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

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

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.

Good luck and hang in there. Best of luck to you.