Lamotrigine for Migraine Prevention User Reviews

• LaurieV
• July 20, 2019

"Update to my 2014 review. I have taken lamotrigine for twelve years, and it works great for me to prevent migraines. I take 100 mg of lamotrigine twice a day. I work full time, and I have not missed a single day of work due to a migraine in twelve years! Over twelve years ago, I had between 25 to 31 migraine days every single month. I am very thankful for lamotrigine."

• LaurieV
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• April 18, 2014

"I take 3 x 25 mg tablets twice a day to prevent daily migraines. I used to get between 25 to 31 migraines every month before starting this medicine 6 1/2 years ago. Now I only get about one moderate migraine every four to six weeks."

• Cricket
• Taken for 10 years or more
• October 9, 2019

"Lamotrigine changed my life. I suffered from severe migraines since I was a teenager, the majority of the time. This drug has entirely eliminated my migraines for about 10 years. The first medication I tried was Topamax, and I experienced a “trippy” feeling, as though I had been drugged. Next, I tried Lamictal and developed a serious rash. My doctor somehow convinced me to try again with a low dose of lamotrigine. I did not experience any side effects with Lamictal, and it helped tremendously. Over time, my dose has increased to 100 mg once per day, still a rather low dose. I’m amazed that after a lifetime of suffering with migraines, a low dose of lamotrigine, once a day, can have such a huge impact, it truly changed my life."

• Migra...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 20, 2020

"I had visual aura migraines about 7 times per month and about 11 painful migraine days a month. I tried several drugs for the migraines that had terrible side effects or didn’t really work. I started this drug about 2 months ago and have had no auras, and migraine days are about 4 a month. I started out at 25 mg a day. I started having pain at the top of my head after a few weeks, so I reduced the dose to 12.5 mg. No pain at the top of my head, and no auras, and less migraine days."

• Rose
• December 21, 2019

"I’ve suffered from severe migraines with aura since 7th grade. Multiple per month. In my twenties, I was given Relpax and other meds to help with the pain. I tried preventative meds, to no success. 7.5 years ago, I began taking Lamictal, gradually increased to 200 mg a day. I get the aura only a couple of times a year now, and for much less time, but I no longer get the migraine pain. At all. Not once in 7.5 years! Lamictal changed my life!"

• Samson
• Taken for 10 years or more
• August 29, 2018

"I suffered from migraine with aura from age 10 upwards. As I reached my early 20s, I was having 3 migraines per week and lost my job due to time off work. The neurologist tried me on aspirin, amitriptyline, and other drugs until he gave me Lamictal, this drug completely changed my life. I take 150 mg per day and haven’t had one migraine in 12 years! I luckily have had no side effects or problems with the drug. Two years ago, the doctor started me on fluoxetine for depression, it lessened the effectiveness of the Lamictal and I suffered a huge aura but no migraine. And the doctor took me off fluoxetine immediately, thankfully sertraline was a better option along with Lamictal."

• Long...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• October 14, 2017

"This med took about 2 years to take full effect. I have been taking 200 mg for 12 years. I have to take it in the morning; the night dose makes it wear off too soon. (Increasing chance of migraines) Pros: I went from weekly migraines (hemiplegic, cortical depression, pain) to 2-6 per year, now only brought on by extreme stress and/or extreme wind. I unexpectedly became more easygoing; I no longer sweat the small stuff. Cons: Lamictal has extreme and terrifying withdrawals. I can tell when I've missed a dose by vibrations in my teeth and face, and if longer than 48 hours, I get extreme fear, headache, double vision, debilitating sadness, and super hypersensitive to sound. Less severe is hair loss, but so worth the life without severe migraines."

• Kevin
• February 4, 2020

"I've suffered with chronic migraine on and off since my teens - perhaps as a result of a TBI suffered after taking a swan dive off a ladder when I was 12. A very severe period started about 25 years ago with daily pain levels of between 7-9 where a 7 is barely being able to keep my eyes open and a 9 means hours pacing, hoping to throw up and finally being able to get horizontal and get to sleep. After numerous experiments with anti-migraine meds, anti-depressants, supplements, diets, therapy, etc., I was referred to a neurologist outside Philadelphia. The neurologist was working with a psychiatrist, and after working with the two of them, we settled on Lamotrigine. I've been on it for several years now, and we've settled on a sweet spot of 200 mg. While Lamotrigine has not completely eliminated my migraine, it has made a tremendous difference. Thumbs up from here."

• DorineC
• January 24, 2017

"I have hemiplegic migraine for 6 years now. I used to suffer from dizziness and trouble walking normally (not a full migraine, but bothering nonetheless). Since I started using lamotrigine, I'm not dizzy, I have no problem walking, and now I have only 0-2 migraines a month instead of 3 full migraines and the other problems almost all the time. Besides, I don't have any side effects from the drug. Highly recommended."

• Mirage
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 19, 2021

"I used lamotrigine for about a month, and it worked! It drastically decreased my migraines, and I felt like I got my life back. Then it gave me tinnitus! It’s been about 2 months, and my ear is still ringing."

• AbbieM
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 9, 2019

"After suffering with migraines all my life, trying all types of meds under the sun we finally landed on lamotrigine. This has changed my life. I used to have constant background headaches which affected my concentration and extremely debilitating migraines 2x a month I've now gone to having 2x migraine attacks over the past year that I've been on it and my background headaches are barely noticeable anymore. I am on a dose of 50mg a day but do take an extra 2 if I wake up and feel like I'm going to have a bad day with my headaches."

• AllSu...
• August 31, 2016

"Lamotrigine improved my quality of life dramatically for the last 12 years. Before starting it, I was getting about 4 migraines per week. Sometimes my migraines would last 5-6 days. After a month on lamotrigine 100 mg, I noticed that I was less reactive to my migraine triggers, such as fragrances, loud noises, and flashing lights. I'd still get migraines, but not as easily and not as frequently. We upped my dose to 200 mg, and now I get many fewer migraines, more like 1 per week, sometimes less. If you have trouble with glutamate, as evidenced by MSG reactions (non-allergy type), or headaches from high glutamine foods, or as seen in SNPs of your genetic profile (now accessible through 23andMe), you may find this med to be a game changer for you."

• Dmaxi...
• June 30, 2017

"Have been taking this for other conditions. Spotty vision stopped completely, and had zero migraines, which were rather regular during treatment time. Stopped lamotrigine, and migraines plus spotty vision returned."

• Relie...
• September 15, 2015

"I had migraines 1-2 times each week. Likely this was stress headaches, but after a week of taking this for bipolar, I stopped having the headaches/migraines altogether. This was a life changer with 2 benefits and no side effects."

• makro...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 1, 2015

"For years, I have been struggling with constant pressure headaches and sinus/ear problems. The closest way to describe it is to imagine having a head cold 24/7. The constant pain has taken its toll on me and my mood. After years of trying all sorts of meds, my doctor finally prescribed Lamictal. It didn't work at first, but once the dose was increased, I felt amazing. I was back to my old self: no more headache, earaches, brain fog, or fatigue. We finally found the right medication! Unfortunately, the medication caused a painful rash all over the front of my upper torso, and I had to stop it. If you get a rash, look up D.R.E.S.S., many doctors don't make the connection. It woke up the HHV6 rash from childhood and took 7 months to clear up even after stopping the medication."

• Pacob...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• July 23, 2019

"After suffering from migraines for 35yrs and trying everything possible, including Botox and Verapamil/Cymbalta as prophylaxis I went up on my Lamictal to 250 2x daily. We actually increased the Lamictal to control my seizures, but I had the *very* pleasant surprise that it nearly eliminated my migraines. At that point, I was still suffering approximately 2 weeks/mo. I can't say enough about the drug, but contrary to the research, I won't give it up and would add another seizure medication if I got to the maximum dose and seizures were still occurring."

• Maureen
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 25, 2021

"I have only just increased my dose of lamotrigine to 75mg per day after 3 weeks going up to 100mg next week. However in the last 2 weeks I’ve suffered daily headaches. I take my prescribed triptans which clear the headache for a few hours then back it comes. I would love to know if anyone else has experienced more headaches than before when they started on this drug. It is really getting me down and I don’t know whether I should stop taking it or persevere?"

• Katie
• November 16, 2015

"I've suffered with a constant severe headache for months. The medication didn't do much at 25mg or 50mg for me. I just went to 75mg recently. I see a little bit of improvement in the severity of my headache. I also found that I have more energy in the day. It hasn't done much yet, but once I get to 100mg I'm hoping it will help some more. fingers crossed.."

• Rachel
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 1, 2016

"Did not alleviate migraines at all, but did manage to both completely counteract my antidepressant and convince my body I was pregnant. Lactation, dysmenorrhea, morning sickness, the whole 9 yards. The best thing I can say about it is it helped my intractable hiccups about 5%, which is more than anything else has. All in all, bad experience."

• WUBea...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 15, 2023

"I've been taking this drug for more than a year for migraine as a replacement for Botox. The Botox injections were helping somewhat, but they're painful and I was hoping for a treatment that might work better without getting my head stabbed repeatedly with needles. Before I was using any migraine treatment, I was having 15+ migraine days per month. With Botox, it went down to 10-11. With Lamotrigine, 100 mg 2x per day, it's down to 3-10, depending on what else is going on in my life. I also take sertraline and amitryptiline for depression and migraine, and use magnesium and riboflavin on my doctor's recommendation. I'd give Lamotrigine a higher rating if it weren't for the side effects: daytime sleepiness and more difficulty focusing on mental tasks. I may work with my neurologist to see if I can taper down the dose. Before using this, be sure to read all of the warnings about ramping up or tapering down the dosage."

• Saudh...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 15, 2023

"I am a very complicated case. I have daily migraines that last the whole day. I tried all the medications until I took lamotrigine 7 years after the migraines started. It significantly improved my daily functioning, decreased headache intensity, and decreased fatigue (for which I have been fired from my job due to absence). It only works for me if I take 300mg at once (peak serum level is the key) After that, I gave Depakine a third trial and this time it WORKED and managed my oversleeping (a second cause for being fired due to absence). I take Depakine 1 tab three times a day (using 2 tabs at once causes sedation and I only benefit from three peaks of serum levels a day) I will try anti-CGRPs (which last one anti-CGRP only was approved in Saudi Arabia a few months ago !!!!) to see if there will added benefit."