Switching from Keppra (levetiracetem) to lamotrigine

[Mango401]

Hi, I have been on Keppra for two years seizure free at 500mg twice a day. I suddenly started having seizures again and they increased my dosage to 750mg twice a day. I've been on this dosage for over a month and the side effects have been awful from anger issues, and having really bad down days which is not like me at all(really happy go lucky person!!). I've also been having a lot of absences aswell. The decision has been made to switch me to lamotrigine in the next week. I just wondered what people thought of lamotrigine and if any one had done this switch before? I understand it's obviously different for everyone but would be nice to hear some experienced good or bad! They have not said what my dosage will be yet, my appointment is on Friday the 4th of March to talk about changeover!

Thanks

[Jenny25]

Hi.

I switched from Keppra as was still having seizures (although fewer) but also had anger and down mood as well. Im now on Lamotrigine 125mg twice a day with a small dose of keppra still (250mg) and have no side effects and been seizure free for 15months. For me was a long process switching over as dosages altered gradually and I was tired upon initially increasing Lamotrigine. But that didnt last too long and was well worth it as mood definately improved even though i'm still on low dose Keppra.

Good luck!

[Gemgemsxx in reply to Jenny25]

I'm currently only taking 250mg of levetiracetam....do you feel like it's worth bothering with? I see people taking 1000's of mg and wonder if 250mg actually does anything.

[Jenny25 in reply to Gemgemsxx]

Yeah 250 is what i'm on alongside the lamotrigine of 125mg. I was on 1250 of keppra which wasnt working and I was getting side effects. I do wonder sometimes if the keppra is doing anything at such a low dose but as i'm seizure free reluctant to change anything. Have you asked you neurologist about coming off keppra?

[Gemgemsxx]

Mango401 I am in the same situation as you but the only difference is I already take lamotrigne and added in levetiracetam a month ago. Lamotrigne works really well for me, my body can only tolerate 250mg twice a day but I have zero side affects on that dosage. When I increased the dosage I was covered in bruises, acne and had stomach ache and head ache, those didn't settle but once I decreased the dosage I was as right as rain. Good luck

[Alicat47 in reply to Gemgemsxx]

Hi I'm in your situation to gemgemsxx, I was already taking lamotrigne and like you started on two 250mg a day, and they had no side effects, they up it to a 1000mg, to being with had no side effects, then like you had bruises, wft, skin rash, and then to top it all very low moods, which is unusual for me as happy go lucky off to the doctor on mONDAY.

[TabbyT]

I'm on 1000mg Keppra 3x daily and 200mg of Lamotrigine AM + PM plus another 100mg midday.

No side effects so far + been on it for 10+ years now!?

[Liz061254]

Lamotrigine is a short term med well it was for my husband great to begin with but within 6 months it wasn't working he has been on 3.000 mg daily of Keppra 400mg of phenytoin daily and 1,000mgs of Epilim daily and out of all of them he swears the Keppra to be the best drug ever as its the purest he can't take anything with tegratol substance as he suffers from vertigo and this puts him into hospital as it so severe . 

Good luck with the Lamotrigine as they say one mans meds is another mans poison . X

[lgd333 in reply to Liz061254]

I'm on 100mg Lamictal for 6 months but had terrible side effects also. Changing soon.

[Sickanimal]

I'm glade I've not started on theas pills after reading allot of places they don't work.it's chemically messing me up with no luck after years on AED Medes..when the CBD Oil And cannabis works better and it's natural drug and don't mess you up so bad  and That's works 100% 

[monaco1]

Lamotrogine worked well for me - was on it for 16 years!  I was a trial patient on it!  I still had simple and complex seizures but they were under control.  I knew when they were coming and managed them.  When they wanted to take me off them, I had to come off, 'cause they saw long term side effects coming that I didn't!  I was on 300mgAM and 200mgPM.  It is since I came off them that I have had more severe seizures.  But with medication changes can come epilepsy changes too!  Now they want to take me off 13 years of Keppra where I was on 3500mg a day for 8 years and had Keppra rage - then when I had a new specialist, the first thing they did was to reduce Keppra to 2250mg a day! 

[Charleigh_O]

I switched from Keppra to Lamotrigine and I find I am on a much lower dose and am seizure free at the moment. I also experienced exactly the same symptoms with Keppra, there are now studies coming out that for some reason, Keppra can trigger these issues, particularly in younger people. I turned into a complete monster!

[Jeffreyofficial1966]

I have been taking keppra twice a day 750mg since 2011 after my former meds Epipropane were no longer available with the Keppra my seizures came back, not many about 3 in 5 years, then last year 2018 I had 3 or 4, so my neurologist upped my dose to 1000mg twice a day and things improved, But as with the 750mg I had terrible mood wings so now I'm being weaned on to Lamotrigine to combat the mood swings, the trial is ongoing.

[coady123]

i have tried keppra for a while, i didnt like it it made me very moody and bad tempered as far as i can remember, i had to ask my neurologist to take me off it, i am on other tablets ie tegretol 200mg clobazam 10mg, lamotrigine 100mg and 50mg, zonisamide 100mg caps and 50mg caps i am ok at the moment fit as a fiddle, i hope you are ok, get well ok