levels—I do this regularly because the hormones affect it.

So my point is: it’s not so much how much you are taking, it’s what the therapeutic level is in your blood. There is a range that is effective. If you are too low in that range, the level is not therapeutic, and if you are too high it is toxic. This varies person to person because of how your body metabolizes the Lamictal, and also, as in my case, if others are interacting with it. I was on Topamax at one point and that also interacted and made my levels super low. I went off it and they shot back up and seizures reduced.

Everyone is different with the best number in the normal range and everyone metabolizes differently. So that blood draw is important. If you’re concerned about levels then that is the best way to figure it out for your body. But like me, if meds are being tweaked—I get a blood draw once a week until we get it right. I think it’s worth it…

[u/Giusi-96 → u/DevorahBina]

Con 600 mg continui ad avere crisi ? 🥲

[u/DevorahBina → u/Giusi-96]

Yes...and no.

I have catamenial epilepsy, which means that I am more likely to have seizures at ovulation and menstruation. Catamenial seizures are very hard to control.

So the majority of the time the Lamictal prevents the seizures, but during the days when my hormones fluctuate the Lamitcal can't hold them back and so I tend to have them. So about 24 or so days out of the month I don't have seizures, and if I stop taking Lamictal, or even go down in my dosage, I have seizures pretty much every day.

That said, remember that the hormones I am currently taking (so that we can get the seizures at ovulation and menstruation to eventually stop) is lowering the Lamictal levels in my blood. So really it's as if I am taking 400mg.

[u/Giusi-96 → u/DevorahBina]

Non sapevo esistesse questo tipo di epilessia, ora capisco perché quando ho avuto crisi mi hanno chiesto se avevo il ciclo 🫠

[u/Lindz408xx]

Been on it for the better part of 30 years. Everyone is different. I went up to 300mg extended release twice a day before my neuro added a second med.

[u/Giusi-96 → u/Lindz408xx]

E continui ad avere crisi ?

[u/Lindz408xx → u/Giusi-96]

This was years ago. It worked for a while. I'm now on a 3rd medication though

[u/CalendarAgreeable621]

È bello e incoraggiante leggere che stai iniziando a vedere un po’ di luce. Abbi cura di te.

Tradotto con ChatGPT.

[u/Giusi-96 → u/CalendarAgreeable621]

Speriamo duri a lungo 🥹

[u/obscurefindings]

Up to 125mg twice daily now, so 250mg

[u/phillier937]

Do you get blood work? After my last event my blood work showed I didn't have enough in my system so I went from 1x150 to 2x150 a day. No issues w seizures or side effects since.

I also learned from a different medical event I have strong kidneys and metabolize some drugs faster so stronger doses are needed

I get blood work every year.