Lamictal - Does you're memory return after you stop taking it?
Question posted by Discombobulated1 on 31 Aug 2015
Last updated on 31 August 2015 by MeggieGirl
I've been taking Lamotrigine for about four years now to control my epilepsy. I've been seizure free since taking it. But about two years I realised I could no longer remember my life. My long-term memory had all but disappeared. After talking about it with my doctor I decided to continue taking the medication as I didn't want to risk my seizures coming back.
In the last year I've realised my short-term memory is also deteriorating. It's become really bad recently. I'm struggling with life.
I'm going to speak to my doctor about coming off Lamotrigine.
I want to know if anyone can tell me how likely it is my memory will improve and whether I'll get my memories back.
Though Lamictal only has so many hours of "half-life" (time for your blood plasma levels to reach 50%), it can take up to 8 weeks to clear out of your organs and tissues. I see no reason why your cognitive impairment would continue after that period of time.
Looking at a different angle, I have heard that many people have been able to make their symptoms completely go away by lowering, then raising their dose temporarily, or by taking a different manufacturer. For example, Topamax was HORRIBLE for me. I went plumb stupid. I was taking it twice a day and couldn't function at all. Then I took the exact same dose, only in a formulation that was once a day, and my symptoms disappeared completely. As in, GONE. Just something to contemplate. :)
