billbarnes Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 My 16 year old has been on Lamictal for 3 weeks. He is getting ready to start the 4th week. So far, no side effects which is great. Pdoc wants to stop at 50MG lamictal which seems really low. Is that a high enough dosage to really work? Anyone have good experience with sustained 50MG? He is also on 15MG of Prozac. Been seeing pdoc for 6 months so he knows him well. Diagnosis isn't 100%, b/c doesn't fit any "box" tightly enough, but suspect BP II with ultradian cycling (up to 6 times / day) with no mania, but heavy depression. Seems like most people are on 100MG+. Maybe it is b/c my son is only 16. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tryp Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 Unfortunately, this is a first person site. It's hard enough to make a recommendation about someone who is here talking to us, never mind someone we've never spoken to. Also, this site is mainly concerned with adults. Medication doses and effects can be very different for younger folks as opposed to adults, so it's hard for us to say what might be an effective dose. I will leave this topic open for the moment, and perhaps someone will be able to help you somewhat, bearing in mind the above. Also moving to Anticonvulsants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AirMarshall Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 50mg can be an effective dose. The doctor may have any of several reasons why he is stopping there for the moment. Reducing risk of adverse reactions like SJS; lower level of side effects which might be discouraging; his age or size. Note that Lamictal is one of those odd drugs where dosage is not linear with blood levels; it varies with each person. Sometimes quite widely. Finding the best dosage takes trial and error. a.m. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneMarie Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 A generality that applies to a lot, but not all, adults - Lamictal tends to be more of an antidepressant at lower doses and more of a stabilizer at higher doses. As AM said, each person responds differently, so for some 50mg might be it and for others it might be 350mg. Your kid is a kid, so what applies of the adult Lamictal world is hard to say and at best is just a guess. And, of course, your descriptions are secondhand so even more limiting in info provided than if your son was speaking for himself. There are sites like Nami and DBSA that provide some info for parents. This site is a firsthand site for adults. I believe that most useful info has been provided so I'm locking the thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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