Hi,

My dose and meds have recently changed and I am trying to find some good info - anectodotal, research, anything - about this combination or the combination of any of them.

Here's the lowdown:

300 Lithium
150 Lamictal
25 Seroquel (at bed time)
1 Klonopin

Lithium was just added, and the Lamictal was reduced by 50 mgs.

I am most curious about Lithium and the Lamictal combination.

Any comments would be so helpful! Thanks

See the Lithium + Lamictal thread on the Anticonvulsants board.

Hi!  I'm on:

750 lithium (have been everywhere from 300 to 1500, depending)
75 Lamictal and going up
25-75 Seroquel for sleep, as needed (building tolerance quickly )
100 Wellbutrin SR (back again, trying to find a non-manic dose; hope this is it)

No more Klonopin, was on .5 for a long time but decided it was depressing.

I've been on lithium & Lamictal together for about eight weeks.  I love them.  The lithium mellows out agitation, irritability, anger, and just plain wanting to run away (especially if you take it in the morning, or even when you need it), and the Lamictal is a lot better for depression than lithium alone (or even lithium and ADs, though that turned out to be a manic combination).

I heard Dr. Goodwin (textbook author) say at a panel discussion that "Lathictal" is just great for some people.  But I'm not aware of any research.

Good luck with them,
sg

Thanks - that was really helpful...

You're welcome.

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I have been on Lithium for about 13 years with the only problem being thirst.  I had been on a combination of Lithium, Lamictal, Seroquel and Klonopin for the almost a year.  The Seroquel made me gain 30 lbs. and I looked beyond pregnant most of the time.  I have now been changed to Geodon instead of the Seroquel.  So I'm now taking Lithium, Lamictal, Geodon and Klonopin.  I've only been on this cocktail for about 3 days, and I'm hoping this will do the trick for me.  I have been diagnoised as Schizo-Affective.  I tolerated your combination of meds just fine.  I hope they do as well for you.
Willow 

Ooh, this sounds like me!

I'm on 1000mg of Seroquel, 500mg of Lamictal, and I -was- on 900mg of Lithium/Eskalith.
Luckily for me the Eskalith was a short stay.  I almost went into toxic shock.  Apparently a theraputic dose is .5 - .9 or so, and my blood level was 3.8.
I know it's different for everyone, but I wouldn't touch that combo with a 10 foot long pole.

I'm on 1000mg of Seroquel, 500mg of Lamictal, and I -was- on 900mg of Lithium/Eskalith.
Luckily for me the Eskalith was a short stay.  I almost went into toxic shock.  Apparently a theraputic dose is .5 - .9 or so, and my blood level was 3.8.
I know it's different for everyone, but I wouldn't touch that combo with a 10 foot long pole.
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All of those doses are very high with the exception of the lithium dose. Lamictal doses of 500mg are not too terribly uncommon for control of seizures, but for bipolar the dose generally doesn't climb above 400mg... generally. I'd tend to think that you may want to talk to your prescriber about the possibility of lowering the medications. Ultimately, though, it's your prescriber who knows how you do on your medications. Lithium is excreted entirely in the urine, so there really is no drug interaction with the other medications. So why was the dose that you were taking leading to a 3.8? well, everyone is different. I hate to say that, but it's true. 300mg of lithium three times per day is not uncommon, but one needs to get blood levels rather frequently to ensure that the lithium dosage is within the therapeutic range - a range that is rather small... too little is ineffective, to much is toxic and can be life threatening. I would suspect that a 3.8 sent you to the hospital in crisis or at least with severe confusion. As for a combination of lithium and lamictal, there has never been any reported interaction. At 1000mg of seroquel, i imagine you may begin to see some significant weight gain and hypercholesterolemia, not to mention higher blood sugars. Your provider needs to monitor your lithium lievel about every 2-3 months and much more in the beginning of lithium therapy - its very important to monitor the lithium level as often as required. I even had a patient that I prescribed lithium 300 mg q day on M,W,F and 450mg on Tu,Th, Sa, Su. Crazy dosing, but it kept the level at 0.8 and he's doing wonderfully. Also its a good idea to get a HgA1C, lipid panel, Thyroid function panel, and hepatic function panel.
Personally, I am a believer that less is more. the fewer the medications the better. The lower the doses, the better (obviously to a point). NEVER CHANGE A MEDICATION REGIMEN WITHOUT TALKING TO YOUR PROVIDER FIRST. I REPEAT.... NEVER CHANGE A MEDICATION REGIMEN WITHOUT TALKING TO YOUR PROVIDER FIRST... unless there is an allergic reaction... in which case, call your provider after dialing 911.
Now, lamictal works really well for bipolar depression. Seroquel works well at doses above 300mg for bipolar mania. what sometimes happens is, as the lamictal dose increases, it can potentially perpetuate a manic episode, so the Seroquel needs to be increased.... a vicious cycle. you might consider speaking with your provider about the possibility of decreasing the lamictal some, so that the Seroquel may not need to be so high.

there have been times for me when i've taken a drug once and had a certain reaction to it, and then stopped and tried it again, and reacted differently. with both lithium and seroquel, this has been the case.

the first time i took lith, i was fine. the first time i took seroquel, i can't describe the mess i was.

then my pdoc decided to put together the same cocktail you have. i have to say that the combo of lith and lamictal worked wonders and i felt so stable, however i was dumber than a pile of rocks and was taking left turns at red lights, so we had to drop the lith.

give it a go and see how you react to it. the seroquel never did anything for me except make me sleep and have EPS.

why on earth do people keep resurrecting ancient threads??