Is Lamictal a good seizure medication?
Is Lamictal a good seizure medication?
Lamotrigine is an anti-epileptic medication, also called an anticonvulsant. Lamotrigine is used alone or with other medications to treat epileptic seizures in adults and children. Lamotrigine is also used to delay mood episodes in adults with bipolar disorder (manic depression).
How is lamotrigine used to treat epilepsy in adults?
Treating epilepsy in adults and children. Lamotrigine is used to help prevent generalised tonic-clonic seizures (grand mal epilepsy) and partial or focal seizures, as well as absence seizures in children. It’s also used for a type of severe childhood epilepsy called Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. It helps to reduce the number of seizures you get.
Are there any side effects to taking lamotrigine?
Antiepileptic medicines can harm an unborn child. If you are a woman, make sure you have discussed with your doctor which types of contraception are suitable for you and your partner. If you want to have a family, discuss this with your doctor so that you can be given advice from a specialist before you become pregnant.
What kind of seizures can Lamictal be used for?
Lamictal is used to treat several different types of seizures. In one study, Lamictal was given as an add-on medicine for patients with the pattern of seizures called Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. Compared to patients who were given a placebo, 23% more patients who took Lamictal had the number of their tonic-clonic seizures cut at least in half.
Which is the highest dose of lamotrigine you can take?
If you’re taking any of these medicines your doctor may prescribe a higher than usual lamotrigine dose: 1 carbamazepine. 2 phenobarbital. 3 phenytoin. 4 primidone. 5 rifampicin. 6 (more items)
How to stop taking lamotrigine?
Lamotrigine is used for long-term treatment of bipolar disorder. Do not stop taking lamotrigine even when you feel better. Only your healthcare provider can determine the length of lamotrigine treatment that is right for you. Missing doses of lamotrigine may increase your risk for a relapse in your mood symptoms.
Does lamotrigine make you tired?
When you begin taking lamotrigine, it may make you feel very tired, more so than you normally would. This drowsiness will pass as you continue taking the drug. Conversely, Drugs.com states that another common and non-serious side effect is trouble falling or staying asleep.
Does Lamictal cause seizures?
Symptoms. Clinical trials show that sudden Lamictal discontinuation may cause seizures, especially in patients with epilepsy, but seizures were extremely rare among people taking Lamictal for bipolar disorder—only two patients with bipolar disorder experienced seizures following abrupt discontinuation of the drug.
What can cause a seizure?
Injuries and diseases are the most common causes of seizures. Drug use, birth defects, and genetic conditions may also cause seizures. In adults, however, the causes of seizures are often unidentifiable.