Starting Lamictal, help - Andy, others!

[Guest guest]

I finally have a prescription to trial an AED, Lamictal which the neuro chose

because, in his view, it's generally well-tolerated and works well.

The starting dose is 2 caps in morning and at night of Lamictal 2 mg for 15

days. Then we switch to Lamictal 5 mg with the same number of caps for 15 days

and then we re-assess with an EEG & a chat about symptoms.

I have a few questions now and am hoping others here can answer some them for

me:

1) Is the starting dose as low as it should be to start?

2) If adverse symptoms are going to occur, do they usually show up at the outset

of treatment at low doses or later at higher doses?

3) Is it wise to start this treatment while away on vacation, away from our

usual doctors etc? (We're leaving in two days for the mountains & though I'm

sure there are doctors in the area, the nearest hospital is over 30 mins away).

I've been waiting a while to trial an anti-seizure med and now we're on a break

from school where I can keep a close eye on my DD so obviously I'd like to try

this while she's with me.

If there is a risk of adverse symptoms at the start of this treatment, then I'll

wait til I get home but then that's a day before school starts & I'm not

comfortable starting an anti-seizure med & sending her off to school for 8 hours

where I can't keep an eye on her reactions.

The neuro said that I could start while away from home, that a life-threatening

reaction was highly unlikely at a low dose and that if any adverse reaction

happened, I could stop the med with no risk of further problems.

So is he right? How do other parents trial these meds for children who are in

school? Do you just observe for one day, a few or what?