Lamictal and Cybalta

[wishing1]

Hi,

I just starting taking lamictal in combination with cymbalta.

My doctor seems to think my mood swings are more important than my manic depression.

I have been taking anti depressants for 6 years now.  I want to get off of them.  But have tried several times.  I read your site and have printed it to share parts of it with my doctor.

I have tried numerous anti depressants.

Anyway, I am very afraid of lamictal.  Is it going to hook me like the anti depressants.

I never needed anti depressants until I had my baby.  Post partum depression the doctors called it.  I was already depressed the doctors said and the hormones from having a baby only heightened the depression.

I started the Lamictal because my doctor kept bringing it up and suggesting it. So I started at 25mg a day and then on the 3rd week 50mg.  Now I am about to go to 100mg on week 5.  My God, am I stuck here now.  Haven't had my time of the month yet so don't now the effects of that and Lamictal yet.

Since starting though I have noticed excitability, my legs esp., the right one starts moving up and down while I am sitting here.  My husband says I act like I am on "something".  Like I can't control the leg.  I can make it stop but it starts again when I am concentrating on something else.  Also, my bowels are messed up, first I was constipated and now I can't stop going and there is mucus in my poo.  YUCK (sorry for that, but I am worried.  I had a bad pain yesterday inside on my left side while I was sitting on the toilet. Up high under my ribs.  My left shoulder is killing me.  The pain runs down my arm and into my fingers.  I didn't feel as many side effects when I was only taking 25 mg a day.

What about the mixing of Cymbalta with Lamictal?  Can I stop taking the Cybalta and just take Lamictal?  Can I then taper off of Lamictal and just be the way I was before all this started?  I want to go away to a hospital and just clean out my system and see how I feel.  Unfortunately health insurance won't pay for this.  I think?

I am 44 years old and my daughter is 7 years old.

Thank you for reading this.  I would really like your opinion.

[Fiona]

It's hard to say exactly what things are connected, but we all have things hapen while on or changing a med that don't actually have anything to do with the med as well as side effects. Side effects often decrease over time as you reach and then stay stable at a dose.

I've taken Cymbalta and Lamictal together, though I wasn't on Cymbalta for all that long, and didn't have any particular trouble with the combination.

As for being stuck, you can stop taking medication anytime you want to. You should not just stop on your own as meds don't respond well to that. If you want to see what happens withoud meds just tell your doctor that and s/he'll help you off the meds. S/he probably won't be happy about it, but your doctor cannot make you take anything, if you simply keep refusing and asking to taper off that's what the doctor has to cooperate with. You do have a right to refuse medication. If your doctor won't consider helping you with this under any circumstances, and doesn't have reasons you find compelling enough to agree with, then it's time for a new doctor.

Good luck!

Fiona