leapy0yo Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 Is lamictal a strong bipolar 1 medication? Some doctors do not think it is strong for mania, right? I would like to take just lamictal because I am intolerant of other medications for different reasons. So, is it a strong medication? Why or why not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Vapourware Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 I don't know what you mean by 'strong'. Generally speaking, lamictal is good for depression but can be activating for some people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bpladybug Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 Lamictal is good for depression. It does not manage mania as well as lovely Lithium and Depakote. Some people take both Lamictal and Lithium. In regard to your other post about Lithium, it is sometimes a mystery why people metabolize it different in different years of their life. The key is your blood level test and of course, how you feel. My first miracle symptoms were that my mind became quiet. No more racing thoughts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leapy0yo Posted March 7, 2012 Author Share Posted March 7, 2012 I wish lithium would not attack my Tyroid the way it does. However, Lamictal is FDA approved for Bipolar I not just Bipolar II... however, no one seems to be on that side of the consensus here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy10 Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 Lamictal killed my depression when I first took it : more than other drugs! I have to admit it did make me rather hypomanic, but it made me get through a Masters and lift the grind of the fog and cloud. Hope it works for you - I'm trying to do it monotherapy myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
confused Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 I take other meds, too, but lamictal works well as my mood stabilizer. I haven't had a manic episode in years. I don't feel it like depakote (the other mood stabilizer I've taken) but it seems to work well. I take other medications, too, but I have other issues (psychosis, anxiety). If you want to try lamictal as monotherapy I would ask your pdoc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crtclms Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 I wish lithium would not attack my Tyroid the way it does. However, Lamictal is FDA approved for Bipolar I not just Bipolar II... however, no one seems to be on that side of the consensus here. Has someone told people with BP I they can't take Lamictal? I think what you are hearing is people saying it isn't very good for mania, which is true. And I have no idea what you mean by "that side of the consensus." Consensus implies there is no longer a decision to be made. There is only one side of a consensus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Überpolarbear Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 for me, Lamictal is a very good antidepressant it kicks depressoins ass in hours. but (for me) it was not just completely useless for mania, it even caused massive mixed hypomania with hellish racing thoughts even though i was on 1500mg valproate and 20mg of zyprexa. i'm sure there are hundreds of people out there like me while their docs think they are just getting manic on their own and give them more lamictal because some FDA idiots say it's approved. in europe, lamictal is absolutely not approved for cycling or mania. it's just approved for bipolar depression. and we europeans are not stupid. We also believe that Lyrica is an anti anxiety medication but that's another story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gearhead Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 I have bipolar l and I take LTG, so the two are not incompatible. In my case I would not use only LTG, as it's better than ANYTHING else I've ever ever tried for my depressions, which are pretty pervasive and long-lived, but since I find it a little activating I wouldn't rely on it to squash manias. I take Seroquel for that, and tamp it down with topiramate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancesintherain Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 lamictal's my wonder drug for bipolar-flavored depression. that said, it's strength isn't in crushing mania. I've been able to keep an aap on the side to knock out that crap, but I do know many do lamictal plus something else (Depakote/lithium). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abitcrazy Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 In my case (BPII), it killed off my hypomania and virtually eliminated my depression. Wonder drug as far as I'm concerned. In fact, it's the only consistent MI med I've been on the past few years and it's done the job. EVERY other med either didn't work (75%) or caused me to be slobbering zombie (25%). As you can tell, I'm a big fan. However, that said, the usual disclaimer is applicable that every drug and person interact differently, so it may be very different for you. More specifically to your question, my understanding is that the full-blown mania is not as well controlled by Lamictal. Our son is BPI (gee, wonder where he got it from ) and we've found that a combo of Abilify and Depakote has worked best at controlling his mania. YMMV. abitcrazy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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