Lamictal interactions

Hi there! First of all I want to apologize in advance for my spelling,  English is not my first language. I will make this as short as possible. It took me over 7 years and many many different doctors to get where I am now. I was 31when all this started.  The first time I went to my doctor and told him all the weird symptoms that I was experiencing for over 6 months at that time he asked me a few questions and sent me home with alprazolam for anxiety and panic attacks. I was happy and convinced that all I was having was a lot of stress do to my job.About 3 months after and all the physical and mental effort that I put into convincing myself that it was just anxiety, even though I knew it had to be something else, I went back to the doctor because at this point the jerking, twitching, brain fogs, lack of words, etc were so bad that I couldn't even hold a pencil he asked me a few questions again and sent me home with alprazolam and a 5 days off work. He recommended me to join a therapy group with people with anxiety disorder. I started going to the meeting and hoping for the best results....and...nothing...everything was getting worse and worse....wanted a second opinion,  so I changed doc....and same thing....and another doc and same thing. It got to the point where I thought I was making all this up in my head, but regardless of all the effort I put in, thing continued to get worse.  By now I was 33...2 years since I saw the first doc. Finally I went to see another doc but the day of my appointment he was out and I had to see the NP....I was very disappointed because I wanted to see a doc. But I walked in and waited for the NP. She walked in, sat down (first time that I had someone that really seemed to be interested on what I was going through.  After telling her my journey she looked at me and asked....when was your last MRI?...and I was very confused....I never had one before...and she askedme REALLY?..so she sent me to get one the very next day and asked me to make an appointment for the following week. When I went back the doc was there and he walked in the room with a clipboard and said...well Ms Munoz, there is 3 possible diagnosis...1..brain tumor...2 multiple sclerosis....3 a birth defect in your left side of your brain....I WAS TERRIFIED....he sent me to go see a neurologist but the referral was gonna take about 2 weeks to get approved...thank God my boyfriend's ex wife is the CEO of the public hospital here. So I called her right away and she got me an appointment for the next morning.  And that's how I found doctor Vedu, best doc u can have. He specializes in epilepsy and is a well known neurologist. When he saw the results from the MRI he told me right away..."u dont have MS or a brain tumor....u have epilepsy "....I was so RELIEVED that I jumped out of the chair and hugged him!!!! It was the first time that I finally had an answer! And I knew that epilepsy compared to the other 2 options was the best one....so that's how all started.  Now....after I saw him he sent me to do an EGG I was in the hospital for 2 days and they recorded 26 mini seizures......He put me on lamotrigine (lamictal) 200mg twice a day, I didn't want more meds...but I still had the twitching and jerking (not as bad) but the brain fogs  were so bad that I couldn't drive because at times I didn't know where I was going or how I got there. So he took my DL away for six months...And so on....bottom line is that nothing was working and I had asked him a few times about vitamins and he always said that that wasn't gonna make a difference,  so he wanted to put me on another type of meds....which I refused to take...so I started my own research about vitamins and I went on my own....and bought B12 complex, B6, Magnesium calcium and sink, Vc...a week after I started with the vitamins my LIFE CHANGED!...I did a littlemore research and added Selenium and biotin to my morning cocktail of pills.I couldn't believe that after over 7 years I was able to function,  I was able to drive, I was able to follow a conversation...twitching were gone....I went from a ton of mini seizures to 1-2 at month always around my period. I am the person I was before..able to finally be a full time happy mom and I have energy and hope....Sometimes doc don't have all the awnsers and prescribing meds is a profit for them..dont be afraid,  epilepsy is hard...vitamins are never bad, so give it a try.....Sorry...I said it was gonna be short, but it is the first time I share this with someone that is barely starting this rollercoaster. I truly Wish u the best!Aldana

Years ago I tried a different medication (not Lamictal) for seizures and experienced increased forgetfulness and confusion.  I keep a journal of all my seizures and I also noticed that while taking this drug there was an increase in the number of seizures that I was having.  I reported it to the specialist at my next visit and she claimed it happens that some patients experienced an increase in seizures while taking that medication.I did a quick search and found that an uncommon side effect of Lamictal can be increased seizures.  Maybe what you are experiencing is not seizure but slowed cognition.  But it is possible and does happen that patients experience increased seizures from anti seizure medications.  Your comment that, "these episodes resolve after a minute or two..." makes it sound suspicious.  While increased seizures from taking medication is a disturbing possibility, it is not something to be alarmed by.  If the pills increase seizures then, with your doctor's advice, switching to a different medication is likely to bring improvement.  The important this is to keep track of the medications you take and their effect.  And report your memory issue to your doctor as soon as possible.I have not tried anything for seizure control other than prescribed medications and electronic implants (VNS & RNS).  So I have not tried lion's mane mushroom.  But once again, like the medications that are FDA approved,  if it can have a positive effect for epilepsy for some, it also can have negative effects for others.  We are all different.  If you try it make sure you are keeping a journal so that you can monitor its effects.Mike

Hi,Thank you for posting. Treatment and how the body may react to certain medications and supplements varies for each individual. The goal of treatment with medicines should be –No Seizures and No Side Effects. However, we know that some individuals may experience too many side effects,that are very bothersome or cause other health problems. We cannot determine what is causing your issues with memory, which may be related be related to several things from seizures, epilepsy, or a separate issue. Cognitive problems - problems with thinking, remembering, paying attention or concentrating, finding the right words, or other symptoms – can be due to side effects of some seizure medicines. For additional information about the effects of epilepsy and seizure medicines on cognition, visit:  https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/challenges-epilepsy It’s important that you are continuing to follow-up with your healthcare team to address these challenges as well as, any changes in seizure types/frequency, symptoms, moods & behaviors.  Be open and honest about how you all are feeling, and how this is affecting your health and daily life. It’s important that you review all medications or supplements you take to make sure they’re not interfering with each other.  https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/treating-seizures-and-epilepsy/other-treatment-approaches/herbal-therapy . As Michael suggested in his comment, you may want to try keeping a journal or a diary to help keep track of your symptoms and document how you're feeling. My Seizure Diary can be used to organize your health issues, manage medications, record side effects, other therapies or personal experiences and more, which can be shared with members of your healthcare team. https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/epilepsy-foundation-my-seizure-diary Additionally, you may always contact our 24/7 Helpline, where trained information specialists are available to answer your questions, offer help, hope, support, guidance, and access to national and local resources. 1-800-332-1000, contactus@efa.org. epilepsy.com/helpline , or contact your local Epilepsy Foundation: https://www.epilepsy.com/affiliates