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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
[email protected]Shown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Lonely on January 6, 2005, at 20:46:16
I took my hubby off Trileptal about 10 days ago because it caused exact same symptoms as MS - a disease that was diagnosed in him at about the same time. He's improved a bit neurologically but obviously has mood swings (he's told me about them) and I would say is a tad bit removed from reality once in a while. He forgets stuff - leaves stove on, forgets to fasten up his clothes, etc. Former psychiatrist said he has vascular dementia which he denies.
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. What blew me away was when I noticed that it has phenobarbital in it!!! This is for a former serious drug addict and the p-doc knew it!! Also, I thought carbamazepine (which is also in Lamictal) requires frequent blood tests. He's about to start treatment for MS which can lower his immunity - it sounds like they're about to kill him!
This p-doc was polite and listened unlike the crazy Russian woman he went to the last time, but, still, I'm horribly disappointed. No real information or support for me on dealing with this.
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 know the latter can cause serious rashes and so can his MS treatment which is coming up any day now. I'm furious about these drugs that make him groggy and cause memory loss - the least they could do is NO HARM!
Posted by Phillipa on January 6, 2005, at 20:59:09
In reply to Lamictal - Trileptal, posted by Lonely on January 6, 2005, at 20:46:16
I looked the same two drugs up yesterday. There was a very good Thread on them yesterday. It should still be up the Board. What I ended up doing was typing in the drug name in search and that gave me all the info I needed. Hopes this helps. Good Luck. Phillipa
Posted by Phillipa on January 6, 2005, at 21:02:19
In reply to Lamictal - Trileptal, posted by Lonely on January 6, 2005, at 20:46:16
Yes, it's still there. It's not far up the page. Phillipa
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.
Posted by mmcconathy on January 7, 2005, at 19:40:46
In reply to Lamictal - Trileptal, posted by Lonely on January 6, 2005, at 20:46:16
I've taken my dad's Trileptal (150mg) for psesdosiezures, but now i take Klonopin, so im fine.
In general from what i rerember it just had a indirect calming, i didnt seem to get exited playing PS2, but i felt leveled, not unstable.
Generally it brings a feeling of calm (not sedation or tranquilization), just less reactivity, and stableness of mood
Just some Random info
Later...
Crazy Matt
Posted by Lonely on January 7, 2005, at 20:07:24
In reply to Re: Lamictal - Trileptal » Lonely, posted by emme on January 6, 2005, at 22:47:41
A big "oops" here and thankful you corrected me on this
<-------- (she says with red face).I misread the box in my anxious and exhausted state. What it really says is that those other drugs such as carbamazepine should NOT be taken with Lamictal! I misread it and thought those were ingredients in the pill. So, I feel a bit better about all of that and glad my mistake was caught before I yelled at a doctor!!!!
The p-doc gave my hubby a free sample package that sort've quadruple -folds and is about the size of a video tape box - or at least it seems like it to me. Also, the positioning of the text on the cover in regard to what NOT to take should be handled a little differently - it just wasn't clear - I would do it differently.
In reading doctor-to-doctor message boards on Dr. Bob's site, I noticed that one doc had patients start at 12.5 mgs for several days before going to 25. That's what I'm doing w/my hubby in hopes of minimizing side effects. Quite likely he will do better on a lower dose overall anyway.
> > 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.
>
Posted by emme on January 9, 2005, at 14:30:31
In reply to Re: Lamictal - Trileptal » emme, posted by Lonely on January 7, 2005, at 20:07:24
> A big "oops" here and thankful you corrected me on this
> <-------- (she says with red face).
>
> I misread the box in my anxious and exhausted state. So, I feel a bit better about all of that and glad my mistake was caught before I yelled at a doctor!!!!Glad I could help. Stressful trying to take in so much info in a short time, isn't it?
> In reading doctor-to-doctor message boards on Dr. Bob's site, I noticed that one doc had patients start at 12.5 mgs for several days before going to 25. That's what I'm doing w/my hubby in hopes of minimizing side effects. Quite likely he will do better on a lower dose overall anyway.Um...what did the pdoc tell you as far as a titration schedule? She/he should have given you specific directions. If not, be in communication with him/her about it. As you've already found out here, 12.5 is a common starting dose with 12.5 mg increases per week. Or slower if needed.
You'll be feeling your way with this drug as you go up. The therapeutic dose vaies hugly from person to person. You've probably already seen mention of dosage in a lot of threads in the archives.
Don't be surprised if there's a few start-up side effects. Some people get headaches and/or feel just generally "off". It should go away. Don't be alarmed if he gets tight sore neck or shoulder muscles. Massaging will help. That went away for me in a few weeks also.
Good luck.
This is the end of the thread.
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