Can an increase in Lamictal worsen migraines? My neurologist increased my Lamictal(which I take for Bipolar Disorder) from 100mg twice a day to 100mg in the morning and 150mg at night. All I've noticed so far is an increase in the intensity of my migraines. How long do I have to wait for relief?
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2/16/09 12:52pm
Debra,
It's possible that an increas in Lamictal could cause headaches or worsen Migraines. This may subside as your body gets used to the increase. Check with your doctor to see how long he wants you to wait before changing your dosage, please. Sometimes, Lamictal is also a good Migraine preventive.
Good luck,
Teri
4/18/09 10:17am
Lamictal actually caused me terrible migraines somewhere between 100-200 mg dosage. I take my lamictal at night and usually wake up 4 or 5 hours later with a migraine. Thank god for frova, but at 4 dollars per pill, I have decided to stop the lamictal or maybe stay on a low dose. I am on it for bipolar disorder and, while it does stop mania at a very low dose (25mg), raising the dosage has not affected my depression at all. My neck is sore as well. The thing that stopped my migraines initially was just .5 mg of Klonopin. It is an anti-anxiety drug but it also seems to work as an anticonvulsant. Depakote worked great for my mania and depression, but my hair started falling out by the handful and, as of yet, I haven't found anything that helps me. I've tried a few antidepressants and several atypical antipsychotics but they either did not work or had too many side effects. I am afraid to try lithium and hear it really only works for mania anyway. (Drugs I have tried include, effexxor, cymbalta, prozac, wellbutrin, depakote, topamax, lamictal, abilify, geodon, seroquel. Let me know if you find any drug or combination that works for you. I am almost at the end of my rope.)
2/ 9/11 11:55pm
I was treated with Lamictal for Bi Polar as a stabilizer. I was switched off of it when I had a bout of depression that it didn't help with. However, after I came off of it my migraines, which I had had very few of in all the years I took Lamictal returned. I had them every day. As it turns out, the Lamictal had been preventing my migraines! After looking into it, I found that there are studies that indicate that Lamictal has shown promising results as a migraine preventative.
Not sure what type of migraine you are having, and no offense, are you sure it is a migraine headache you are experiencing, or just a really bad headache?
I am going back on the Lamictal in order to stop the daily migraines. My migraines respond very well to Imitrex (sumitriptan) injections, but who wants to give themselves a shot everyday if you don't have to?
I hope you found a solution to your headaches and it wasn't the Lamictal. It is a really good drug, and as we all know when it comes to our disease - the good drugs, effective + minimal side effects (and NO weight gain) are hard to find.
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By debrat69— Last Modified: 02/09/11, First Published: 02/14/09
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Try Lithium, it's the gold standard in Bipolar treatment. I 've been on it for many many years and went off it for a while and got very sick so I am on it again and doing well!!! Try it, ask to try a low dose.