SunshineOutside Posted October 27, 2007 Share Posted October 27, 2007 After being in severe depression for at least three years, Lamictal has enabled me to experience life OUTSIDE of depression this past month! My problem is that I go up on the Lamictal and I experience a few days to a week out of depression and then I quickly slip back into depression. Then, I go up more and again I come out of depression for a few days or a week and then I quickly slip back into depression. I go up on the Lamictal and so on and so on..... I am now at 300. I take 600 of Trileptal and Trileptal reduces the effect of Lamictal about 40%. I don't know if 600 of Trileptal as opposed to a full dose makes a difference in the percent, but I'm guessing that I have about 180 of Lamictal in my system but I don't know exactly how that works. I have tritated very slowly. My Pdoc is not opposed to going up more. Lamictal is the ONLY drug that has brought out of depression in these last few years! Obviously I want/need it to work! These ups and downs scare me to death because I feel the Lamictal is not working as it should. My Pdoc does not know why this is happening. Does anyone?? It is so weird that I can come out of depression so quickly and go back down just as quickly. At first glance, it seems that I just need a higher dose of the Lamictal or maybe, stop the Trileptal, but that just seems too easy. No other medication that has brought me out of depression worked like this. I just came out and stayed out, none of this up and down stuff. I just don't know what is happening. This isn't rapid cycling is it? I have not been hypomanic, I dont think. This last time I slipped down, I thought to myself "God, I just can't do this again! On a good note, I am so thankful for the good days! Just to sit outside and SEE the colors of the trees and notice how pretty they are. And to hear the sound of the wind and notice the sounds of the wind chimes nearby. And other stuff, I know you know. Comments are appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papertrees Posted October 27, 2007 Share Posted October 27, 2007 The exact same thing, sans trileptal, is happening to me too. I'm okay for a few days then I slip into depression even after a dose increase. It's weird. I don't know why it does it either. Mayble lamictal just isn't for me, or I'm at too low a dose (200mg). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cetkat Posted October 27, 2007 Share Posted October 27, 2007 From what I've heard, it's because Lamictal's activating effect (and what is probably helping you) can just be a start-up side-effect and not something that sticks with the med. I'm actually hoping it goes away for me.. but you two obviously need it. Did it always disappear before you reached the next dose? I remember reading that it may only stop once you reach 150mg.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OreoKitty Posted October 27, 2007 Share Posted October 27, 2007 I originally was on 200mg years ago. Then I went to a partial hospital program where the doctor said Lamictal could go higher. He put me on 500mg. My doctor upped it up to 600mg a little after that. Seems to have helped at the time. It was decreased to 400mg over a year ago when things were going good. It was upped back to 600mg in the summer and I definitely felt an improvement--still wasn't cured but better. So the whole point of this is that sometimes it takes a higher dose for people but some doctors won't go above the 200mg 'therapeutic' dose. I don't know who it is, but there is someone on CB who says that women need higher doses of lamictal than men. Just sharing my experience in a long winded way. Oreo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zenbean Posted October 28, 2007 Share Posted October 28, 2007 Hi Sunshine, I don't have anything to add to the above, except that my experience has been that I didn't have any significant antidepressant effect until I got to 150, several months ago, and it's been steady since then. I seem to be ridiculously hypersensitive to the effects of most drugs, so I can't imagine this will have much bearing on your experience. Just wanted to let you know, though, that I'm sorry you're going through this. I can sense from your post how incredibly frustrating it must be. And like all of us, I know the bittersweet combination of really appreciating the good days and how sad it makes you that there aren't more of them. I'm sending my good thoughts - hang in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mel1 Posted October 28, 2007 Share Posted October 28, 2007 Hi Sunshine! I take 300 mg. of Lamictal too and I, too, experience the ups and downs of what you are experiencing. Sometimes, especially lately, I am wondering if it is really working. Sucks, huh? I've been on the same dose for about 3 yrs. Pdocs seem to think that is a high dose for someone who doesn't have epilepsy. You have me wondering if going up a little higher might be helpful. My life just sucks. I want to go off all my meds. sometimes because they are either not doing their job or making things worse. Will we ever be able to just be happy all the time. lol. Sorry for going on about myself. Just wanted to let you know I understand and in the same place. love, mel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sun_zoom_spark Posted October 28, 2007 Share Posted October 28, 2007 #1-why are you taking Trileptal?? It's a fair drug to augment for mania but not depression. In fact it can cause depression. Or are you taking it for epilepsy?? I took it for several months w/ Li for a mixed state and it cured it but I kept going downhill. Dropped it and came out all rosey. SZS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silver Posted October 28, 2007 Share Posted October 28, 2007 There is a little bit of autoinduction with Lamictal. Not a lot, but a little. However, it shouldn't be a problem after each and every dose increase once you're at a reasonable dose. Although there isn't an official therapeutic range for Lamictal, there are some general recommendations for an upper bound, and you and your pdoc could dicuss that. Might be worth checking a SL to see where you're at, and to see how much more room you have to go up. Also, if you get to a good dose, and you are looking at adding something that interacts, you have a ballpark area to shoot for in terms of SL when you're readjusting the dose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunshineOutside Posted October 30, 2007 Author Share Posted October 30, 2007 I have not abandoned this thread. I appreciate all of the responses. Thank you. I have been trying to learn the quote tool but have not yet mastered it. I want to respond to several posts but I'm headed to the doctor so it will have to be later on today. Sincerely, SO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tek Posted October 30, 2007 Share Posted October 30, 2007 Interesting thread. As I've said in a few other posts, I had a wonderful 1.5 week stint when I first began titrating up on Lamictal. Then it disappeared. My pdoc theorized that it was some kind of activation from the Lamictal. Unfortunately, that effect never happened again when I upped the dosages throughout the titration period. I've been at 150mg for almost 3 weeks. Now pdoc and I theorize there was some leftovers from weaning off of Effexor (it was the same week I started Lamictal) and we hope that the recently added Wellbutrin will reproduce some of the "normalcy and wellness" I experienced during that magical 1.5 weeks. I truly hope that's the case and not just some Lamictal activation! But, heck...this brings up a good question... If Lamictal is known for this activating effect that is EXACTLY what some of us need to get out of our depressive states, why don't they formulate something that can keep that going? What the hell is it, and why does it poop out? I want answers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faroutwest Posted October 30, 2007 Share Posted October 30, 2007 After being in severe depression for at least three years, Lamictal has enabled me to experience life OUTSIDE of depression this past month! My problem is that I go up on the Lamictal and I experience a few days to a week out of depression and then I quickly slip back into depression. Then, I go up more and again I come out of depression for a few days or a week and then I quickly slip back into depression. I go up on the Lamictal and so on and so on..... I am now at 300. I take 600 of Trileptal and Trileptal reduces the effect of Lamictal about 40%. I don't know if 600 of Trileptal as opposed to a full dose makes a difference in the percent, but I'm guessing that I have about 180 of Lamictal in my system but I don't know exactly how that works. I have tritated very slowly. My Pdoc is not opposed to going up more. Lamictal is the ONLY drug that has brought out of depression in these last few years! Obviously I want/need it to work! These ups and downs scare me to death because I feel the Lamictal is not working as it should. My Pdoc does not know why this is happening. Does anyone?? Sometimes I think the pdocs make us the craziest! Mine didn't know this about Lamictal either, but especially ( practically guaranteed) when increasing the dosage, Lamictal makes mood swings worse and can even cause uincontrollable rage. I was in a crisis unit twice when I was being titrated up on Lamictal. Every time my dose increased my personality totally changed from better than ever on Lamictal, Yay! To..I wanna kill everyone! Then I would adjust to the dosage increase while under watch ( duh!) and then got better after each increase following the initial titration horror! My pdoc was mystified too, but I've researched this and found it to be the norm practically in various levels of seriousness for different people, but still oh so common. What's up with these docs anyway? Why do we always seem to educate them on these new drugs??? Upshot......for me Lamictal=new life again in the long run. It is so weird that I can come out of depression so quickly and go back down just as quickly. At first glance, it seems that I just need a higher dose of the Lamictal or maybe, stop the Trileptal, but that just seems too easy. No other medication that has brought me out of depression worked like this. I just came out and stayed out, none of this up and down stuff. I just don't know what is happening. This isn't rapid cycling is it? I have not been hypomanic, I dont think. This last time I slipped down, I thought to myself "God, I just can't do this again! On a good note, I am so thankful for the good days! Just to sit outside and SEE the colors of the trees and notice how pretty they are. And to hear the sound of the wind and notice the sounds of the wind chimes nearby. And other stuff, I know you know. Comments are appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faroutwest Posted October 30, 2007 Share Posted October 30, 2007 I have no idea why my response became a part of your post?(HUH?) mine started as follows after yours..... Sometimes I think the pdocs make us the craziest! Mine didn't know this about Lamictal either, but especially ( practically guaranteed) when increasing the dosage, Lamictal makes mood swings worse and can even cause uincontrollable rage. I was in a crisis unit twice when I was being titrated up on Lamictal. Every time my dose increased my personality totally changed from better than ever on Lamictal, Yay! To..I wanna kill everyone! Then I would adjust to the dosage increase while under watch ( duh!) and then got better after each increase following the initial titration horror! My pdoc was mystified too, but I've researched this and found it to be the norm practically in various levels of seriousness for different people, but still oh so common. What's up with these docs anyway? Why do we always seem to educate them on these new drugs??? Upshot......for me Lamictal=new life again in the long run. It is so weird that I can come out of depression so quickly and go back down just as quickly. At first glance, it seems that I just need a higher dose of the Lamictal or maybe, stop the Trileptal, but that just seems too easy. No other medication that has brought me out of depression worked like this. I just came out and stayed out, none of this up and down stuff. I just don't know what is happening. This isn't rapid cycling is it? I have not been hypomanic, I dont think. This last time I slipped down, I thought to myself "God, I just can't do this again! On a good note, I am so thankful for the good days! Just to sit outside and SEE the colors of the trees and notice how pretty they are. And to hear the sound of the wind and notice the sounds of the wind chimes nearby. And other stuff, I know you know. Comments are appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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