Lamictal-Marginal Results

[lemonflavor]

I keep going back and forth with Lamictal. As I titrated, my always bad dreams got more intense. After I got to 100 mg for a week I almost couldn't tolerate it anymore. My pdoc told me to call him in another week. At that time my dreams were the same or even worse. Plus I was in a constant slightly hypomanic state.

So he told me to reduce to 50 mg until my next app't and I assume we would look for something else. BTW I have tried to "stick it out" in the past and found that if something is there for a good two weeks, it ain't going away after six. I'm not going to torture myself again.

I went down to 75 mg and the dreams immediately (well, after two days) were less intense. Then went down to 62.5 mg and my waking anxiety came back with a vengence, anhedonia much worse and depression worse. I don't know if this is withdrawal or if the drug was doing more good than I realized.

Getting rid of the waking anxiety and feeling just a little more pleasure in things like watching football, music and reading was a step up, but not anywhere near what my pdoc and I were hoping for. After a couple more days at 62.5 if it doesn't get better I will try 75 mg again and see if I feel better.

But I have to wonder if I could go back to 100 mg and add a small amount of Lithium or something. But this would add another drug and more cost for blood tests.

Has anyone else been in this situation?

[sallie21]

Hi

I have actually been back and forth with Lamictal, too, and it has been very frustrating. I sympathize. My problems have been at a bit higher dose, but only because things didn't seem to be helping at 100. I seemed to need some help going into the holidays so we went up and all that happened was my anxiety *increased* and that was so disappinting! I was practically crawling out of my skin. It did subside some when we divided the dose to twice a day, but I can't say that now, at 200, I am feeling better. In fact, my depression is awful. Worse. Bleh.

I want it to work. I cannot take SSRIs. They make me manic. I don't know where we'd go from here.

As for the dream thing, I have been plagued by dream issues for years and I was relieved for the first time ever...ever...when I went on Topamax. It was like a miracle. Don't ask why because I have no idea. I don't know if your dream issues started with Lamictal, but something seems to be up with anticonvulsants and the dream part of the brain. I'm sorry you're having troubles. I sure hope you and your doctor figure out what's up. Bad dreams do suck.

Maybe at the higher dose, things will even out? My doctor has suggested this to me and I have read this elsewhere on this board. A kind of "hang in there, it gets better" approach. Lamictal being a sort of fussy drug. Maybe we need to be more patient.

Sallie

[AirMarshall]

I really don't recall complaints of increased or vivid dreaming with Lamictal.

Your symptoms on the taper sound like your underlying condition re-emerging. Typically withdrawal effects of Lamictal are pretty much the same as those going back up.

Lamictal can be energizing for some people and a tad sedation for others. Something not well documented is that many of our members (including myself) report that upon starting lamical or increasing, they experience hypomania, agitation, restlessness, irritibility or hair trigger temper. This tends to fade after a couple weeks.

The PI sheet says that lamictal doesn't start to take effect till around 50 -100mg and that normal dosing is 100 -200mg but may go as high as 400mg. I wouldn't expect a whole lot of effect after only a week at 100mg, though I did start to feel it kick in a bit.

Yes lithium and lamictal can be used together. Thats what I'm on.

good luck.

a.m.

[Spanophile]

I had the horrible dreams when I first started Lamictal too. I'm on 200mgs and have been for about 2 weeks. I've been hypomanic since I started Lamictal too. I hope it ends soon because I can't concentrate. They gave me Abilify but I swear it's like taking Pez - it does nothing for me.

[Dee]

I had awful nightmares and sleepwalking until I switched to morning dosing. It immediately stopped. It was definitely the Lamictal. I think it's just because it's stimulating for me.

Lemon are you taking it in the morning?

[lemonflavor]

I've been taking it at night. I know I should switch to morning but I'm afraid of going a night without it. So I may try a very gradual switch. But my thoughts are sped up during the day too so I'm also afraid of that getting worse during the day by switching. Maybe half and half.

I've always had bad dreams my whole life and the Lamictal intensifies them and I seem to dream the WHOLE last half of the night/morning non-stop. After two weeks at 100 mg with no improvement whatsoever or even getting worse we decided to go back down. Like I said before if something doesn't at least start to get better after two weeks I've never found it to get better after six weeks and don't feel the need to torture myself yet again.

Thanks for the comments and sympathy. I'll see what my pdoc says.

[Thomas]

I've been taking it at night. I know I should switch to morning but I'm afraid of going a night without it. So I may try a very gradual switch. But my thoughts are sped up during the day too so I'm also afraid of that getting worse during the day by switching. Maybe half and half.

I've always had bad dreams my whole life and the Lamictal intensifies them and I seem to dream the WHOLE last half of the night/morning non-stop. After two weeks at 100 mg with no improvement whatsoever or even getting worse we decided to go back down. Like I said before if something doesn't at least start to get better after two weeks I've never found it to get better after six weeks and don't feel the need to torture myself yet again.

Thanks for the comments and sympathy. I'll see what my pdoc says.

After beginning ECT's, my pdoc has me moving down from 300 mg. of Lamictal to 75 mg. and I can't say I've noticed a huge difference. I must admit, it is somewhat interesting trying to split half a prescored 300 into 4 x 75 mg.

Tommy

[Bianca]

Wuts going on? Hello Dee. I just started Lamicatl.. I'm on day 5 now. Just started with the crappy headaches, sore neck and nausea... But its head nauaea bot stomach kind... Man this sucks... Will it get any better?

[scatty]

My personal relationship with this drug has been mostly positive. My side effects went away after a few weeks at theraputic dose (100-125 mgs.) It's worth sticking it out if you don't get the rash. Cognative issues still plague me but I would rather be slower than normal and not be sucidally depressed or batshit manic.

[Guest Guest_sita_*]

I titrated up really slowly because I got a touch of the rash + some fever. I really wanted it to work & knew it wasn't SJS so I hung in there. After 75mg I turned hypomanic after every increase. I couldn't stand it--I knew what was going to happen after every increase. But after 200 or so I leveled out & my depression lifted.

After about 9 or 10 months at 300 I started getting grouchy again & really manic with heavy rapid cycling. Like crying on the bathroom floor--scary stuff that would go away within hours. My doctor put me on Trileptal (after Rispedral = akasthesia for me), a very small dose of 25, and I've been stablized.

But although my moods have stabilized (thank goodness), depression is sinking in again. I want my old Lamictal back!

[seven]

But I have to wonder if I could go back to 100 mg and add a small amount of Lithium or something. But this would add another drug and more cost for blood tests.

Has anyone else been in this situation?

something similar. when i first started lamictal, i was titrated to 100mg--and i took off. like a jet plane, for the next 3 months. at this point, instead of adding more lamictal, my pdoc added lithium. the lithium brought me down within a week or two. so, yeah, it's a potential solution.

i didn't have the problem with the dreams though. maybe just a couple nights of vivid dream wierdness at the very very beginning.

now i'm off the lith, my thyroid's back to normal, and the seroquel has taken over the dampening that the lith used to do. perhaps this type of counterbalance, whether it's lith or any other stabilizer, is what you need.

good luck,

7

[mejeba]

I don't know if this is helpful at all.

I titrated slowly to 200 mg, then continued up to 400. Divalproex Sodium was added to dampen the high. That went to 1200 mg. It was way too toxic for me and eventually brought back to 250 mg Lamictal and 750 mg Divalproex. but in the process there was a lot of up and downs with the dosages.

I was still very unstable until this dose stayed steady for a few months. It's great to feel like I have some intelligence and motor control back.

My dreams tend to be vivid anyway and I noticed no increase in that.

[Loon-A-TiK]

i take 400mg and have always taken it in the morning.

i'm not sure, but i think it is responsible for some of my "pile of rocks" stupidity sometimes.

i have taken it with lithium, and it kicked ass.

it hasn't done a thing to my dreams. now, seroquel gave me night terrors and topa (when i slept on the stuff, it made me 100% manic) did too.

you're not at the range yet where you can really tell what it will do. lamictal is funny like that. it really depends on dose. you could be on a lower dose and feel crummy, or on a higher one and feel great. or the other way around.

for me, it has been a wonderful drug, and i hope it works out for you too.