lookaswan4141 Posted December 29, 2021 Share Posted December 29, 2021 Disclaimer: I did already leave a message with my doctor, just waiting for a call back, and I know no one's experience is exactly the same, just looking to hear other people's experience. Hi, so I'm feeling pretty hypomanic today, which still feels weird to say because I'm new to understanding this and I'm in the middle of titrating up on Lamotrigine and am still on Zoloft and Adderall. I just went up to 100 today, but was also feeling this coming on a bit yesterday. I definitely was very positive and happy the last few days, but mostly felt even. Then last night, I got into a project and stayed up until 5am and the only reason I went to sleep is because I took Zzzquil finally. I woke up feeling fine, which I know can be normal with hypomania. Thoughts are racing and I'm getting pretty intense and irritable about things. I was wondering if anyone had a similar experience going up in lamotrigine and if when reaching the target dose, it was more effective for both sides of the spectrum. Or do you usually have to add something into the mix for the hypomanic or manic symptoms? Just asked my doctor if we should start going down on Zoloft now since I know antidepressants can trigger mania too, and of course the stimulants as well. So I'm thinking all of these combined as I go up in lamotrigine could be a little dicey and push me over the edge into hypomania. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceberg Posted December 29, 2021 Share Posted December 29, 2021 3 hours ago, lookaswan4141 said: Disclaimer: I did already leave a message with my doctor, just waiting for a call back, and I know no one's experience is exactly the same, just looking to hear other people's experience. Hi, so I'm feeling pretty hypomanic today, which still feels weird to say because I'm new to understanding this and I'm in the middle of titrating up on Lamotrigine and am still on Zoloft and Adderall. I just went up to 100 today, but was also feeling this coming on a bit yesterday. I definitely was very positive and happy the last few days, but mostly felt even. Then last night, I got into a project and stayed up until 5am and the only reason I went to sleep is because I took Zzzquil finally. I woke up feeling fine, which I know can be normal with hypomania. Thoughts are racing and I'm getting pretty intense and irritable about things. I was wondering if anyone had a similar experience going up in lamotrigine and if when reaching the target dose, it was more effective for both sides of the spectrum. Or do you usually have to add something into the mix for the hypomanic or manic symptoms? Just asked my doctor if we should start going down on Zoloft now since I know antidepressants can trigger mania too, and of course the stimulants as well. So I'm thinking all of these combined as I go up in lamotrigine could be a little dicey and push me over the edge into hypomania. I would agree about that being a lot of change . Ideally it’s good to work on as few meds as possible at the same time, but if you really are getting hypomanic that might be grounds for ignoring that idea. For me lamotrigine was a stabilizer after the fact- we got manic and depression handled with other things and the. Added it in to provide stability so we could lower the more acute meds. It seems to be working. However when I started if while symptomatic (years ago) it was not robust enough to handle both sides alone. Some also say that it is the best first line stabilizer for BP 2, and I know of several patients/docs who use it as their go-to first med for people with more depressive episodes in their history 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfly23 Posted December 29, 2021 Share Posted December 29, 2021 Hi. I had a similar experience with Lamictal and I know others that have had the same. I found the titration very difficult. I felt very unstable until I hit about 200 MG. Hope things calm down for you soon. I am on a few meds and going through a med change at them moment. I feel very hypo as well. But I am still going up on the dose and am not at therapeutic levels yet. For me I have been on multiple meds pretty much always. The right cocktail kept me pretty stable for years. Trust your Pdoc. Moving too much around makes it hard to know what’s working and what’s causing what. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancesintherain Posted December 29, 2021 Share Posted December 29, 2021 I've also had a past history of having a rocky titration with Lamictal. I'd feel better for a few days and then feel worse again until the dose was changed. Once I got to 200mg, it was fine. Going on it this time, I found that I was dealing with some paranoia (briefly and only once) rather than hypomania. I added on a dose of zyprexa and ativan and that's keeping things at bay while we go up on Lamictal. I'm only at 75mg, but the depakote has the effect of doubling it (though not necessarily at my depakote dose). The idea is that we'll pull back the depakote completely and stabilize on lamictal. That depends on how things go. So yes, what you're describing is possible. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gearhead Posted December 29, 2021 Share Posted December 29, 2021 Lamictal is known for making you feel worse before it makes you feel better. A lot of people find it very activating: Irritation, restlessness, difficulty sleeping. I felt hypo for weeks when I started. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lookaswan4141 Posted December 30, 2021 Author Share Posted December 30, 2021 Thank you everyone for your responses! It's helpful to know other people have had similar experiences. My pdoc called back and said we should just stay the course for now. Doesn't want to drop anything before I'm at a therapeutic dose. And that he doesn't expect me to be stable yet, but we're getting there. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sugarsugar Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 I didn’t notice being worse as I started it, just no better. But once I got to a stable dose it’s been very effective. I really wanted to decrease the dose and saw a change—but better after going back up. So what I’m trying to say is it may be a slow starter but can work out when you get up to the right dose. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazylikeme Posted January 24, 2022 Share Posted January 24, 2022 Currently fighting a Manic Episode. Have a doctors appointment shortly, not that it will do any good. I currently take Effexor, Lithum and Xanax (Stopped taking seroquel due ALOT of weight gain well over 60lbs). I tried to wean off of Xanax, my doctor gave me something called Kolpien and it is a joke! On top of being bipolar, I have childhood PTSD along with horrible nightmares. The nightmares cause me to violent and verbal. The Xanax is the only thing that stops the nightmares and calms down my Mania. The never-ending thoughts and feelings. Feels like all of my insides want to run a marathon and I want it to stop. I do not think I will ever truly be stable. Not ever truly happy. Right now my brain is saying go buy you a new car (I did the last episode I had). Its so overpowering. I usually end up doing damage control once the Mania part passes and I drop to the depths of depression hell. I am not sure what is worse the Mania or the depression. My old doctor told me to appreciate the Manic because of the energy high. He was a total idiot. Maybe it would be a good thing if I didnt have people who relied on me or didnt have to work. Id love to clean out my whole house but I dont think my loved ones would like furniture being throwed in the yard at 2 am. I cant imagine a doctor giving someone that is bipolar Adderall. Does not that the mania worse? To me it seems like it would jack up and leave you utterly out of control. I have been bipolar since I was 15 but did not have an official diagnosis I was in late 20's. I had been going through a manic episode that lasted for years and then one day I crashed. I just about ruined everything that was dear to me. I cannot even put into words what I went through. (not drugs or cheating) but the hurt I done to others with words. Words hurt and you cant take them back. The childhood PTSD is new. I was diagnosed with that a few months back due to my ongoing nightmares. I sleep in the same room as my husband but no in the same bed because I thrash out and holler so much. My nightmares without medication are every night. All I can say is dont give up. Keep looking for the right meds, you will find it. If your doctor doesnt make you happy find another. Thats one mistake I made. I waited to long to find one who cares and she is actually a therapist. I never entertained the idea of therapy, its been 3 months and I now cant imagine not having it. My other dr just wanted to commit me to a hospital. I did have a nervous breakdown and I did spend 2 days in a hospital but its not the right answer for me. Dont give up keep fighting. There has to be room in this world for people like us. If there wasnt why were we created. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xheimlich Posted June 19, 2022 Share Posted June 19, 2022 Don't quote me on this, but low-dose lamotrigine is an antidepressant. The tricky thing is that they can't set you on a bipolar dosage at once because of the rash and other potential problems. I went to seek help for "anxiety" which in retrospect is clearly dysphoric hypomania and I got my lamy mickies and boom, in the intervening 15 days I had gotten a new job and was dating two women at the same time. Fun times, treatment exploration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basuraeuropea Posted June 19, 2022 Share Posted June 19, 2022 i reached 100mg/day a few days ago and the titration has been rough, like, extremely difficult. following each 25mg increase there has been a very pronounced period of dysphoria, anxiety, and irritability which my doctor hypothesizes is my flavor of some mixed state. i'm in the midst of this right now as i increased only a few days ago, but hopefully it will die down as it's an utterly miserable place to be both mentally and physically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basuraeuropea Posted June 24, 2022 Share Posted June 24, 2022 (edited) oops - apologies. i posted in the wrong thread. i updated my own. Edited June 24, 2022 by basuraeuropea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts