Can Lamectal GIVE you Seizures?

I've been taking Lamectal for about six months now, and it's been working fine for me. However, when I went to visited my friends for a couple months this summer I got really bad about taking my medication regularly. I know that Lamectal can be dangerous to go off of completely, but I figured that I would probably get better about it  when I returned home.

Unfortunately, after starting school this fall I've been getting even worse about taking my medication. I have been feeling an entire range of emotions ranging from mania to depression to violence. In addition I seem to be going though some UNEXPLAINABLE PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS as well.

The only way I can explain what is going on with me is that I periodically experience brief seizures. My ***** nervious system seems to shutdown reading me unable to  feel things. It lasts for only a few seconds Then I see flashes of light experience de'ja vu. I know it sounds extreme, but it's not that bad. I'm not imagining it though.

I know Lamectal is often perspired to people with epilepsy, and I was wondering if that had anything to do with my symptoms. When I looked up seizures on wikipedia it said that one of the triggers can be WITHDRAWAL FROM ANTICUNVULSANTS.  Take a look: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seizure

Can anyone please shed some light on this mystery?

Help! I feel like I'm going crazy : (

[wickedwanderer]

I believe going off certain meds like this can cause this type of reaction.  I have to ask - and please know I'm taking Lamictal too - why would you not take it every day?  Especially if it's helping...I'm not being critical - I used to be bad about taking meds, but...with the ones that weren't working for me.  Your body is definitely going to "freak out" if you stop taking this stuff without decreasing the dose slowly.  

Maybe consult your doctor about what's going on - but it really sounds like you need to be more consistent in taking the meds.  This concerns me a lot...I have not missed a dose of Lamictal so I'm not sure what the effects are.

[Saibine]

@wikedwanderer

I doubt my problem is very common so I wouldn't worry.

As your your question in regards to not taking my medsl; I'd have to say that a number of issues come into play. For one I'm a student living on my own and a slave to early-morning schedules. Sometimes I will get into my car to go to school only to remember (too late) that I left my meds on the counter. I don't mean to do things like this, they just happen. I could name a million other reasons why I don't take my meds but I doubt they would be very interesting or helpful for you.

All I can say is that I wouldn't worry too much about seizures (if that's what you want to call them) they only seem to occur if you're REALLY bad at remembering to take your meds.  

[wickedwanderer]

Wellllll....stop being bad at taking your meds so you don't have issues :P

Seriously though, I know how the student thing goes...I guess now that I'm not really a student anymore, I have a more "normal" routine.

[tashi72]

I think I know what your problem might be! When you go off of a medication that strong, you get brain shocks. They can feel like a seizure and I always get deja vu when I have them. Sometimes they feel like little clicks in my brain and they are painful and disturbing and other times it feels like someone takes those heart paddles and electrocutes me. Look it up on Webmd and I believe it goes into detail about weaning/stopping and the risks.

Also, lamictal will cause seizures if you go off of it. It says so in the paperwork. You have to wean yourself off of it. Lots of drugs like that do. Wellbutrin does too, if you take more than 150 mg at a time. They don't always tell you that ****.

[tashi72]

One more thing: I also forget. You could take it at night. This is what I would do. Get an old lady's pill box, a weekly one. Dose out your medication and then put it in your glove compartment. Put some kind of note on your glove compartment or set an alarm to go off on your cell phone. Since you remember sometimes that it's on your counter, then take it when you remember while its in your glove compartment.