Lamictal and BiPolar I

[Guest Raquel]

Hello! I have been using Lamictal to treat my BiPolar I disorder...This is the first time I have actually accepted my illness and tried to do something about it. Last month I had a lamictal starter pack which in 5 weeks increase my dosage from 25mg to 100mg. Then for two weeks I was on 150mg daily. Now I am taking 200mg daily and am having some side effects...

Nausea (which also means a decreased appetite- not good because I am naturally small weighing only 100lbs), inability to sleep, fear of sleeping for strange dreams (wake up scared, crying, etc..), increased acne....

Is anyone else having these symptoms or knows anything I can do to help the situation? I currently take 200mg around 5pm everyday..

Originally My mania was still very prominent, doctor gave me zyprexa but i decided to manage it on my own without the medicine (with his approval) This week is the first week since beginning the medicine that I have found myself crying over nothing 2+ times a day (symptoms I had before the medicine)? Do you think this means my moods are not actually being stabilized but just less obvious?

[AirMarshall]

Youre side effects are fairly typical. If you have gotten to this dosage without having these and others, then consider yourself quite fortunate (and unusual). Other common side effects are headaches, muscle ache and soreness, heaviness of limbs, short temper or agitation, difficulty recalling words, and yes messing with all sorts of skin conditions, nausea (and probably some others I forgot). These generally subside with time.

Lamictal is a subtle drug that takes time to reach full effect. Based on my experience I could see noticeable improvements weekly for three months. Further, Lamictal is not the strongest mood stabilizer. Frequently it is used as an adjunct to another medication.

No bipolar medication is going to guarantee we will be free of mood swings or manic/depressive episodes. There will be break throughs. However, the meds keep us more stable, and make the episodes less frequent and of lower intensity.

Good on you for taking the Lamictal. Let your doctor know what is going on. Follow his advice. You may need to take the Zyprexa or something else to help you through rough spots.

best, a.m.

[Guest Raquel]

Youre side effects are fairly typical. If you have gotten to this dosage without having these and others, then consider yourself quite fortunate (and unusual). Other common side effects are headaches, muscle ache and soreness, heaviness of limbs, short temper or agitation, difficulty recalling words, and yes messing with all sorts of skin conditions, nausea (and probably some others I forgot). These generally subside with time.

Lamictal is a subtle drug that takes time to reach full effect. Based on my experience I could see noticeable improvements weekly for three months. Further, Lamictal is not the strongest mood stabilizer. Frequently it is used as an adjunct to another medication.

No bipolar medication is going to guarantee we will be free of mood swings or manic/depressive episodes. There will be break throughs. However, the meds keep us more stable, and make the episodes less frequent and of lower intensity.

Good on you for taking the Lamictal. Let your doctor know what is going on. Follow his advice. You may need to take the Zyprexa or something else to help you through rough spots.

best, a.m.

thanks am....

three weeks ago my doc suggested zyprexa and gave me samples but after looking at the side effects i decided not to...at the time i was in extreme mania and paranoia...i decided not to take it because of the potential side effects (got his okay on this)

so far that has subsided but now some light depression is starting to set in...i guess its time to really start facing my illness completely and not just saying that I can control the anxiety and the stress and make it better. every time i think i have the irritability and the mania under control the tears start to flow.

do you (or anyone else) know how zyprexa helps in combination with the lamictal?

i am a little scared. but i think that this is a normal reaction. its hard facing something like this because when i feel like I'm taking care of it the symptoms disappear and trick me to think its okay, then before I know it I've done something stupid or hurt someone close to me...i hope to be able to stay on my medicine, but i fear if they keep getting layered on top of each other i will loose myself in them or just not want to take them anymore

[AirMarshall]

Zyprexa is one of the newest AP's and mood stabilizers. It is also one of the fastest acting anti-manics. I would urge you to give a try next time your doctor recommends it. How well does it do against depression? don't know but I imagine it would help. Keep in mind that we don't pick and choose meds and times to take treatment with bipolar disorder. It is important to take the meds consistently in order to keep things stable.

a.m.

[Guest Raquel]

Thank you for you're feedback. Sometimes its just nice to know that there are other people out there dealing with similar things that can help alleviate my concerns.

[Glen]

I would have to wonder why a doctor would defer to a patient's opinion when that pateint is acutely manic. Of any time to use Zyprexa it is during "extreme mania and paranoia". That does not mean that you need to use it for prophylaxis.

[GroovyGwen]

i guess its time to really start facing my illness completely and not just saying that I can control the anxiety and the stress and make it better.

That is a very important thing to realize. That you cannot manage your own symptoms and need help in the form of meds and/or therapy.

Zyprexa may help with you putting on weight too. If you're BPI, I agree that the lamictal may not be sufficient. Let your body adjust to the med for at least a few days if not a week or two, then make a decision on how you are liking it.

AM - I like your description that lamictal is a "subtle" drug. It definitely is!

[btru2urself]

i guess its time to really start facing my illness completely and not just saying that I can control the anxiety and the stress and make it better.

That is a very important thing to realize. That you cannot manage your own symptoms and need help in the form of meds and/or therapy.

Zyprexa may help with you putting on weight too. If you're BPI, I agree that the lamictal may not be sufficient. Let your body adjust to the med for at least a few days if not a week or two, then make a decision on how you are liking it.

AM - I like your description that lamictal is a "subtle" drug. It definitely is!

This medication is a God sent drug. My mother has really mania. Since she has taken it, you can see such a difference with her bipolar. As far as lamcital I am on 200 mg, I don't notice a major change, but when I get in my depression, it lasts shorter, which is amazing. Hope this helped you some what.

[AirMarshall]

I would have to wonder why a doctor would defer to a patient's opinion when that pateint is acutely manic. Of any time to use Zyprexa it is during "extreme mania and paranoia". That does not mean that you need to use it for prophylaxis.

You ever tried to reason with a manic bipolar? HMM?

a.m.

[Glen]

I would have to wonder why a doctor would defer to a patient's opinion when that pateint is acutely manic. Of any time to use Zyprexa it is during "extreme mania and paranoia". That does not mean that you need to use it for prophylaxis.

You ever tried to reason with a manic bipolar? HMM?

a.m.

Ha, good point. And to answer, yes.

[crazynotstupid]

Ha, I remember when my doc put me on zyprexa...I didn't say no...he gave me the sample packs, for six weeks (2 weeks hard-up and four weeks taper) and said "next time you get like this just...call me."

See, my lithium kinda wasn't cutting it and I said "gee I can wait a month til my next appointment..."

Yeah. Sure. Whatever...

[netsavy006]

I've had a good experience with Zyprexa. I take it as a mood stabilizer and I have to say, it does help control the mood swings. I was going back and forth to the hospital before the Zyprexa. I've been on it since January 08 and have not gone back into the hospital since. It does help keep me from going to far either way.

[ChemistryExperiment]

I would have to wonder why a doctor would defer to a patient's opinion when that pateint is acutely manic. Of any time to use Zyprexa it is during "extreme mania and paranoia". That does not mean that you need to use it for prophylaxis.

You ever tried to reason with a manic bipolar? HMM?

a.m.

I just faked being stable in the hospital while manic to get out sooner. Yeah, I know, bad decision. But I was actually put in with no reason (as I was not in an episode when put in.) Try reasoning with that.

[Anelize]

Sometimes I feel like the only person on the planet who has zero side effects from my meds, other than the usual carb cravings from the Seroquel I take. I'm very happy with my current cocktail of Lamictal 200 twice a day, Effexor 75 twice a day (immediate release) and 700 of Seroquel. I've had to bump my dosages up on the Seroquel, due to malabsorption from my gastric bypass, but otherwise things seem fairly copacetic. Beats the hell out of this past September, when I wasn't on enough Seroquel, and had a month long manic episode that nearly bankrupted me.

[december_brigette]

hi all:

its a bit off topic, but was posted here and im gonna reply here:

febreze wrote:

I just faked being stable in the hospital while manic to get out sooner. Yeah, I know, bad decision. But I was actually put in with no reason (as I was not in an episode when put in.) Try reasoning with that.

elsewhere you have mentioned how upset you were that your tdoc called 911 on you and you were admitted (or something to that effect).

why are you faking stability? i think stability is the goal of most of the CB members as well as most people with MI. and "faking it" just causes more problems for you, people with MI, and society.

db