User Reviews for Lamictal to treat Epilepsy

"Lamictal did not work for me, 200mg in am and 200mg pm. No changes with seizures in my sleep but side effects were insomnia, constipation, and hair loss. I had to take sleep aid to get a decent night sleep or else 2 or 3 hours was all I could get"

"I cannot stop singing its praises. Two years ago I had no idea what was wrong with me, I felt "fogginess" and tried everything- declared "headaches" caused by anxiety or depression, had to take a year off of school since I couldn't function; xanax helped but I didn't understand why, and about 17 other antidepressants or antianxiety medications later I was put on lamictal due to a diagnosis of BPD. Almost instantly, from that initial does of 25mg I started being able to focus and the fogginess lifted. As the dosage increased to 150mg to twice a day, I was given back all waking hours of clarity. I could focus, produce, study, think clearly, remember clearly, everything. As a result of being given power back, the depression vanished."

"Been on lamictal for about 7 years, it was prescribed to me for myoclonic seizures. My epilepsy improved a bit, but I still have seizures almost every day. When my doctor tried to take me off of it, putting me on keppra, I started having grandmals, so he immediately put it back. I haven't had a grandmal for years now, thankfully, but myoclonic seizures still happen frequently."

"I do not like this drug! it gives me an upset stomach, dry mouth, gaining even more weight, makes me feel like I'm about to barf sometimes, I get double vision, dizziness, and even blurred vision. My doctor thought it was such a wonderful idea, and I have told her about my reactions to this medication, but she still thinks its a great medication. I wish she were in my shoes!"

"Best medicine out there! I've had seizure for 7 years now and used to have them every other day and sometimes a couple in a row to. And about 2 years ago I got put on this medication and has stopped my seizures! I've tried 5 or 6 different medications and this one is the only one that actually worked great! Anyone reading this give it a try because it works!!"

"I’m 46 y/o female and started Lamictal after sudden onset of seizures. Unknown cause. I have Crohn’s disease and have had my entire large intestine removed along with most of my small intestines. I’ve noticed my mood has improved, which is a welcome effect! Rather than being a human slug, I’m able to complete some housework and...wait for it.....DO LAUNDRY!!! The only issue I’ve had is cystic acne that got pretty bad when I was taking over 100 mg day. I now take just 100 mg and no more acne or rash. No seizures except a few when coming out of aenesthesia after some procedures or surgery. This has been remedied by getting premeds and IV seizure meds when having surgery. I’m happy again and look forward to the future!!"

"I have taken 150 mg of this drug for 3 and a half years for condition known as Benign Epilepsy. In that time I've continued to have seizure every six months on average as well as experiencing a number of negative side effects including, insomnia, constant sighing, impaired short term memory, lack of motivation, depressive thoughts and difficulty completing tasks due to lack of motivation."

"Lamictal did NOT work for me. I have MTS (mesial temporal sclerosis). I had smaller febrile seizures when I was a 1-2 years old. It wasn't until starting college I had a huge grandMal seizures, focals, etc. My neurologist began my on Lamictal and it did absolutely nothing for me. I had breakthrough seizures, confusion, and it was overall not a great match. If you are in the same boat I am in, I would recommend going down the Keppra route/oxcarbazepine (until this recently has caused hyponatremia)."

"NEW ZEALANDERS! On Lamictal or Arrow I'm calling out to you! If you don't know or are against the change to Logem, sign the petition! To find it google - NEW ZEALAND petition for lamictal I know we are all probably facing the inevitable, but if there is any possibility of keeping our lives stable, I'm going to take every chance I can! PHARMAC in NZ has chosen to no longer funding Arrow and Lamictal medication, creating the change to the generic brand Logem. To sign the petition - there is a big yellow box on the petition page on the right of the yellow box there is a "sign petition" option - click on this, put in your name and email, then there is a box to check to agree with the terms and conditions and there is also an "I'm not a robot" to tick."

"I started taking Limictal about 7yrs ago 2x's a day morning & night 150 mg & I love it Wth all the other anti Seizure meds also I hve to take other anti-seizure meds 3x's daily total by bedtime it's actually 4 x's a day. I can't say enough good things about Limictial wth it & the combination of the other anti- seizure meds I take daily it's a great mix for me. Also read ur information as it is very dangerous to suddenly quit taking it & it's not good to run out either trust me I went 2 days 1x without it on the weekend & U better believe I couldn't wait until Monday morning came & I could go pick it up. Don't make my mistake ur never supposed to miss a doss & I haven't since"

"I take 500mg a day (have 2 separate prescriptions since it's above the maximum). Taking it for the last 5 years. It's been almost a year since I've had a seizure. At first, while I was increasing the dosage it gave me extremely lucid dreams (like, wake up thinking that it was real kind of thing). After you're on it for a while, it's pretty much just life. Only bad I can think of is how irritable I get when I'm hungry and I feel crummy when my blood sugar is low. It's made me put on some weight which I hate. Can't wait to get off this stuff and have no seizures and lose weight!"

"I won't talk about my experience of how it controlled epilepsy, because I don't know. When I was on Keppra, I was a terrible person when I was taking it alone, feeling angry and depressed all the time. After another violent seizure, I was prescribed Lamictal on top of Keppra. I tried to refuse to take it but ended up taking it anyways (along with keppra). Once I reached 100mg bd all of the Keppra side effects were gone, and I felt like a different person. But like any anti-epilipsy medicine, there are side effects and I had two: 1- I couldn't sleep more than 5 hours at night, I never used an alarm to wake up (you wish to need it once you reach this level) 2- Dry mouth, nostrils, and eyes, dry to the point I can't open my eyes when I wake up and I needed an eye-drop to open my eyes. My mouth was dry despite not being thirsty, my eyes and mouth literally felt like sandpaper."

"This drug has helped me massively throughout the past few years. I was taking regular monthly seizures for about 3/4 days a month in my sleep and had several ambulances called for me then when I started this drug things have reduced not stopped completely but reduced drastically. Not had a grand mal for three years and have absence seizures but rare no where near as much as I did. This drug has caused very little side effects I can't even recall one to be honest and if anything it has gave me confidence to stand up for myself for some weird reason lol. Highly recommend also can drink alcohol without side effects never had a side effect from it so yeah I'd stick to this"

"I am currently titrating up to help my day and nocturnal seizures. I am at 50mg morning and night. So far it seems to have helped with the nocturnal but increased my seizures during the day. If you are in Scotland and its the weekend you can go to a chemist and they can supply you with a week of medication to tide you over should you run out, so you don't miss any doses. They will sort out the paperwork and inform your GP that they have given you that medication. Take a repeat slip if you have one and try to stick to a regular chemist and obviously try to remember to order.. easier said than done with multiple medications and memory problems. Your chemist can also order them and deliver if needed."

"I developed Tardive Dyskinesia after less than 2 months on lamictal for depression"

"Hives, dry mouth, dry eyes, vision change and dry patches of skin under my eyes. 150 mg for a few weeks. All these symptoms have been with me even a week after stopping this med."

"It’s given me my life back. I have a sense of safety if I’ve taken my medicine routinely. I can go about my days almost as normal as everyone else."

"Lamictal caused rare horrendous side effects for me - massive appetite increase, significantly higher blood sugar (hyperglycemia) and muscle loss."

"no effects yet"