• Effectiveness

  Major (for epilepsy)
• Side effects

  None (for Overall)
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: 600 mg Daily

Advice & Tips: Lamictal is also a great mood stabilizer.

Cost: < $25 monthly

• Effectiveness

  Major (for epilepsy)
• Side effects

  Moderate (for Overall) (insomnia, diarrhea, hair loss, double vision (diplopia), dry mouth, headaches, thirst, loss of fine motor skills, dry hair, muscle spasms, unintentional weight loss, dry tongue)
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: 200 mg Daily

Advice & Tips: Seems to decrease cognitive side effects from the Topamax, does not cause major drowsiness like other AEDs I have tried, only need to take once per day.

Cost: $50-99 monthly

Side effects: muscle spasms, dry tongue, double vision (diplopia), diarrhea, loss of fine motor skills, dry hair, hair loss, unintentional weight loss, thirst, dry mouth, headaches, insomnia, dry mouth

• Effectiveness

  Major (for epilepsy)
• Side effects

  Moderate (for Overall) (insomnia, headaches, muscle spasms, dry tongue)
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: 100 mg Daily

Advice & Tips: An unexpected benefit of Lamictal XR is that it has helped counteract some of the moodiness that the Keppra had induced in me. Lamictal XR has been an okay drug thus far, the main issues I have with it are major body aches and the occasional headache.

Cost: $50-99 monthly

Side effects: muscle spasms, dry tongue, double vision (diplopia), diarrhea, loss of fine motor skills, dry hair, hair loss, unintentional weight loss, thirst, dry mouth, headaches, insomnia, dry mouth

• Effectiveness

  Can't tell (for bipolar I disorder)
• Side effects

  Mild (for Overall) (memory problems)
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Somewhat hard to take

Dosage: 25 mg Daily

Advice & Tips: short term-memory loss

Cost: < $25 monthly

Side effects: memory problems

• Effectiveness

  Slight (for bipolar disorder)
• Side effects

  Moderate (for Overall) (memory problems)
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Somewhat hard to take

Dosage: 25 mg Daily

Advice & Tips: short term memory worsened

Cost: < $25 monthly

Side effects: memory problems

• Effectiveness

  Moderate (for bipolar disorder)
• Side effects

  Moderate (for Overall) (nausea, mid-cycle spotting)
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: 100 mg Daily

Cost: < $25 monthly

Side effects: mid-cycle spotting, nausea

• Effectiveness

  None (for depressed mood)
• Side effects

  Moderate (for Overall) (rash or skin problems)
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: 25 mg Daily

Side effects: rash or skin problems

• Effectiveness

  Slight (for seizures (grand mal or tonic-clonic))
• Side effects

  Moderate (for Overall) (dizziness, nausea and vomiting)
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Somewhat hard to take

Dosage: 200 mg Daily

Advice & Tips: I am getting tired of this medication experimentation thing, really.

Cost: $200+ monthly

Side effects: nausea and vomiting, dizziness

• Effectiveness

  Slight (for seizures (grand mal or tonic-clonic))
• Side effects

  Moderate (for Overall)
• Adherence

  Usually
• Burden

  Very hard to take

Advice & Tips: I think this medicine is more of a mood stabalizer, not a good anti convulsant. I am on a " good week" right now, expecting my monthly TC in a few days, stress and anxiety are what brings on my seizures, along with the inability to sleep a full night, I have to NOT BY CHOICE take several naps a day, because I will just fall asleep. This med is probably the best I used for my epilepsy, considering the others made me want to do really bad things, anger, horrible it was. I really hate taking meds everyday, and my Dr keeps increasing my dose every 2 weeks, when we are on the increase I always have really bad depression, fatigue, mood swings, dizzy, cannot sleep, cant get off the couch or floor, and depressing thoughts fill my head, I feel like I am not in my own body, and I always freak out, and call my DR, to make sure I am not going crazy, but they are NO help, he tells me to see a shrink. which I am starting to do next Tuesday.

Cost: $200+ monthly

Side effects: nausea and vomiting, dizziness

• Effectiveness

  Moderate (for seizures (complex partial))
• Side effects

  Mild (for Overall)
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: 400 mg Daily

Cost: < $25 monthly

• Effectiveness

  Major (for seizures (complex partial))
• Side effects

  Mild (for Overall)
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: 100 mg Daily

Advice & Tips: Starting Lamictal helped my seizures a great deal, and since I started taking it, I've only had two episodes, and they werent Grand Mal seizures! I take it once a day, and honestly, I dont mind taking it at all if it helps me. Only side affect of this medication is a little bit of a headache every once in a while, which i'm not sure is due to the headache, epilepsy, or other medications i'm taking. I would definately reccomend this medication to people with partial complex epilepsy.

Cost: < $25 monthly

• Effectiveness

  Major (for distrust of the psychiatric and medical community)
• Side effects

  Moderate (for Overall) (this medication really worked very well and balanced my mood all day long!)
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: 100 mg Daily

Advice & Tips: This medication was very helpful in my mood swings and gave me peace which I no longer have plus I have not been treated for restless leg syndrome which was diagnosed 7 years ago?

Cost: < $25 monthly

Side effects: this medication really worked very well and balanced my mood all day long!