Introduction: Lithium and divalproex seem to be predominantly effective for manic and mixed symptoms of bipolar disorder, whereas lamotrigine may be more effective for bipolar depression than for mania. Combination therapy may provide more efficacious treatment for many patients with bipolar disorder.
What is better Lamictal or Depakote?
Depakote (divalproex) Prevents seizures and stabilizes mood. Lamictal (Lamotrigine) is most useful for treating severe seizure disorders, and for bipolar disorder with more depression symptoms than manic symptoms. Just be careful to increase your dose slowly to avoid skin rash.
Is Depakote or Lamictal better for bipolar?
These medicines differ in the types of bipolar symptoms they treat. Depakote and Tegretol, for example, tend to be more effective in treating mania than depressive symptoms while Lamictal appears to have stronger antidepressant than antimanic effects.
Is lamotrigine better than valproic acid?
Both valproic acid and lamotrigine are effective as first-line monotherapy for the treatment of newly diagnosed adults with idiopathic generalized tonic-clonic seizures but valproic acid is preferable to lamotrigine because of being more effective and safe.
Is lamotrigine similar to Depakote?
Are Lamictal and Depakote the Same Thing? Lamictal (lamotrigine) and Depakote (divalproex sodium) are antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), also called anticonvulsants, used alone or in combination with other antiseizure medications for treating certain types of seizures.
Does Depakote increase Lamictal?
I know there’s a major interaction between the 2 as depakote increases the amount of Lamictal in the blood.
Can you take Depakote and lamotrigine together?
lamoTRIgine divalproex sodium
This combination may cause skin rash, restlessness, seizures, tremors, muscle weakness, and staggering walk. If you take both medications together, tell your doctor if you have any of these symptoms.
What is the best mood stabilizer?
Lamotrigine. Lamotrigine (Lamictal) may be the most effective mood stabilizer for depression in bipolar disorder, but is not as helpful for mania. The starting dose of lamotrigine should be very low and increased very slowly over four weeks or more.
What does lamotrigine do for bipolar?
Lamotrigine (Lamictal) for Bipolar Disorder
It has been found to help delay bouts of depression, mania, hypomania (a milder form of mania), and mixed episodes in those being treated with standard therapy. It is especially effective in the prevention of bipolar depression.
What can replace Depakote?
sodium valproate (Depakote) lamotrigine (Lamictal) topiramate (Topamax) gabapentin (Neurontin)
What are the side effects of Lamotrigine?
Lamotrigine may cause blurred vision, double vision, clumsiness, unsteadiness, dizziness, or drowsiness. Do not drive or do anything else that could be dangerous until you know how this medicine affects you. If these reactions are especially bothersome, check with your doctor.
Can you take epilim with Lamictal?
This combination may cause skin rash, restlessness, seizures, tremors, muscle weakness, and staggering walk. If you take both medications together, tell your doctor if you have any of these symptoms.
Why is sodium valproate first line?
It is recommended as a first-line option in atonic and tonic seizures. Sodium valproate has widespread metabolic effects and monitoring of liver function tests and full blood count is essential.
What does Depakote do for bipolar?
The medication Depakote (divalproex sodium) is an anticonvulsant. Doctors prescribe it to treat seizure disorders and to prevent migraine headaches. People also use it to manage the manic phase of bipolar disorder. Depakote side effects can be serious and sometimes fatal.
What medication is comparable to Lamictal?
Are Lamictal and Seroquel the Same Thing? Lamictal (lamotrigine) and Seroquel (quetiapine) are used to treat bipolar disorders. Lamictal is also used alone or in combination with other anti-seizure medications for treating certain types of seizures. Seroquel is also used to treat schizophrenia and major depression.
What are good Depakote levels?
The therapeutic range for valproic acid is 50-100 mcg/mL. The toxic level is >100 mcg/mL.
Can lamotrigine help ADHD?
Lamotrigine, an anticonvulsant indicated for the maintenance treatment of bipolar depression is reported to be effective in adult ADHD comorbid with bipolar II disorder.
Is Depakote an inducer or inhibitor?
Valproic acid is not enzyme inducer, but it may cause clinically relevant drug interactions by inhibiting the metabolism of selected substrates, most notably phenobarbital and lamotrigine.
Does Lamictal cause slurred speech?
Toxic symptoms are symptoms experienced when the blood Lamictal level is too high. Toxic symptoms can include drowsiness, incoordination, slurred speech, dizziness, headache and coma.
What does valproate do to lamotrigine?
Results: When compared to other studies in which lamotrigine was administered with no concurrent antiepileptic drug, concomitant valproate markedly increased the half-life of lamotrigine and decreased lamotrigine clearance, without substantial alteration in the linear kinetics of the drug.
How does valproic acid affect lamotrigine?
Despite the sophisticated pharmacokinetic and statistical analyses, which undoubtedly are foreign to most clinicians, the data are clearly depicted in a series of graphs that convey the take-home message: valproic acid (VPA) inhibits the clearance of lamotrigine (LTG) by a mean of approximately 30% at a dose of 125 mg/