Multiple Missed Doses of Lamictal

I take 200 mg of Lamictal, once a day, at night.

We didn't send in for a refill in time and I have now missed 5 nights of medicine. I should get the refill in the mail (I use Bridges to Access) today or tomorrow.

Can I go back to taking the 200 mg right away, or do I need to work up to it? Like do 100 mg for a week?

I left the doctor I was going to since diagnosis about 3 months ago. I haven't found a new doctor to go to yet, so I don't really know who I could call to ask.

You should ask a Doctor. That's a long time to be w/o medication. Because this has happened you can probably ask any medical Dr. for advice and they will prescribe the proper dosage for you until you see a psychiatrist. (I did this when I moved and didn't have a psychiatrist and needed some zyprexa. I went to a local internal medical Dr. and he prescribed a small amount to keep me going.)

I wouldn't fool with lamictal dosages if you've been without for 5 days. Let a Dr. give you advice on how to get back on it. If you take it improperly and get a rash it can be very serious. (fyi: The first 6 mths is the most crucial for susceptibility to the rash.)

Agree you need professional consultation on this. If you don't have access to an MD (of any kind) a pharmacist might be able to weigh in.

I agree that you shouldn't mess around with this.

Best,
EJ

If you cannot get professional opinion, you should go back to the initial titration scheme that you were originally put on by your prior MD. You will need a pill cutter to do that. Lamictal is pretty unique in that you must titrate very carefully after skipping a few doses.

Here is the regimen, from drugs.com (scroll down past epilepsy on Lamictal Dosage - Drugs.com)

There are three columns based on whether you are taking drugs that interact with Lamictal. So you first need to determine which column is yours, and then follow the dosing guidelines.

Column 1 - For Patients TAKING Valproate

Column 2 - For Patients NOT TAKING Carbamazepine, Phenytoin, Phenobarbital, Primidone,b or Valproatea

Column 3 - For Patients TAKING Carbamazepine, Phenytoin, Phenobarbital, or Primidoneb and NOT TAKING Valproatea

I would say to Follow the original dosing titration you followed when you first began the drug and wait to get a professional opinion in the mean time. Pill splitters are useful here, and it's okay to split lamictal.

And that would be the safest route, anyway, right? What can the professional do differently? The professional might place OP on a different week (not the first week) - that is the only difference between following the original titration and getting a professional opinion.

Thanks all! I just wanted to check here first to see if someone has gone through the same thing with Lamictal. I got it in the mail today- yay! I'll call someone to find out what I should do.

Let us know what you figure out.

I'm doing 50 mg for 2 weeks, then 100 mg for 2 weeks, then back to 200 mg.