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Does Lamictal Keep You Up at Night?

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Posted 10/30/2007 8:17 PM (GMT 0)
Hey everyone!

Does anyone who takes Lamictal have problems with it affecting their ability to sleep?

I'm currently taking my Lamictal dose (400 mg) in the morning because I thought it kept me up at night when I first took it (only 100 mg at night then). But now I'm not sure if it was the Lamictal keeping me up at night or just the epilepsy. I only get to sleep with 2 Ambien even when I'm not taking it at night... I'm motivated to split my dose (and my neurologist doesn't care when I take it) due to:

- side effects during the day (flat affect and lack of energy)

- my husband says I'm twitching at night

I'm kind of in the mindset where I'm willing try splitting it - just a little nervous about it keeping me up.

Thanks!

Sugar1110

 

Posted 10/31/2007 4:42 PM (GMT 0)
My mum takes Lamictal and has had problems sleeping at night but I am unsure as to whether it is the meds or something else. If your neuro is not bothered abotu where the split is, then I would go with whenever is most convenient for you.
Posted 11/3/2007 4:01 AM (GMT 0)
the experiment begins tonight...

Posted 11/3/2007 2:46 PM (GMT 0)
I wish you all the best

Posted 12/26/2007 12:42 PM (GMT 0)
Hi I am taking Lamictal and although I just started in about 2 weeks ago, I have found that I have had a few bouts of insomnia. Nothing to bad though. Just some extra middle of the night snacks.
Posted 12/28/2007 11:49 PM (GMT 0)
I've taken Lamictal for several years. For the past year, I've had problems w/ insomnia. The only way I get sleep is by taking .5mg of Lorazepam. It's a very small dose but has helped quite a bit. I've also got a sleeping pill prescription but am reluctant to use it. Everything I read says that the effectiveness declines over time because your body gets used to the stuff.

I've just started doing Keppra in addition to the Lamictal (200/400). If it works ok, I'll ask about lowering my Lamictal dose. The high dose of Lamictal hasn't completely controlled my szs but has def caused sleeping problems.

Good luck. Watch out for the midnight munchies. It's too easy to gain weight!

Jim
Posted 12/30/2007 3:16 AM (GMT 0)

Well, it's been an interesting road with this experiment.

First, I ended up in the hospital from medication toxicity. I guess the combination of the Trileptal, Lamictal and Ambien was too much. My doctor and I decided to reduce the Lamictal dose by quite a bit and cut my Ambien intake dramatically.

For me, the inability to sleep seems to have been directly related to the Lamictal dose. As I lowered the dose, I started sleeping better. I'm on 150 mg in the morning now and am sleeping like a baby with only 1/2 to 1 Ambien.

And the lower dose doesn't seem to be making me any more vulnerable to auras. I guess the Trileptal is holding me ok.

Finding the right med combination takes so much patience.

Posted 1/25/2008 10:13 PM (GMT 0)
Sugar-I take 100/100 Lamictal and now the epi has prescribed me .5 valium to help with sleep. This seems to be a very good combination. I refused to take ambien due to all of the horrible side effects. I happen to know a guy who took his ambien, fell asleep on his couch. He did not drink one drop of alcohol. He woke up on the road being booked for DUI. I've also watched family members wake up due to unmerited hunger, eat like crazy and then pass out while eating. I think that ambien can be a very dangerous drug and should really be taken very cautiously. The small dose of valium works for me but everyone is different on how they perceive medicine. Hope all works for you and good luck.
Posted 1/26/2008 12:16 AM (GMT 0)

Im glad that you seem to be getting somewhere with your dose management Sugar! If you are convinced that it is the lamictal that keeps you awake, have you considered discussing with your doctor about changing it for another AED?

Darren

Posted 3/22/2008 4:02 AM (GMT 0)
I am currently on Lamictal as well. I have been on it for a few years and never really thought about sleep wise because I was in college most of the time and staying up late anyhow, but I can understand what you are seeing. I just had another seizure pop up lately, so I did my first EEG in about 5-6 years. The doctor found that I had "mini" seizures when I was in Deep Sleep at night and that might have effected me sometimes when I hit those nights waking up several times at night. This EEG was done only 3 weeks ago, so I am about to do a sleep study as well, but I will post what my doctor thinks after I meet him again post sleep study. (he started me on Keppra because of this issue about a month ago)

Mark
Posted 4/8/2008 5:46 PM (GMT 0)
I too am taking Lamictal. I have been on it for about a year. I have myoclonic epilepsy so i have somewhat of a small twitch thing that is a mini seizure, its strange. I have the twitchy movement in my sleep like you do too. I'm not too sure why. I guess im just a twitcher :]

but things went well when i first started taking it and then i needed to increase medication and increase and increase and now i'm at a point where the medication makes me dizzy. I get really dizzy/double vision when i haven't eaten a lot before taking me medication. I dont want to eat a three course meal before i take my medicine morning and night. Does anyone else have this?
Posted 4/9/2008 10:41 PM (GMT 0)
I take 400mg also but strictly 2x 200 a day on a fixed schedule and definitely no sleep-drugs, a glass of wine perhaps but spaced from the medication. I go to sleep after taking the dose and sleep like a log all night, I just relax and do some Yoga before, no TV. Read the .pdf file on Lamictal, pay attention to the half-life and try to smoothen the peaks and valleys to get an even supply into your blood, that's what they created time release pills for. Make your own informed decision. You have the freedom to experiment, the MDs have to stay with the prestige suggestion. Make all changes very very slowly.
Posted 4/11/2008 9:51 PM (GMT 0)

hi my name is michael i take the same thing.. i wake up alot at night but after about 30mins i can go back to sleep and i do that about 3 times anight

if anyone would like to talk e-mail me about talk more

michael

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Post Edited By Moderator (djdaz_1985) : 4/12/2008 4:22:12 AM (GMT-6)

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