Epilepsy Forum - Moving From Topamax/lamictal Or Tegretol

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Q: Moving From Topamax/lamictal Or Tegretol

asked by: DonnaS on April 19th, 2005

New User

Hi- i'm new to this forum and it looks aas though everyone is really halpful so hopefully someone can help me out here!!

I am a 32 year old woman and I am taking tpamax and lamictal for complex partial seizures but over the past year they have been slowly increasing. I am starting to get them in blocks of 2-3 in a week, then none for the next couple of weeks. My doctor has suggested moving on to tegretol or dilantin which are apparantly quite good for controlling partials?

Is there anyone out there with cp seizures on either of these drugs who can tell me about them, including side effects? And anyone who has had a baby whilst using them?

Another question also, a bit of a vain one. I have lost about 2 stone whilst on topamax. I don't particularly want to gain the weight again when I go off the drug! Does anyone know about this? I am wondering whether a good diet and exercise will keep the weight down, or whether the tablets have simply kept my metabolism high and therefore when I have completely been weaned off the tablets I will just naturally gain the weight I have lost?

Thank you so much in advance!

Replies(2)

amijoy

replied on April 22nd, 2005

New User

How odd. I'm searching for the same answers. I am 31 and I have an up coming appt and my be requesting a change in medication. I am on topamax 200 mg daily. This is my only seizure / migraine medication i've been on since diagnosed. (june 2004) I haven't lost 1 single pound, but I also don't want to be placed on something that's going to make me gain 30 or 40 pounds.
The type of seizures I have, are not convulsive. I have partial simple generalized. My only real problem is in the morning and at night and in the dark, I see flashing lights, constantly. It's very annoying. I'm sure it's probably causing damage and obviously, the topamax is not doing any good, especially at such a high dose. And at such a high dose, it has other side effects, such as...Now I can hardly read and write, etc. And if i'm still having seizures, what's the point?
What strength are you taking? If my neurologist thinks increasing will help, i'm "all ears"

DonnaS

replied on April 23rd, 2005

New User

Thanks for replying.
Wow 200mg, that seems like such a low dose to be doing that stuff to you. When I started on topamax my doctor put me on 800mg, which almost drove me mad, and I demanded he lower the dose which was when he added lamictal. I take 400mg now and 600mg of lamictal. I can't speak for your neurologist of course, but if topamax is giving you those side effects at 200mg then increasing the dose may be a bad idea.
So yeah I am certainly not the brightest chook out there on topamax and that will be another advantage of changing. I'd love to find a drug with better side effects too! Let me know what your doctor says!

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