icebird200 Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Any success stories here with that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowbutterflies Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 Any success stories here with that? Lamictal alleviates bipolar depression in about two thirds of people with BP disorder; it has been shown to reduce the occurrence of depressive episodes in some people with BP. Some studies indicate that it has anti-mania/anti-hypomania component, however, these don't appear to be as pronounced as its anti-depressant component. It is generally used for BP maintenance to prevent depression rather than mania (however, in some cases it does appear to help with this, also). One of the more common side effects of Lamictal is insomnia (10% of people being treated with BPI experience this side effect). Insomnia usually causes increased restlessness and anxiety during the day and contributes to the development of anxiety disorders. (Note that in epilepsy-sufferers Lamictal may cause anxiety as a side effect - in 5% or more of people). To share my story, which is *not* a Lamictal success story... I started taking Lamictal for BP depression last year, titrating it up to 250mg per day. My anxiety has become more symptomatic since then; I have had severe panic attacks and have developed marked phobias. I also had trouble sleeping. At first the Lamictal appeared to completely lift my depression, however, in retrospect, this also correlated with the beginning of Spring time - obviously a "happy-time" for BP sufferers. Within a few of months I started exhibiting hypomanic behaviour and since then I have been up and down and my depression has returned with a vengence. I would not have chosen to take Lamictal for anxiety without a BP diagnosis, unless my doctor had specifically recommended it. The anxiety I experienced before my BP diagnosis never warrented medical attention in any case. As a treatment for BP symptoms I was happy enough to experiment with it; it is non-addictive and has relatively benign side effects (although as with all anti-convulsants you can't come off it cold-turkey or you have an increased risk of seizures even if you do not suffer from epilepsy). Well those are my two cents, peace Sarah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nalgas Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 I personally have had a marked reduction in anxiety since starting Lamictal, but I seem to be a rarity. Yup. Rarity sounds about right. It does occasionally help with it for some people, but for the most part it's generally not used for anxiety because it generally, well, doesn't work for anxiety. It's waaaaaay down the list, after dozens of other things like benzos and SSRIs and beta-blockers and APs and Buspar and some ACs like Neurontin and Lyrica and pretty much most meds other than stims. There's an off chance it might help, and if you're already considering taking it for some other reason, it probably won't hurt, but I wouldn't get my hopes up about it being an anti-anxiety wonderdrug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icebird200 Posted February 28, 2009 Author Share Posted February 28, 2009 I personally have had a marked reduction in anxiety since starting Lamictal, but I seem to be a rarity. Yup. Rarity sounds about right. It does occasionally help with it for some people, but for the most part it's generally not used for anxiety because it generally, well, doesn't work for anxiety. It's waaaaaay down the list, after dozens of other things like benzos and SSRIs and beta-blockers and APs and Buspar and some ACs like Neurontin and Lyrica and pretty much most meds other than stims. There's an off chance it might help, and if you're already considering taking it for some other reason, it probably won't hurt, but I wouldn't get my hopes up about it being an anti-anxiety wonderdrug. My pdoc said it might be good for my depression and racing thoughts. Mabye anxiety relief would be a nice side effect? Who knows... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nalgas Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 My pdoc said it might be good for my depression and racing thoughts. Mabye anxiety relief would be a nice side effect? It has a much better track record of helping with those two things, especially depression, and sometimes getting one thing under control can help with other things, so it's definitely possible. Even if it doesn't directly fix it, it can be a lot easier to deal with something like anxiety if you're not also having to deal with a bunch of other stuff at the same time (depression, etc.). Worth a shot to see what it does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam_I_Am Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 I started taking Lamictal several mos before I was officially Dx'ed with Bipolar II. (Bipolar had been a hypothesis, but at that point, I was still considered unipolar with anxiety). I hadn't exactly been depressed when I started it, at least not classically depressed, but more of a agitated, anxious state. (Granted I had been taking an SSRI at the time, which could have been helping with the depressed aspect while destabilizing me to these lovely little mixed states.) Well, the few days leading up to be starting it, I had been extremely anxious and panicky, agitated, obsessive, compulsive, hypersensitive to criticism, irritable, and so on. A couple days after starting the Lamictal, those symptoms were virtually gone. So, in my case, Lamictal helped me tremendously with anxiety, but as it later turned out, anxiety is a major aspect of my bipolar hypomanias and mixed states. I've heard of Lamictal being prescribed off-label for "treatment-resistant depression" (which is what we thought I had), PTSD, BPD...perhaps in some cases it can be used for anxiety, especially treatment-resistant anxiety. Or maybe the Dr sees some symptoms in you that could be indicative of bipolar and hypomania, as anxiety can be part of that (or has tried so many other Tx's and is running out of options.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scatty Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 I had the same experience as susanb. Anxiety is very much a part of my bipolar. When my BP was treated, my anxiety lessoned considerably. Lamictal had a lot to do with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icebird200 Posted February 28, 2009 Author Share Posted February 28, 2009 I started taking Lamictal several mos before I was officially Dx'ed with Bipolar II. (Bipolar had been a hypothesis, but at that point, I was still considered unipolar with anxiety). I hadn't exactly been depressed when I started it, at least not classically depressed, but more of a agitated, anxious state. (Granted I had been taking an SSRI at the time, which could have been helping with the depressed aspect while destabilizing me to these lovely little mixed states.) Well, the few days leading up to be starting it, I had been extremely anxious and panicky, agitated, obsessive, compulsive, hypersensitive to criticism, irritable, and so on. A couple days after starting the Lamictal, those symptoms were virtually gone. So, in my case, Lamictal helped me tremendously with anxiety, but as it later turned out, anxiety is a major aspect of my bipolar hypomanias and mixed states. I've heard of Lamictal being prescribed off-label for "treatment-resistant depression" (which is what we thought I had), PTSD, BPD...perhaps in some cases it can be used for anxiety, especially treatment-resistant anxiety. Or maybe the Dr sees some symptoms in you that could be indicative of bipolar and hypomania, as anxiety can be part of that (or has tried so many other Tx's and is running out of options.) Glad you had success with this, good for you! Some of your symptomology sounds like me for sure (that AGITATED anxious feeling). My new pdoc doesnt think i'm bipolar though. Most of the meds in my signature were prescribed by bad psychiatrists. I never really got good psychiatric treatment until I was diagnosed Asperger's by a therapist then sent to this new psychiatrist, who with the proper diagnosis has pulled me out of the abyss. The doctors are actually starting to LISTEN! ...heh... I think I will give the lamictal a shot. Couldnt hurt. -peace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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