Lamotrigine dose

[lewielew3]

see how so many are taking 100 to 200 mg...compared to my small dose in sig file--i believe because i am on the 2 mood stabilizer--and begining to wean depakote, and hope to lose weight

[Ophelia]

wait.... what is your question?

[lewielew3]

wait.... what is your question?

my bad--is this within the starting dose because of the depakote and seroquel?

[Ophelia]

ppl start lamictal off rather slow. i dont think it really has to do with either other meds.... is that what you meant?

[lewielew3]

ppl start lamictal off rather slow. i dont think it really has to do with either other meds.... is that what you meant?

thats what i meant-also with the depakote er 1500 over 2 years i put on 60 pounds, she said Lamitrigine was weight nuetral. i have to cut back on munchies with the seroquel

[Silver]

Lamictal is started off low because it reduces the risk of developing Stevens-Johnson syndrome. Starting it slow may also reduce your risk of other benign rashes that could be mistaken for SJS and scare you off from a perfectly usable drug.

Because Depakote increases the level of Lamictal in your blood, the usual starting dose for Lamictal is even lower.

The typical "orange pack" titration of Lamictal - for people with no Depakote on board - is 25 mg daily for two weeks, then 50 mg daily for two weeks, then 100 mg daily for a week... the manufacturer says you can then increase to 200 mg at week 6, but that's a little more aggressive than is generally seen in the real world.

The typical "blue pack" titration of Lamictal - for people who are taking Depakote already - is 25 mg every other day for two weeks, then 25 mg daily for two weeks, then 50 mg daily, and then, per manufacturer, can increase to 100 mg at week 6 - again, more aggressive than is often seen in real life.

If you're starting Lamictal in conjunction with the 'inducers', such as Tegretol, then the dosages all get doubled.

You can see why cross-titration/cross-tapering Lamictal and Depakote would be a pain in the ass. A lot of docs in my region like to get you up to speed on the Lamictal first, then discontinue the Depakote.

[lewielew3]

Lamictal is started off low because it reduces the risk of developing Stevens-Johnson syndrome. Starting it slow may also reduce your risk of other benign rashes that could be mistaken for SJS and scare you off from a perfectly usable drug.

Because Depakote increases the level of Lamictal in your blood, the usual starting dose for Lamictal is even lower.

The typical "orange pack" titration of Lamictal - for people with no Depakote on board - is 25 mg daily for two weeks, then 50 mg daily for two weeks, then 100 mg daily for a week... the manufacturer says you can then increase to 200 mg at week 6, but that's a little more aggressive than is generally seen in the real world.

The typical "blue pack" titration of Lamictal - for people who are taking Depakote already - is 25 mg every other day for two weeks, then 25 mg daily for two weeks, then 50 mg daily, and then, per manufacturer, can increase to 100 mg at week 6 - again, more aggressive than is often seen in real life.

If you're starting Lamictal in conjunction with the 'inducers', such as Tegretol, then the dosages all get doubled.

You can see why cross-titration/cross-tapering Lamictal and Depakote would be a pain in the ass. A lot of docs in my region like to get you up to speed on the Lamictal first, then discontinue the Depakote.

thanks so much for that info--i am going down from 1500 depakote er over 2 weeks to zip-

and within three weeks--1st week .25Lamitriginenight

2nd week .50 Lamitrigine

3rd week .25 am and .50 pm Lamitrigine

dont know what she will do then

[lewielew3]

very helpful-my hypochodria would kick inat first sign on a bite.lol

Lamictal is started off low because it reduces the risk of developing Stevens-Johnson syndrome. Starting it slow may also reduce your risk of other benign rashes that could be mistaken for SJS and scare you off from a perfectly usable drug.