Posted by SLS on September 10, 2020, at 12:06:50
In reply to Re: lamictal dosing » rjlockhart37, posted by beckett2 on September 3, 2020, at 22:48:36
Hi.
I would express the same caution that Beckett2 has regarding the abrupt discontinuation of lamotrigine. In general, coming off of drugs that inhibit seizures might actually produce them if you do it too fast. It is sort of a rebound effect created by the sudden stoppage, and the brain not being prepared to make up for the sudden recoil (rebound). It can be compared to what happens if you stop taking a benzodiazepine too fast. The resulting withdrawal effects creates more anxiety than you had when you first started taking it.
Lamotrigine dosages are pretty consistent, from what I've read and what I've seen reported here.
< 200 mg/day is usually ineffective. Of course, we have a few exceptions to this rule here.
= 200 mg/day is sort of a sweet-spot. I think more people respond to this dosage than any other.
> 200 mg/day is sometimes needed to get the most out of it.
Any mild-moderate cognitive or memory impairments can disappear entirely over time. This is more likely to be a matter of months rather than weeks.
The original name-brand product, Lamictal, (GSK) works best for me. I have tried Teva and Mylan versions of lamotrigine. The old, original Teva generic product came closest to Lamictal in my experience. Mylan gave me little therapeutic benefit, but with all of the side effects. Also, I had to go from 300 mg/day to 500 mg/day to obtain relief at all.
I don't know what other brands of generic lamotrigine are available. However, Teva has since acquired another generic manufacturer that had already been making lamotrigine. They were making a single dosage form in an extended-release preparation - Lamotrigine XR 150 mg. Since the acquisition, Teva added all other dosage forms to their product line. Which recipe and manufacturering plant is being used? I don't know.
Very important: If you are taking a non-XR versions of the name-brand or generic, I think a twice a day dosing schedule works best. I take 300 mg/day as 150 mg b.i.d.
- Scott
Some see things as they are and ask why.
I dream of things that never were and ask why not.The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
poster:SLS
thread:1111949
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20200711/msgs/1112000.html