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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Sheilac on February 19, 2014, at 13:07:52
I tried 12.5 mg of Lamictal and it's great for my depression, but it still, combined with Trileptal, is causing swelling. Just a side effect.
I'm thinking of cutting the 12.5 in half and trying that. I may have to get a script for a pediatric dose in a few weeks when I see my doc.
Can anyone tell me more about Lamictal dosing? Do you have to take it everyday? How long does it stay in the body?
My doc let me try a low dose of Depakote, but it made me terribly depressed, but no pain & swelling. If I took Depakote with Lamictal I would feel like I was taking a downer & an upper. Does this make sense? Plus, Depakote didn't help with sleep.
Posted by Tomatheus on February 19, 2014, at 23:18:47
In reply to Lamictal dosing help?, posted by Sheilac on February 19, 2014, at 13:07:52
Sheilac,
According to RxList.com (http://www.rxlist.com/lamictal-drug/clinical-pharmacology.htm), the mean elimination half-life of a single dose of lamotrigine in healthy volunteers who weren't taking other medications was found to be 32.8 hours. The mean elimination half-life of a single dose of the medication was found to be 48.3 hours in health volunteers who were taking valproate. Half-life refers to the amount of time it takes for the concentration of a drug in a person's bloodstream to fall to half of its peak level.
So, as far as I can tell, I think that Lamictal needs to be taken every day. It seems to make sense that the concentration of the drug in your bloodstream would drop too low if you were to try to take it every other day. At least that's my lay-person's understanding of how that would work.
I think that what you wrote about taking Depakote with Lamictal possibly feeling like you're taking a downer with and upper does make sense. Although it's always hard to predict how taking two medications together might affect you, I see what you're saying about the Lamictal helping with your depression and the Depakote making it worse.
Feel free to let me know if you have any questions on what I've written.
Tomatheus
Posted by rjlockhart37 on February 20, 2014, at 0:30:44
In reply to Lamictal dosing help?, posted by Sheilac on February 19, 2014, at 13:07:52
if you took depakote with lamictal....i was just reading about lamotragine an hour ago....when mixed with depakote i think one of them enhaces eachother....something with the blood concentration of the 2 drugs...
i take 2 200mg lamictal tablets....yes you do have to take it daily, and it has to slowly be moved up, you can't just up it quickly....there is side effect with it, but lamictal has low side effects, but still people here have written horror stories about it....
maybe move to 50mg and then 100 if you want to see an antidepressant effect
Posted by Tomatheus on February 20, 2014, at 0:51:51
In reply to Re: Lamictal dosing help?, posted by rjlockhart37 on February 20, 2014, at 0:30:44
> if you took depakote with lamictal....i was just reading about lamotragine an hour ago....when mixed with depakote i think one of them enhaces eachother....something with the blood concentration of the 2 drugs...
Yes, you're correct, RJ. I should have made it more clear in my message (especially in my last paragraph, where I was writing about Lamictal and Depakote) that Depakote increases the half-life of Lamictal.
Tomatheus
Posted by phidippus on February 23, 2014, at 17:42:16
In reply to Lamictal dosing help?, posted by Sheilac on February 19, 2014, at 13:07:52
200 mgs is thelowest therapuetic dose. It is taken daily, not prn.
Eric
This is the end of the thread.
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