Lamictal + Lexapro?

[Hotmess]

I am currently on 25mgs of Lamictal and have been for 2 weeks after being off meds for 3 months and totally losing it.

I was supposed to titrate up to 50mgs today but instead the doctor has now recommended adding in Zoloft or Lexapro since I'm feeling really depressed.

In the past I was on a combo of Welburtin and Lexapro and that worked really well for me.

Anyone ever tried a combo of Lamictal and Lexapro?

What about adding Welbutrin to Lamictal?

What about Zoloft and Lamictal?

I'm really confused about which choice to make and what is going to be best for me and make me feel better sooner.

Thoughts? Thanks...

[rowen]

I agree with di.

I'd wait to start another drug until you've reached at least 100 mg (ideally 200 mg) of Lamictal.

[Hotmess]

That's what I thought... that 25mg was not gonna cut it. Here's the deal...

I went to see a pdoc here (new b/c I just moved) and he recommened Lamictal and suggested titrating up to 25mgs. I was hesitant only b/c It was a new drug and new side effects and took Lexapro and Welbutrin for years and did well with that so I was afraid of something new.

So I went for a "second opinion" just to see what someone else had to say and she also recommened that I try out the lamictal but then when she checked in on me Friday she asked how I was feeling after two weeks and I said I still feel awful so she said... OK I'm going to recommend you not increase the lamictal at this time and instead just add in the antidepressant claiming that she has patients who do well on that low dose of just 25mgs. I think she's also being conservative knowing that my sitiation is that I want to be on the least amount of meds possible as I'm hoping to get pregnant in the next few months (That was the reason Iw ent off meds back in May - to reduce pregnancy risks)

Anyway, I am trying to go back to see doc #1 to discuss with him but I"m pretty certain he'll push for me to titrate up..;. and today was the day I was supposed to move up to 50mgs. It's hard now having two conflicting opinions, neither of which I'm sure are really right anyway.

Keep in mind at the moment I really want to target depression not necessarily mood swings. ANd I"M not even sure I'm actually Bipolar thought I probably have those tendencies.

WHAT TO DO?

[Hotmess]

Thank you Dianthus. I appreciate you "talking" to me right now b/c I need to talk about this and try and work through it and though you're not my doc and know little about my situation, any light that c an be shed gives me hope and helps me.

I agree with you that I should not get pregnant right now... not until I feel stable again. My hope is maybe by Oct/ November to start trying. Had I never gone of meds, I'd likely be trying or even pregnant by now but I need to stop focusing on that b/c I'm not.

What sucks the most is that I was 100% stable (and for YEARS I might ad) and then the doc actually said, ok you want to go off meds, go off. (but not without suggesting I try lamictal... huh?) But if he would have really thought about it and listend and considered my situation he'd probably have looked at me and said, "You know, given what yo'ure taking now, your risks are VERY low" b/c I was only on 150mgs of Wellburin and 5mgs of Lexapro at that point and doing FINE! Given that WB is generally considered safe in pregnancy, the only risk I had was the 5mgs of Lexapro which, I now realize is SOOO little compared to what I'll probably end up on during my pregnancy NOW... so I could throw up/ cry/ Scream thinking about how It would have probably been FINE and now I'm feeling like hell with no idea what to do with my sitation and def not able to get pregnant now.

So that's been eating away at me. Of course no one could know how bad I would do off the meds but still... it sucks b/c I was doing WELL and now I'm a "hot mess"

I tend to agree with you about doc #2's contention that I could get by with just 25mgs of Lamictal considering how low I am right now. But on the flip, I really liked Doc #2 so much better than Doc #1 b/c she was much more understanding and showed an interest in trying help me work thorugh this situation where as the first guy was all business... HERE's a script, go on your way and figure it out. KWIM?

Also in the defense of Doc #2, I think the reason she is going this route (though it may not be the smarteset one) is that she knows that I want to get pregnant and is trying to minimize the amount of meds I'm on overall so that when the time comes I'm not forced to drop my dosages super low and possibly fall into another episode of depression. I thinks he also looked at the fact that I was stable on just 5mgs of Lexapr and probably thinks, oh this girl doesn't need that much medication or something like that, and so she figures it's better to start slow in hopes I can stablize at low doses which will be safer in my future pregnancy? Make sense?

That said, I am not trying to be miserable right now and agree that #1 goal really should be GET BETTER and so 25mgs of Lamictal probably won't cut it.

Today I went ahead and took 10mgs of lexapro and 75mgs of Welburtin in addition to the lamictal b/c I"m not sure what to do.

Since Doc #2 is on vacation this week, looks like I"ll be going to see doc one who wanted me to titrate up to 50 mgs this week. (actually by his score I should have done that by last week b/c I waited a week before getting up the nerve to even try the lamictal)

I"m so damn confused and I don't know what to do w/ the docs situation so I'm just a mess. Sorry for being such a case but that's exactly where my head is right now, ALL OVER THE PLACE>

[Hotmess]

I wanted to add that my husband keeps encouraging me to just go back to Lexapro and Welbutrin which I know worked well for me and was FINE! I suggested this to both docs and both said no, try Lamictal. Does that make ANY sense at all? I don't think it does, so that has me that much more confused. Thoughts on that?

[crtclms]

Of course, this is a YMMV statement, but my husband is on both Lamictal and Lexapro (and Tri-leptal and Vimpat and ativan....). So it is possible to take both at the same time if you can tolerate it.