I was on 150mg-200mg of Lamictal for around 4 years. I quit taking it while I was pregnant and breastfeeding.
I got back on it around September 2017, started at 100mg, but was quickly upped to 200mg.
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I have been taking 200mg once a day, at bedtime, every night.
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Here is my question: I just got told to take 200mg TWICE a day. I am wondering how long I need to wait in between doses? I was not given much information, and I can not find anything online.
The first two days, I tried only 100mg during the day because I was nervous about the raise in my dose, then my normal 200mg at night. I noticed the 100mg during the day messed with my vision a little bit. A little blurry, a little bit of double vision for maybe half an hour, but tolerable.
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I finally took the full 200mg during the day and have had SEVERE double vision for almost 2 hours. I wondering if it’s just too much for me to take, or if I didn’t wait long enough?
— How long between doses should I be waiting?
I take it around 8:30pm every night, and the first two times I’ve take it, I took the first two (100mg) doses around 2pm, and then this passed dose (200mg) around 1pm.
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I’m confused and worried, and there is no way I will be able to continue this. I considered going to the hospital because how horrible the double vision was. I felt like I had overdosed. I’ve had blurry vision as a side effect before, maybe 3 times, but I just went to bed because I always took my doses at bedtime.
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Note: I plan on calling my Psychiatrist first thing, but she isn’t in until Tuesday, so I’m trying to get answers now.
Please help...Very concerned. Lamictal twice a day: hours between doses?
Question posted by SpiraledEcho on 4 Feb 2018
Last updated on 4 February 2018
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Answers
Hi, Spiraled! I suppose that quickly doubling your dose would bring on some side effects. Hopefully, like most, they will resolve within a matter of a few days.
Your doses should be taken 8 - 12 hours apart.
If it's any consolation, these are very common side effects:
"Ocular:
Very common (10% or more): Diplopia [double vision] (28%), blurred vision (16%)
Common (1% to 10%): Vision abnormality, nystagmus, photosensitivity, amblyopia"
Thank you, this is definitely comforting. I knew that blurry and double vision were pretty common side effects, but this was so bad that I was crying in a Walmart parking lot, contemplating going to the hospital because I just could not shake it. I could not focus on a thing. I wouldn’t have been able to walk if I tried.
Thank you for letting me know about approx., 8-12 hours between doses. I will definitely try that and see if it helps anything, and also give in a few more days.
I have been on 200 mg of Lamictal for a while now and I take one in the morning and one at night and it seems to be fine I haven't really had a problem with it little blurred vision but not bad good luck
200mg total? Like 100mg in the morning and another 100mg at night? Or 200mg morning and night?
I’m wondering if maybe it’s anything to do with my weight. I’ve never had issues with it before, but I’m a much lower weight now and maybe the dosage is too high. I have no idea. I guess I’ll try to take it a little bit earlier in the evening and then first hung in the morning and see (hope) if that helps.
Thank you for your response.
100 in the morning and 100 at night and it seems to work fine for me it's only 200 a day not 400 and weight gain stays the same or it's easier to lose weight so that's okay for me cuz fibromyalgia the more weight you have on you the more it hurts so this works for me
@meemainpain Thanks. I was meaning more if the dose was too high for how much I weigh. I’m 22 and only 87 pounds, and when I think 400mg, it just seems like a huge amount. I wasn’t sure if maybe my low weight could possibly contribute to the intensity of the side effects.
Related topics
lamictal, bipolar disorder, dosage
Further information
- Lamictal uses and safety info
- Lamictal prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Lamictal (detailed)
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