Posted by emme on January 6, 2005, at 22:47:41
In reply to Lamictal - Trileptal, posted by Lonely on January 6, 2005, at 20:46:16
> Because the Trileptal scared the ... whatever ... out of me, I took him to a new psychiatrist today who prescribed Lamictal. I've read about it and it too has similar side effects - confusion, dizziness, memory loss, muscle control loss.All drugs list many many side effects. The ones you mention are certainly possible and some people here have complained about memory and cognitive issues. But many people find Lamictal to cause less fatigue and fewer cognitive effects than other AEDs. There are people on this board who have mentioned finding that their cognition improved on it, presumably b/c their mood disorders are controlled. Your husband won't know until he tries it.
A neurologist friend mentioned to me that the patients she sees like Lamictal because they do not feel tired and drugged on it.
> What blew me away was when I noticed that it has phenobarbital in it!!!
Lamictal is a drug in and of itself. It's not a mixture of other drugs and so doesn't contain other drugs. The prescribing information for Lamictal states specifically that it is chemically unrelated to other anti-epileptic drugs.
> Also, I thought carbamazepine (which is also in Lamictal) requires frequent blood tests.
Lamictal, phenobarbital, and carbamazepine are all antiepileptic drugs, but all three are in different subclasses. Lamictal does not require blood tests.
> Bottom line - he's diagnosed with sort've a milder form of Bipolar 2 but I can't remember the name. It means milder mood swings. Has anyone had experience going from Trileptal to Lamictal?
I preferred Lamictal. As far as overall tolerability, I find it has fewer side effects overall than the antidepressants and other AEDs that I've tried. It definitely doesn't make me groggy.
> I know the latter can cause serious rashes
About 1 in 10 will get some sort of rash on Lamictal. Stephens Johnson syndrome occurs in a fraction of a percent. (It is, of course, a serious condition and something to be vigilant about.) A slow titration reduces the risk of a rash. Has the doctor described the titration schedule? Usually 12.5 mg for a week or two to start, increasing by 12.5 mg increments every week or two.
If he were to develop a rash, you'd report it immediately and your husband and doctors would decide how to proceed, whether to ditch it, reduce it, or what.
Lamictal is now a first-line treatment for biplar II and seems to be well tolerated by a lot of people. It's probably worth a trial to see how it goes.
poster:emme
thread:438681
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050103/msgs/438793.html