After 26 years of migraines,
they're gone. Here's why.
I've suffered from severe chronic migraines my entire life. After a lifetime of pain and daily agony great enough to push me to the edge of suicide, a miraculous reprieve dropped from the heavens and whispered, "Now you can live your life. And by the way, my name is Lamictal. I'm a little pricey if you're uninsured." The other day, my friends asked me, "Would you rather have $200 million dollars and migraines or nothing with no migraines?" I smiled. "Look at me - I've got nothing and I have no migraines. But that's all I need." That isn't entirely true. I have much more than 'nothing.' I have a lifetime of knowledge about migraines and think I can be of some help to other migraineurs. I can't cure anyone and I'm not a doctor although sometimes my knowledge of medications is frighteningly vast. I want to help someone if I can. That's why I'm writing this post. If it results in just one person getting to live a life without migraines or a life significantly improved, then it's worth it. Every word. And then some.
Lamictal stopped my migraines -
but Lamic-ta-what?
If you've never heard of it or at least not for migraines, there is a good reason. The drug is an anticonvulsant used in the treatment of epilepsy and Bipolar I Disorder. If you go to their website, www.lamictal.com, you'll see two images of happy women smiling widely. On the left, the orange image offers information on Lamictal for Bipolar I Disorder. On the right, a green image offers information on Lamictal for Epilepsy. Where is the yellow and red flashing pop-up with a link to Lamictal for Migraines? There simply isn't one - yet. The drug is relatively new. In 1994 the drug made its debut but only for adult patients with partial seizures and only to compliment other treatment. If my neurologist had took me aside when I was 14 and said, "You should try this medicine that adults with partial seizures take," I would have given him a funny look. And then I would've saved twelve years of life without migraines. But that didn't happen. My neurologist didn't approach me about Lamictal and no one said anything about how it might help migraines.
The drug was approved for treatment with Bipolar I Disorder in 2003. I was diagnosed with Bipolar I Disorder in 2003. I didn't accept the diagnosis which is often typical. My psychiatrist at the time prescribed the medicine to just "try." Three things happened - or rather, two things didn't happen and one thing did. I continued to get migraines and my mood was unstable. I also noticed a very, very small rash on my forearm. A rare side effect is the development of a dangerous rash called Stevens-Johnson syndrome (or SJS). However, this is generally a side effect seen in children and not adults. Unfortunately, my psychiatrist was extremely cautious and decided to take me off the treatment. Nevertheless, why did I still get migraines and why didn't it work for my mood? Dosage, of course, dosage. Today I take eight times the dosage I did in 2003. It was probably just a rash in 2003. Had I known, this would've been my fourth year without pain. But I didn't know.
There is no recommended dosage for using Lamictal to treat migraines because it is not recognized as a treatment for migraines. A few studies published in 2003 and 2004 discovered an off-label use of Lamictal as a prophylactic measure to migraines. See Wikipedia on Lamictal (Lamotrigine).
The only other drug used to treat both seizures and bipolar disorder is called Depakote Extended Release. Depakote ER is valproic semisodium which is a fancy way of saying that it's the expensive version of Valproic acid (read Wikipedia on Valproic acid). Initially, much like Lamictal, it was used primarily as an anticonvulsant and as a mood stabilizer. Today, it's recognized a migraine prophylactic. My neurologist recommended this medication and I was impressed and grateful with the results. For about a year and a half, I had fewer, less severe migraines. Until one day I suddenly fell to the ground with pancreatitis and ended up staying ten days in the hospital. I could deal with the inconvenience, but what was truly upsetting was that I couldn't continue to take Depakote. Once again, life became a challenge and a struggle with chronic pain. But if you haven't tried this medication, asked your neurologist about it. The side effect I had is extremely rare.
Valproic acid has a much longer history than Lamictal. Valproic acid was first synthesized in 1882. In 1962, a French researcher discovered its use as an anti-seizure medication. In 1996, a startling 34 years after being recognized as an anti-seizure drug, the FDA approved Valproic acid for use with migraine treatment. Click here to read The History of Valproate in Clinical Neuroscience by Thomas R. Henry, MD. Lamictal. I will state again, was approved in 1996 and only recently for Bipolar I Disorder. How long will it take before the FDA recognizes it for migraine treatment? I guess that isn't very important. But it is worth noting that both drugs are very similar in how they function and both provided me with migraine relief.
Who else is talking
about Lamictal?
If you are like me, you might be thinking, "Well, this is probably just a coincidence. One person on the entire Internet thinks Lamictal cures migraines. If it really worked, why haven't I heard about it?" I think that's a great question. I too wonder. I found a few articles and one or two pilot studies, but there has yet to be a surge of joy. I realize that everyone responds differently to medication. But among those in a crowd of chronic migraine sufferers, we know our medications, we have our battle wounds, and we share our stories. Check out this article from a fellow blogger titled "Lamictal, Lamictal, Lamictal!"