Glaucoma
Glaucoma Disease » Glaucoma » Lamotrigine/Lamictal and Pseudoephedrine?

Lamotrigine/Lamictal and Pseudoephedrine?

Question:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Nos…@me.freeserve.co.uk wrote: >On Sat, 18 May 2002 13:54:23 +0100, "Spellman AGAIN!" ><albert.he…@virgin.net> wrote: >>Hi everyone, >>I take 300mg of Lamictal everyday, this seems to be working effectively as I >>haven’t had a seizure since the dr. raised my dose from 200mg. One thing >>that I’m interested to know is whether or not I can take pseudoephedrine >>based nasal decongestants? I suffer badly from allergic rhinitis (there are >>several specific substances that trigger my running nose and sneezing) and >>find myself sneezing maybe two dozen times a day. I used to be able to use >>pseudoephedrine when I really had to be sneeze free, as this drug really >>works by srying up my nose and helping me breathe more easily. >>I asked a pharmacist whether I could take the decongestant but she advised >>me against is but wouldn’t explain why. Like some other posters on this NG, >>I think many pharmacists try too hard to cover their backs in case of a >>freakish accident involving two drugs that could possibly conflict.

The big problem with pseudoephedrine is that it constricts blood vessels. (It prevents the tissues inside your nose from swelling.)  If you have high blood pressure, glaucoma, or if you’re at risk for stroke, you’re not supposed to use it.  Your Lamictal might be doing something to the blood vessels in your brain.  After all, blood vessel constriction or expansion can be in response to electrical signals that the Lamictal might be messing with. S Hunderson: >I’d love to know too.  I went to my doctor a couple of weeks ago about >runny eyes and nose.  He thought it was an allergy and prescribed >Cetirizine 10 mg per day, I don’t know if that is similar.  I am >taking 500 mg Lamictal per day.

Cetirzine works by a different mechanism.  It is an antihistamine. It doesn’t constrict blood vessels – it blocks the allergic response (to pollen or cat hair or whatever) that told the blood vessels in your nose to swell up in the first place.  The non-prescription equivalent would be benadryl, not pseudoephedrine.  Some people don’t like to take benadryl because it makes them sleepy, but it works if the runny nose is caused by an allergic reaction.  If you don’t really have an allergy, antihistamines won’t help. I took a lot of pseudoephedrine for my runny nose.  It also helped my headaches.  But now I’m supposed to stop because of my blood pressure.  My doctor doesn’t think I have allergies, just congestion. I don’t know about interactions with Lamotrigine.  I take Topomax (and I have only been taking it for a few months.) Adrian Turtle sidewalk radical

Response:

On Sat, 18 May 2002 13:54:23 +0100, "Spellman AGAIN!" – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -<albert.he…@virgin.net> wrote: >Hi everyone, >I take 300mg of Lamictal everyday, this seems to be working effectively as I >haven’t had a seizure since the dr. raised my dose from 200mg. One thing >that I’m interested to know is whether or not I can take pseudoephedrine >based nasal decongestants? I suffer badly from allergic rhinitis (there are >several specific substances that trigger my running nose and sneezing) and >find myself sneezing maybe two dozen times a day. I used to be able to use >pseudoephedrine when I really had to be sneeze free, as this drug really >works by srying up my nose and helping me breathe more easily. >I asked a pharmacist whether I could take the decongestant but she advised >me against is but wouldn’t explain why. Like some other posters on this NG, >I think many pharmacists try too hard to cover their backs in case of a >freakish accident involving two drugs that could possibly conflict.

I’d love to know too.  I went to my doctor a couple of weeks ago about runny eyes and nose.  He thought it was an allergy and prescribed Cetirizine 10 mg per day, I don’t know if that is similar.  I am taking 500 mg Lamictal per day. S Hunderson

Response:

I have the same problem.  After many hay fever seasons of trial and error, I discovered two things.  If ABSOLUTELY miserable, I can handle up to a 60mg dose of any over-the-counter antihistimine containing psuedoephidrine.  If I can suffer through the night or weekend with that, I can wait until doctor’s hours and request a precription of Claritin-D.  This allergy medicine is wonderful and is available in 12 and 24 hour relief.

Response:

My mother is a nurse and has a copy of the BMF, which is presumably a British version of the reference book you talk about. Under the ‘Contra-indications’ section, there is no mention of conflicts between lamotrigine and stimulants (which, effectively is what pseudoephedrine is). I’ll try having another talk with my local pharmacist, see if I can’t get her to explain herself. Thanks for the suggestion anyhow. "CyberCafe" <p…@badger.tds.net> wrote in message

news:3CE66CFC.C1D434C7@badger.tds.net… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Probably the best thing to do is look up the drugs in the Physician’s Desk > Reference (PDR).  Many libraries have a copy of this book, but it might be kept > "behind the desk" because these types of  reference books usually can’t be > checked out (at least not in small libraries). > Barb > "Spellman AGAIN!" wrote: > > Hi everyone, > > I take 300mg of Lamictal everyday, this seems to be working effectively as I > > haven’t had a seizure since the dr. raised my dose from 200mg. One thing > > that I’m interested to know is whether or not I can take pseudoephedrine > > based nasal decongestants? I suffer badly from allergic rhinitis (there are > > several specific substances that trigger my running nose and sneezing) and > > find myself sneezing maybe two dozen times a day. I used to be able to use > > pseudoephedrine when I really had to be sneeze free, as this drug really > > works by srying up my nose and helping me breathe more easily. > > I asked a pharmacist whether I could take the decongestant but she advised > > me against is but wouldn’t explain why. Like some other posters on this NG, > > I think many pharmacists try too hard to cover their backs in case of a > > freakish accident involving two drugs that could possibly conflict. > > If anyone here could help with this problem I’d be as grateful as one can > > be. > > Thankyou.

Response:

Probably the best thing to do is look up the drugs in the Physician’s Desk Reference (PDR).  Many libraries have a copy of this book, but it might be kept "behind the desk" because these types of  reference books usually can’t be checked out (at least not in small libraries). Barb – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -"Spellman AGAIN!" wrote: > Hi everyone, > I take 300mg of Lamictal everyday, this seems to be working effectively as I > haven’t had a seizure since the dr. raised my dose from 200mg. One thing > that I’m interested to know is whether or not I can take pseudoephedrine > based nasal decongestants? I suffer badly from allergic rhinitis (there are > several specific substances that trigger my running nose and sneezing) and > find myself sneezing maybe two dozen times a day. I used to be able to use > pseudoephedrine when I really had to be sneeze free, as this drug really > works by srying up my nose and helping me breathe more easily. > I asked a pharmacist whether I could take the decongestant but she advised > me against is but wouldn’t explain why. Like some other posters on this NG, > I think many pharmacists try too hard to cover their backs in case of a > freakish accident involving two drugs that could possibly conflict. > If anyone here could help with this problem I’d be as grateful as one can > be. > Thankyou.

Response:

Hi everyone, I take 300mg of Lamictal everyday, this seems to be working effectively as I haven’t had a seizure since the dr. raised my dose from 200mg. One thing that I’m interested to know is whether or not I can take pseudoephedrine based nasal decongestants? I suffer badly from allergic rhinitis (there are several specific substances that trigger my running nose and sneezing) and find myself sneezing maybe two dozen times a day. I used to be able to use pseudoephedrine when I really had to be sneeze free, as this drug really works by srying up my nose and helping me breathe more easily. I asked a pharmacist whether I could take the decongestant but she advised me against is but wouldn’t explain why. Like some other posters on this NG, I think many pharmacists try too hard to cover their backs in case of a freakish accident involving two drugs that could possibly conflict. If anyone here could help with this problem I’d be as grateful as one can be. Thankyou.

Response:

Related Posts

Write a comment