Joined: 05 May 2005 Posts: 2 Location: Huntington Station, NY
Changing Meds And Scared Posted: 05-05-05 11:43am
I am currently in the process of switching
over from depakote to lamictal. I am 28
years old now and i've been on depakote
750mg a day since age 10. I haven't had
a true seizure since 12/00, but since
10/04, I started experiencing auras again
and the dosage was increased and now I am
up to 1,250 a day. I also want to start
thinking about having kids, and I was told
depakote is the worst medicine out there
to be on during pregnancy. So for those
2 reasons, it was determined that lamictal
is the best choice for me. My reason
for posting is that I am so scared to
change because this depakote has done
wonders for me. It's made it so that I
can live a normal life. I work, drive,
do everything, and now i'm worried that I
will start having seizures again. If
anyone has any advice whatsoever, has been
through a similar experience, especially
if they've switched from depakote to
lamictal, or anything, please let me know.
I'm really worried.
Thanks in advance,
jacki
|
kayakmom
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 21 Jun 2004 Posts: 252 Location: Conn
Thanks: 2
Thanked:0
Posted: 05-07-05 16:07pm
Jacki, it is good to switch to lamictal to
make it safer to try for a family.
Depakote it a hard one to combine with
lamictal. The dep lowers the level of
lamictal in the blood so it takes much
longer to get to the right dose. It is
one that needs a long time to get up to
the right dose anyway.
Hoping that all goes very well and you
will not have any more seizures while you
switch. Is the neuro having you get up to
a certain level before going down on
depakote?
Hang in there. Lamictal is a good med for
many people
|
mrock0405
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 21 Feb 2005 Posts: 5
Posted: 05-12-05 13:50pm
Hi! I took depakote for about 2-3 years
and it was terrible! I gained about 40
lbs., lost a lot of hair and overall, it
was just awful. My seizures weren't
controlled either. Then, I switched to
lamictal as another option and i've been
taking it for about 4 years. My seizures
are still not under control but I don't
think they ever will be. However, they
do seem to be better than they were with
other meds. I take lamictal in
conjunction with neurontin and klonopin.
I would receommend lamictal if you are
planning on starting a family. My doctor
told me that's it's the best one as well.
I say go for it. Switch over and give
it a shot. If you don't have positive
results, switch back to the depakote.
Good luck! :d
|
shorty1825
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 22 Feb 2006 Posts: 27
Switching Meds Is Always Scarry! Posted: 05-24-06 12:25pm
I know how scarred you must feel! I've
had seizures for ~25 yrs now. Been on
phenobarbatil, tegratol, dilanton,
deprokote, klonapin [as well as
combinatins of all of them. Currently,
i'm taking felbatol and keppra.
Taking new medication while tapering off
older medication can take it's toll on
life. Changing medications is very
frustrating [not only for the person; but,
to anyone living with them]. Anytime my
neuro changed my meds; I would cring - the
stress level would immediately be felt.
A lot of things happen when changing
medications. Getting used to what the new
medications side effects are while dealing
with the effects of tappering off
non-wanted medications can be
overwhelming. Seizure activites can
increase while you system tries to adjust
to not receiving one type of med and still
deal with adjusting to newer meds. It
throws your system topsy-turvy for a
while. Once it does make the needed
adjustments, then dealing with the new
medications side-effects is another issue.
If that can be successfully
accomplished, all is well again.
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