Missed Lamictal this morning

Googled and didn't find a firm answer.

I take 200 mg of Lamictal (lamotrigine). 100 in the morning (around 7am) and 100 in the evening (around 8pm). I forgot my morning dose, but took it around 4:30pm when I got home... Should I also take my 8pm dose?

Thanks!

If you call your pharmacist they will be able to advise you appropriately.

thank you

Okay:

1. I didn't even realize you could ask the pharmacist stuff like that over the phone. THey were really nice.

2. In case anyone needs the answer to this: they are having me take my second dose 4 hours later than I just took the missed dose.

3. It is AMAZING how much better I feel just an hour and a half after taking the missed dose. Seriously. I didn't realize it would affect me so quickly.

Yeah pharmacists are SUPER helpful about stuff like that, particularly if there is one you see often that might be more familiar with your medications and such [though all pharmacists will be able to help you out- so if your pharmacy is closed but you need an answer at like midnight you can definitely call a 24 hour pharmacy and they will still be helpful].

A lot of the time if I have a fairly simple med question like that i will call the pharmacist before the doctor- since pharmacists work with medications and interactions and dosages, that is what they study and their knowledge base, they are more likely to be able to pull the knowledge from their brain than have to look it up or hmm and hah about it or consult someone else.

A good pharmacist is seriously like gold.
If you find one, treat them well.
Get to know them and their first name and make sure they recognize you!

Josie, thanks for all the good advice!

Yes, thanks Josie! I really never thought about the relationship with a pharmacist.

Just curious - what does a good relationship do for you? I know that that's kind of awful to think like that...

Sometimes they will try to rush an order, be more willing to "front" a couple pills/tablets if you run out on a [non-controlled] script or can't yet pay for a fill, willing to split a fill immediately instead of having you come back or put it at the back of the line
- actually I did this the other day. I have one med that my insurance isn't paying for right now and I couldn't afford the whole fill, but didn't realize that until i went to pick it up. So i asked if i could get half of it. The pharmacist was there and said hi and that he would do it right then and had it for me right away.

Basically, if they are able to they are willing to help you out personally when they can iof you show your appreciation, pretty much as in any other industry. But this can really be a help if you need an approval or something from your insurance company that didn't go through the first time, or your doctor wrote a script for a dosage that is unavailable. I know pharmacists and pharm techs that I have had a good relationship with were willing to try many many times to get in touch or get clarification on something rather than just a couple and then set it down for a couple hours.

It's just... you feel like someone wants to help?

Which is nice when you have to pick up like five prescriptions and empty your wallet to do so?

But also, I think a lot of people [customers] just think of people behind the counter as faceless, so the pharmacists and pharm techs just get a mumble and a shrug all the time instead of a smile and a hi and actual language, you know?

It's nice to feel appreciated

i did retail for a long time so i get that side of it.

I missed just one dose of lamictal and immediately felt the negative effects. I could not sleep the whole night due to a flight of ideas and racing thoughts. I had to skip school that day and felt a bit depressed for a total of 4 days. Needless to say I am definitely on top of my medication now! It's a bit strange because I missed doses of celexa all the time before and never felt a difference.

I agree with getting to know your pharmacist and the staff. They are super friendly and will go the extra mile for you.

just skip it and continue like you took it.

Lamictal isn't a serious drug

On what basis do you make this claim?

Lamictal is an anticonvulsant; that class of drugs has potential for serious effects if discontinued abruptly... as the OP's experience in missing one dose for about eight hours would support.

What would be considered a serious drug, by you (and by what standards) if not lamotrigine?

I worked in a pharmacy for 5 years (I had to quit when my suicidal ideation started to tempt me to steal meds for the purpose of offing myself), and can say that any decent pharmacist (in NY at least, I don't know the laws in other states) will go out of their way to make sure you have psych meds. If you can't afford them, ask the pharmacy cashier, tech or pharmacist. Often they know of programs that will reduce the cost. At my Pharmacy, we even went out of our way to help the people who were having complete rude melt-downs from not being on meds.

A pharmacy once filled my Effexor script wrong and I didn't know- was in tears all day until my significant other hauled me to the pharmacy and made me tell them I didn't feel right. They looked in my pill bottle and found they had filled it with extended release instead of my usual. They fixed it right then with many apologizes. I didn't sue, it was an honest mistake. Pharmacies triple check everything as a matter of course, but still mistakes can happen.

Always communicate your med worries to your pharmacy, they can help you.

I quit 200mg lamictal cold turkey one day, not a single side effect.

I think people over hype "withdrawal".

I could understand if it was an SSRI.

I disagree, I dissociated for days one time when I ran out.

I also disagree. I take 150 mg 2x daily and I can definitely tell if I forget to take my night dose. I sleep badly and sometimes it makes me feel out of control. I guess it's different for each individual.

You lucked out.
That is not generally the case- that one has 'not a single side effect'.

The potential risks of quitting anti-convulsants abruptly include convulsive seizures, and the fact is it is very difficult to be accurately aware of what will make them more or less susceptible to this result.

Do I have to spell out all the consequences of convulsive seizures? They are actually kind of a big deal.

Have you had a seizure, convulsive or not?
Do you actually understand what you are suggesting here when you promote the idea that it's safe to "cold turkey" off of an A/C? Or are you just going of of your experience, or even a handful of experiences that you may have read or heard about?

The danger is real. If you don't care for yourself, that is one thing.
To spread dangerous misinformation is simply irresponsible.

I agree with the above posters. I can tell if I missed, 100%

Jesusplay, cold turkey for you worked out, good for you, but I feel that it is VERY irresponsible to advocate this to others. We love how you discount other's concerns too. You do know that this is a forum for support right?

I don't feel Jesusplay was advocating or discounting anything; he was merely sharing his own experience & opinion upon having missed a dose. Support and agreement are often two separate things. In addition, I (like many of you) don't take lamictal as a anti-colvulsant. It's used primarily as a mood stabilizer in BP.

Seizures can be a side affect even for those who don't take it as an anti-convulsant.

You should take the time to read the original poster's message:

Missing, or adding a dose within a matter of hours poses no, or little threat of ill side-effects. No one was suggesting going cold turkey on lamictal. Just sayin'...

Many people would interpret this as advocating such.
And, stopping an a/c abruptly can cause issues for anyone no matter what they are taking it for.

I speak from knowledge derived through research of studies and the pi sheet.

...and the knowledge stating little to no ill effects, and the suggestion that it's not a big deal to abruptly stop if you aren't taking it for seizure control [implicit, but still there], comes from... what?

It's pretty dangerous to spread misinformation as I said. It's not because I want to be "more right" or "better" or [insert something random and untrue here] that I write this... I don't like people getting hurt.

...just sayin'.

We agree.