Lamotigine

[Lovingdean]

Hi i just wondered does anyone have experience of taking Lamotrigine. My son has been affected behaviourally by Keppra. I hope it works. He is Autistic and cant tell me how he feels.

[Fitzy110]

Good morning,

I didn’t have my first epileptic seizure until I was 46 in 2018, and Levetiracetam (Keppra), was the first drug I was given.

Like your son I was badly affected by this and was switched to Lamotrigine and apart from it upsetting my stomach for the first couple of months I haven’t had any other problems.

I have only ever had three seizures, so I might not be a great example if your son has them regularly, but I have been fine and had none whilst on either medication.

Andy

[Lovingdean in reply to Fitzy110]

Hi i just wondered what symptoms you had ? Did it make you feel aggressive, my son is Autustic and cannot tell ne how he feels. Many thanks.

Christine

[Fitzy110 in reply to Lovingdean]

Hello Christine, no, the Lamotrigine didn’t make me feel aggressive or angry in any way (unlike the Keppra/Levetiracetam).

My only issue with the Lamotrigine was diarrhoea to start with, which did last about a month, but other than that all fine and I feel so much better.

The Keppra was so bad it made me feel suicidal.

Andy

[Am54]

Hi there. My son who is now 42 takes Lamotrogine, Keppea and Sodium Valproate for his epilepsy. Keppra can cause behaviour problems and I researched that Keppra can take Vitamin B out of the body which can leave a person very down etc. So I give him Vitamin B daily which seems to do the trick. Doctor was also informed and he agreed. The lamotrogine works very well for him, which is similar to Keppra but Keppra on its own did not work for my son as the seizures got worse and worse. The combination of Lamotrogine and Keppra is very good. Hope this was helpful. My best wishes to you all.

[Lj08]

I take keppra and lamotrigine I call keppra my safety drug as that seems to be the one that works for me. Does your son take any medication for his autism, maybe the two tablets are reacting with each other, also my consult put me on something called frisium I have to take a week before my period to help calm the surge of e tea hormones which it does, may you could ask if it could ask if it would help your son in any it is not just for women sorry I was making it sound like that.

Lj

[Lovingdean in reply to Lj08]

Thank you for your replies. My son has a few tonic/ conic seizures every year. His b6 went up not down strangely. I just want him to feel as well and safe as we can him. Xxx

[Lovingdean in reply to Lj08]

Hi, i just wondered if Keppra and Lamotrigine interact with each other? Can they be taken together?

Many thanks,

Christine

[Am54 in reply to Lovingdean]

Hi there... My son takes Keppra, Lamotrigine and sodium valproate all together. No problems at all.

He also takes vitamin B as Keppra takes a lot out of the body and low vitamin B can cause mood changes!

My son is doing well on this combination.

[Lj08]

I take lamotrigine and keppra , I was on a high dose of keppra that they cut it down because it is a strong drug so they added zonigran aswell.I did notice that the my chemist had tried me on the cheaper generic version of lamotrigine they are not the same strength and I was really in so now my doctor has put no generic medication on my prescription. Has this ever happened to you?

[SJClaverley in reply to Lj08]

Hi Lj08 I am right - you are now on lamotrigine, Keppra & Zonisamide, does this work ? If so do think the lamotrigine helps against the side effects of Keppra?

I was on lamotrigine but switched to Keppra ☹️ & also take Zonisamide + Clobazam. But Keppra is mentally hard. Take my vits. X. SJ

[Lj08 in reply to SJClaverley]

Keppra is a strong drug well it is for me I only a dosage that they normally give to children it’s so low

[Lovingdean in reply to Lj08]

My son had the cheaper version if keppra for a period last year. It wasnt cheaper in the end. He had more seizures, we went to A& E twice and had a stay on a Neurology Ward. It was a scary time fir me as well. 😢

[SJClaverley in reply to Lovingdean]

Loving dean, Sorry to hear what your son had to go through, it must have been so scary for you.

It’s amazing the differences between branded & generic ones, the pharmacist explained to me the difference between them & then I started googled. I assumed they were the same.

I was given different ones depending on which pharmacy I went to!

Hope things have now settled for your son.

X SJ

[timborubio]

After having had a first seizure out of the blue in my fifties nearly three years ago, then another about 18 months ago, I was prescribed Keppra/Levetiracetam. It provoked strong mood changes of anxiety, depression, and occasional anger in me. After reporting these symptoms to my doctor I was switched to Lamotrigine, and this has been a massive improvement, restoring my mental health to normal, I'd say.

[Lovingdean in reply to timborubio]

Thank you, that helps. The anger is hard to deal with.

[Lovingdean in reply to timborubio]

Thank you fir your reply. I just wondered if Keppra and Lamotrigine can be together. The Epilepsy Nurse wasnt sure if they would interact with each other. I was thinking maybe giving 1 hr apart?

[timborubio in reply to Lovingdean]

No problem at all according to my doctor. When I switched from Levetiracetam (Keppra) to Lamotrigine, it was over a period of 6 six weeks, whilst I gradually reduced the dosage of one and increased the dosage of the other. I took them at the same time without any side-effects.

[Kiera49]

Hi, I have been on Lamotragine for 18 years, haven't had any problems with it until I started taking drugs for cancer so now taking both lamotragine and keppra so far ok. All the best for your son

[SJClaverley in reply to Kiera49]

I called lamotrigine my happy pill, can understand why it’s used for bipolar disorders.

Wondering if it would help with the Keppra, plus with the other AED’s!!

I always ask for the branded after testing the generic drugs couldn’t believe there would be a difference, for some people they could be better as we are all different as I am aware 😀

X SJ

[Kiera49]

My epilepsy nurse said it's like a tin of baked beans they are all baked beans but all the brands dont taste the same. My doctor wont give me branded so keppra are generic brand levetiracetam accord but others are called lamotragine accord I think there cheapest ones but seem ok

[Kiera49]

Would be glad to help if I can

[Deniseelk]

Hi, my daughter is on Lamotrigine and has had no side effects at all. I made her GP note that she should always be prescribed the same brand ( Accord) as she accepted this brand well and it is known that switching brands can have an effect! Have you checked the drug interactions on “ drugs.com”? I am sure you are aware but it is usually recommended that the medication is taken at the same time each day ( in accordance with the doctors advice). Has your son ever had a blood test to check the absorption level of his drug? My daughter had hers recently and we were very surprised that by the afternoon her absorption was well below the lower recommended range! This has lead to a change in another medication she takes ( nothing to do with Epilepsy) but they may request she splits the dose morning and afternoon to ensure an even absorption rate! Worth looking into?

[Hidden]

Hi... I was diagnosed with epilepsy aged 40 - 5 years ago and I was put on Keppra immediately ( fairly large dose) and it did have a bad effect on my mood so my consultant switched me to Lamotrigine 100mg combined with reduced Keppra dose of 500mg both 2x daily and I was absolutely fine... much better and no mood issues and no seizures at all... hope this helps x

[Barrybear1]

My daughter had her 1st tonic clinic aged 13 but looking back had been having very brief absences for a few months before. She got a rash on Lamotrigine so we stopped it and started very slowly. She was only on 25mg twice a day when she nearly drowned abroad and she went into status. She was given Keppra instead and is on 1g bd but after a few months had no motivation and felt tired etc. She says she wasn't low in mood but with hindsight I think she was. We're now reintroducing Lamotrigine and will get her off the Keppra. Within a few days of taking the Lamotrigine again she was much brighter. It was strange but everyone noticed. She went months in between tonic clonics and hard to predict a trigger.

[Lovingdean in reply to Barrybear1]

That is so useful, my son has communication difficulties and cant tell us. We are taking it slowly. He is starting 25mgs Lamotrigine once daily soon. Keppra down to 1,250 mg bd. X

[happy48]

Has your Son started on Lamotrigine now? How is he getting on? I started with 25mg x2 per day along with Sodium Valproate. This was increased to 50mg x 2 pd which resulted in bad tremors so was reduced again. After 2 yrs they started again. The Sodium Valproate was becoming toxic because I had been on it for 20yrs. After coming off it the tremors stopped. I was put on Keppra 250mg x6 pd. This made me feel bright and full of energy. I still get a mixture of simple and complex partial seizures but they are not as bad as they used to be.

[Lovingdean in reply to happy48]

Hi thanks for replying. He 8s on Keppra 1,250mg twice daily and Lamotrigine 50mgs am and 75mg pm. His hands do shake occasionally usually when he's been on computer. He had 2 tonic / clonic seuzures in 4 days about 4 wks ago which halted the Keppra being reduced for a month. The question is wether a lower dose if Keppra and a higher dose of Lamotrigine will hold the seizures at bay. Time will tell.