hollywoodfreaks Posted May 5, 2007 Share Posted May 5, 2007 I mean, any one of the three meds I'm on could be causing anxiety (Cymbalta and Wellbutrin), but this only seemed to come about when Lamictal was added to the mix. Does anyone know if this anxiety decreases over time? I've been on it for...2.5 months? Presently taking 150mg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faroutwest Posted May 10, 2007 Share Posted May 10, 2007 I mean, any one of the three meds I'm on could be causing anxiety (Cymbalta and Wellbutrin), but this only seemed to come about when Lamictal was added to the mix. Does anyone know if this anxiety decreases over time? I've been on it for...2.5 months? Presently taking 150mg. I read your post about how Lamictal helped you with your unipolar depression, and you also now seem to be having anxiety problems. This is just me, but I had (have) major anxiety aggression irritability issues to work with in taking this Lamictal. If it weren't SO worth it for depression, I'd throw in the towel, but this stuff has been my salvation too with depression. It's that nasty nastiness side effect that drives everyone to distraction with this stuff. Even 25mgs can make such a difference to me, not only with the depression, but also with the irritability and even weepiness. What I've finally got going now is 200mgs,which is the best spot for depression for me and an augmentation AP PRN stash for if and when I start getting feeling too good. It's sad that there's such a thing as feeling too good, but for me there is. The next thing I would get on 200mgs after a while would be the dreaded manic aggresive irritability and actual rage. Bummer. I really feel for you on this one. Finding the right dose is only half the battle apparently. Staying on the right dose and steering yourself along a razors edge seems to be the other half of the battle. Yeh, to answer your question...Lamictal causes this anxiety. But HANG IN THERE! It's really worth all the crap in the end. Good luck! Hope you find your "sweet spot" soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
synthetic Posted May 10, 2007 Share Posted May 10, 2007 I had to stop taking it because it made my anxiety worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest_Liz_* Posted August 11, 2007 Share Posted August 11, 2007 Hey, I was wondering if the anxiety with the Lamictal ever leveled out with you. I am also experiencing highly intense anxiety ever since I started Lamictal and Im only on 50mg. I have had major anxiety problems my entire life so I wasn't sure if it was the lamictal or just a flare up in anxiety. Let me know how you are feeling now. Thanks, Liz, nyc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misscat Posted August 11, 2007 Share Posted August 11, 2007 I mean, any one of the three meds I'm on could be causing anxiety (Cymbalta and Wellbutrin), but this only seemed to come about when Lamictal was added to the mix. Does anyone know if this anxiety decreases over time? I've been on it for...2.5 months? Presently taking 150mg. I've been on Lamictal for 2 months now, am titrating up, presently on 100 mgs. Didn't notice any real anxiety until I reached the 100 mg dose. Thinking of asking my NP to put me on buspar, I don't like taking benzos. Miss C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Michael Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 I just started on Lamictal and it is driving me into an intense, sustained panic attack. I am on 25mg to buildup but my Dr. says the Lamictal should be actually reducing the anxiety, not causing it. I am on 150mg/d of Effexor for depression and anxiety and we added the Lamictal to provide some mood stabilization. Does anyone know if this anxiety is just part of my body adjusting to the new drug or should I quit now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ClaudiaP Posted November 16, 2007 Share Posted November 16, 2007 I just started on Lamictal and it is driving me into an intense, sustained panic attack. I am on 25mg to buildup but my Dr. says the Lamictal should be actually reducing the anxiety, not causing it. I am on 150mg/d of Effexor for depression and anxiety and we added the Lamictal to provide some mood stabilization. Does anyone know if this anxiety is just part of my body adjusting to the new drug or should I quit now? Just for balance I want to say that Lamictal KO'd baseline anxiety for me. It came back with some major life triggers, but 1/4 ativan as needed helps with that. Anyway, just in case people are worrying that Lamictal will make them anxious I want to say for many it has the opposite effect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 200mg/9 months Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 I am so happy to find this site. Over the past 6-7 months I have had waves of anxiety attacks that made me think that I am going mad. I have always had anxiety, but now I am crippled by it. I have constant sense of dread (again, I had that before Lamictal, but was able to function and get on well enough, which was not really well enough), and now I am basically crippled by it. Everything--everything--scares me. I thought I was just going crazy--my family has history of paranoia and schizophrenia--because my doctor keeps assuring me that Lamictal reduces anxiety, but now I can see that many others on this med are experiencing this. I don't know what to do. I think Lamictal has helped my depression (I am only on Lamictal--I am done with anti=depressants after trying them for 20 years), but my mood seems more chaotic because I am always scared, anxious, and nervous. Even klonapin is not helping. Ahhhh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betcsu Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 i had a higher anxiety level when first starting lamictal (25mg) it leveled out after a couple of weeks. im only titratating up an additional 25mg every 3 weeks. when i went up to 50mg, the anxiety went back up. i have one more week to go before i titrate up to 75mg and the anxiety has again leveled out. we'll see what happens when i titrate up to 75mg next week..... but my point, i found the anxiety has increased with each dosage increase but has leveled off after a couple of weeks each time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Friend Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 I have been on 200 MG at night for 4 months and they started me on 25MG in the morning. I did not know until today that it was causing the worst vivid dreams of my life. They think it controls mania and I am not as depressed as when I was not on it. I am not sure I can go through another night as bad as last nights dreams. I am thinking it might be ok to be depressed. I tried to wean myself back to 100Mg and found myself going back to bed in the day. I don't want to alarm anyone and I think this med has some good effects. I sleep more than when I was depressed. Can't seem to put it all together as I have all of my life. I am not sure what to do. Good luck to you!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arbuzby Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 I've been taking 75 mgs/day of Lamictal (for epilepsy) for a year and a half, and didn't notice any anxiety side effects till last month, when my unemployment stipend ended. I've dealt with anxiety before, but I've never had symptoms like cold hands and feet and shivering, like I'm having now. My neurologist said the Lamictal could be contributing to these side effects, but since I don't want to be on any medications that would slow down my thinking, I should look into how to cope with the anxiety in other ways besides taking another drug. I'm exercising three times a week, looking into yoga classes, and seeing a cognitive behavior therapist. If the weird physical symptoms don't subside, I'll be looking into other options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncreate Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 When I first began taking lamictal, I was already on klonopin for social and general anxiety. So when I first got on this... it made my anxiety worse and I had to up my dose of klonopin, because I really wanted to see if Lamictal was right for me. So upping the dose for my benzo worked well for me and after awhile the extra anxiety seemed to fade for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwerty Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 I, too, seem to be having some anxiety related to the Lamictal. I think I had a some anxiety problems before while I was on Cymbalta (at least I was getting really sweaty palms which tends to be a sign of anxiety), but it seems to be worse now--at least it's at a level I can recognize it. I'm currently on 50mg working my way up. It seems to be helping to control my racing thoughts and is helping me to sit still for longer and increasing my attention span, but this anxiety is killing me. It seems to get worse day by day. I have an appointment with my pdoc on Tuesday. I guess I'll talk to her about it then and see what she says. If anyone here has learned anything or changed anything, let me know; it'd be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippy Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 It was quite stimulating for me and triggered rapid cycling. Others find it to be a miracle drug. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Karen Barnes Posted April 14, 2008 Share Posted April 14, 2008 I, too, seem to be having some anxiety related to the Lamictal. I think I had a some anxiety problems before while I was on Cymbalta (at least I was getting really sweaty palms which tends to be a sign of anxiety), but it seems to be worse now--at least it's at a level I can recognize it. I'm currently on 50mg working my way up. It seems to be helping to control my racing thoughts and is helping me to sit still for longer and increasing my attention span, but this anxiety is killing me. It seems to get worse day by day. I have an appointment with my pdoc on Tuesday. I guess I'll talk to her about it then and see what she says. If anyone here has learned anything or changed anything, let me know; it'd be appreciated. The same thing is happening to me with the Lamictal. I'm working my dosage up slowly, only at 25mg for last week, started at 12.5mg for 1 wk, but the anxiety is getting worse every day. Even the ativan doesn't seem to help the anxiety. Don't know if I should keep taking it or not. Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Überpolarbear Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 afaik and also from personal experience, lamictal works a bit different at different doses. lower doses cause nasty stuff namely mania (which can sometimes feel like anxiety), cycling, being edgy, being obnoxious *lol* etc.) but when you hit 200 - 300 mg, it is less activating and more stabilizing it might even make you something between mellow to very tired. i went through hell while i was titrating up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwerty Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 The same thing is happening to me with the Lamictal. I'm working my dosage up slowly, only at 25mg for last week, started at 12.5mg for 1 wk, but the anxiety is getting worse every day. Even the ativan doesn't seem to help the anxiety. Don't know if I should keep taking it or not. Karen Karen- I'm finally better with it. I'm not experiencing the anxiety like I was. Keep at it and let us know how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
right-o Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 I started to have more rapid cycling mixed states after 150mgs of lamictal. Valium stopped working for the anxiety at 250mgs lamictal. The only thing that did work was adding 25 mgs seroquel. I have a good base-line calm now and the valium works again as an as needed when I know I'll be in an anxiety provoking situation. I think adding a lose dose AP to high doses of lamictal can do the trick - IMO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Michelle Posted May 15, 2008 Share Posted May 15, 2008 I am having the worst anxiety of my life. I have been titrating up on Lamictal for 3 weeks now. I am currently taking 150 mgs. Can someone give me hope that this will go away? Sometimes I cant even function at all because of it. Has anyone else experienced this? I feel like I am going crazy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Faustus Posted May 15, 2008 Share Posted May 15, 2008 Its taken me a couple of months to hit 150....I titrated ultra slow and 150 is the balance point at the moment......trying two hundred when I'm not down in the dumps gets me very anxious and speedy. I don't recommend it but I am a big fan of benzos for all those times when ya gotta show up and not be twitchy......so I'm backing down to regular one fifty ....200 for hellish despair days. Hope that helps cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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