Lamictal

[KEM2X11]

Hi I'm just starting Lamictal, I'm only at 25 mg right now, but will be titrating up slowly as directed. What have been everyone's experiences who have been/are on it? Appetite loss/gain? Did it help at all to stabilize moods? When did you start feeling any sort of effect?

I'm being taken off my wellbutrin because its just no longer effective. I am hoping my new Lamictal/abilify combo will help.

[rowan77]

Lamictal helped with my depression but not at preventing mania. I didn't have any side effects on it at all actually and it was weight neutral and didn't affect my appetite at all. I started feeling the effects at 100-150mg but did not feel the full effects until I reached 250mg which was the dose I stayed at.

Good luck with it....hope it helps!!

[melissaw72]

I'm on lamictal also, 600 mg/day, and don't have any problems with it. Appetite is regular (didn't gain weight).

[Closure]

Lamotrigine (Lamictal) gave me one of the worst, if not the worst, mixed episodes I have ever had while I was titrating up on it (as monotherapy), so I had to drop it then without giving it the chance to work. Note that this is by no means a typical response to lamotrigine, and this should not dissuade you from taking it. (I had always heard that lamotrigine worked well for bipolar depression, and as at the time that was the main thing I was getting at the time, I had ended up trying it.)

[The Emperor]

I'm on Lamictal and Abilify as well, and this has been the most stable I have ever been in my life! Though, when I tried to come off the Abilify, I went manic, so I don't know how good Lamictal is for controlling that type of thing for me, but then again, I'm only on 150mg and there's plenty of room to move up. It's helped majorly with my depression definitely. But so has the Abilify. I love this combo. It's the right one for me, I hope it is for you too!

I didn't notice any appetite changes with the Lamictal, just the Abilify.

I found that the Lamictal made me tired at first, and at every dose increase, I would feel GREAT for a couple of days and then go back down to a more "regular" mood for me. Once I reached 150mg, I was and have been pretty stable.

So yeah, it's been an awesome combination for me. I freaking love it.

I hope it works well for you too!

[tryp]

I had a kind of rocky titration - my mood was all over the place until I hit about 75-100 mg. At first, I noticed a lot of daytime sleepiness - like, suddenly, I would feel dizzy and light headed and limp and I had to sit down like RIGHT THEN and fall asleep. It passed over, though I still have some daytime sleepiness/nighttime insomnia that I think is connected.

I also have some word finding problems but they have improved with time.

None of the side effects really bother me all that much - no weight gain or loss, no changes in appetite, sleep still mostly okay.

I noticed the first sustained improvement around 100 mg, but I've been relapsing and inching up in dose over the last year or so.

[cfranco92]

Not to scare you or anything, but when I was titrating up to 150mg I had a seizure. It's a weird reaction to have, but it happened.

I really hope that doesn't happen to you. Good luck!

[crtclms]

It's an anti-convulsant, so I guess you could have had a paradoxical reaction. They are not common, but they happen. I have paradoxical reactions to at least 3 meds..

[Guest Vapourware]

I've been on lamictal for a few months and I've found that it has helped with my mood. I've found myself more energetic than before I started. Generally you titrate slowly to prevent the risk of SJS, and my titration was fairly slow - 12.5 > 25 > 37.5 > 50. I haven't had any cognitive issues while on lamictal, but then again I'm only on 50mg.

[scatty]

I had irritation and muscle aches when tirating up. I felt effects at 50 mgs, but I was also on depakote at the time. I eventually went up to 300 mgs. No effect on my appetite.

[notfred]

Not to scare you or anything, but when I was titrating up to 150mg I had a seizure.

Well, 150 mgs is not therapeutic for controlling seizures, 300 mgs is the dose for that. I would suspect the Lithium, Navane and Seroquel which all increase your chance of having a seizure.

[crtclms]

Not to scare you or anything, but when I was titrating up to 150mg I had a seizure.

Well, 150 mgs is not therapeutic for controlling seizures, 300 mgs is the dose for that. I would suspect the Lithium, Navane and Seroquel which all increase your chance of having a seizure.

Ok, duh. That totally flew over my head. So I agree with notfred that it is probably not the lamictal.

[soXamor]

Lamictal helped my depressed but didn't help so much with mood stability...I finally got off it because it gave me horrible headaches and made my eyes very very sensitive to light...I couldn't go outside without sunglasses. But everyone is different

[San]

It brought me out of a depression, but I ended up with SJS.

[melissaw72]

It brought me out of a depression, but I ended up with SJS.

WOW. You are the first person I have heard of who actually got SJS. I hope you are getting better from it now.

[MrCrazyPants]

I really like the mood stabilizing effect. I'm on 50mg and have stopped titrating upward because the results are favorable enough. The side effects can be a bit of a bear though they went away for me after a few weeks.

[ahalo]

i take 300 mg of Lamictal and also find that it helps depression but not with hypomania. Around the same time I started taking it, however, I found that my facial skin became extremely oily and I can't seem to find a product to fix that. but it's a minor side effect and I haven't had any other side effects so far. I really like this medication.

[cfranco92]

Not to scare you or anything, but when I was titrating up to 150mg I had a seizure.

Well, 150 mgs is not therapeutic for controlling seizures, 300 mgs is the dose for that. I would suspect the Lithium, Navane and Seroquel which all increase your chance of having a seizure.

Ok, duh. That totally flew over my head. So I agree with notfred that it is probably not the lamictal.

I was only taking the lamictal at the time. This is when I had a Bipolar 1 diagnosis and we were trying out different mood stabilizers.

[ccamel84]

I've never had any side effects from Lamictal except a little bit of itching after two dose increases. I thought I had muscle soreness but I think it was just my fibromylagia. I'm also on Lamictal and Abilify, both I've found to be weight neutral. The only thing with Lamictal though is that at 200mg for about two weeks and I'm still not feeling any relief. I'm wondering at what dose, if it's still not helping, should I give up on it. No one really seems to know that.

I wish you luck with your titration though, I hope it's as easy as mine was but I hope you get much more benefit like so many others do.

[melissaw72]

I've never had any side effects from Lamictal except a little bit of itching after two dose increases. I thought I had muscle soreness but I think it was just my fibromylagia. I'm also on Lamictal and Abilify, both I've found to be weight neutral. The only thing with Lamictal though is that at 200mg for about two weeks and I'm still not feeling any relief. I'm wondering at what dose, if it's still not helping, should I give up on it. No one really seems to know that.

I wish you luck with your titration though, I hope it's as easy as mine was but I hope you get much more benefit like so many others do.

I am on 600 mg lamictal, before it started really working well with the other meds. If you do increase it, just be careful of the itching -- look for a rash; if you have one call pdoc right away because it could be SJS, a side effects of lamictal.

[sircuit]

Lamictal (at 400 mg) helps me stay stable. Of course "stable" is a relative term.

[saoirse]

Lamictal worked well for me, for almost two years, before I slipped into severe depression. It wasn't the best at preventing mania or hypo mania, though. I had at least one hypo manic episode and a full blown manic episode while on it.

[Blue Diamond]

My pdoc wants to increase my Lamictal tomorrow and I'm at 200 mg already.

I inadvertently missed most of the month with it and destabilized. I dint want to increase it but My question is that I have heard from this topic it will make you tired, but how long will that last. Also, what is the max of Lamictal you've heard of? I've been on 200 for at least 4 years and forgot what it's like to titraite up.

[melissaw72]

My pdoc wants to increase my Lamictal tomorrow and I'm at 200 mg already.

I inadvertently missed most of the month with it and destabilized. I dint want to increase it but My question is that I have heard from this topic it will make you tired, but how long will that last. Also, what is the max of Lamictal you've heard of? I've been on 200 for at least 4 years and forgot what it's like to titraite up.

My pdoc has me on 600 mg/day, and wont go up any higher.

[crtclms]

My husband is on 600mg for seizures, and Melissaw, you may be right about that being considered the highest safe dose. Notfred is usually a good source for details like that.

Technically, the therapeutic range for bipolar is 150mg-400mg. But a lot of people respond at less than a 150mg, and as we just said, it *can* go higher. But Melissaw is actually the first person I have heard being on that high a dose for bipolar.

[Skylark]

Hello! This is my first post ever! After reading all these posts, I would like to join in and share my story! To make my long history as short as possible, here it is in a nutshell... I was diagnosed with bp about 8 yrs ago. It had gone untreated for so long, I was hallucinating what I call " the black people" and bugs darting across the floor. I would get so hyper I didn't know what to do with myself. I had a few run ins with the law because I felt invinsable and did really stupid stuff. Then I would completely crash and literally cry for days. Call in sick to work a lot. Then when that episode passed, I would get super hyper again and get in more trouble... The evil cycle.

I have been on a cocktail of medications for 8 years now. Lamictal 200mg/day, trileptal cutting back to 1200/day, zoloft 50mg/day, now 2mg/day of abilify. I have also just started taking Deplin, a prescription strength Folic acid vitamin-which has helped tremendously with my fatigue and cranky spells. I would recommend this to everyone! Told you I was on a cocktail! I have been married to the most understanding and patient man I have ever met and have a 4yr old. I still have my moments, but they are just moments, not cycles. I am not impulsive anymore and no more troubles with the law.

I am well versed with this horrible illness, so if anyone needs any guidance, I would love to give it! I am by no means a health care professional, but can give my support and knowledge! Please let me know if I can help! There's my story. It's been a rough one

[koa]

Glad to have found this thread. I am thinking of going on Lamictal. It doesn't sound like most people have serious side effects, but then there are a few outliers who seem to... hmm.

[akabird]

I'm titrating Lamictal right now. I was on it for several years before having babies- 5 year break and here I go. I'm at 50 of Lamictal XR now. The regular generic gave me awful insomnia and a crazy clenched jaw -- this time. The first time I went on it some things were different; I switched from neurontin, which likely masked titration side effects. There was no generic so I was on name brand regular (XR also didn't exist).

My first time around, I got to a dose in a few hundred mg- I don't remember- and it made me stupid- poor working memory/recall/spacey/etc. I have ADHD so it was like my ADHD was much worse. Instead of midcycle insomnia, I had midcycle RAGING INSOMNIA.

This time, if I have that occassional insomnia I'll make them rx something for it, I think. So far- since the switch to the XR, I was on 25 of that for a week or 2, been on 50 mg for 10 days. I've had itching all over the last day or two. I currently have a sore throat which may be unrelated. I'm trending towards too activated at night, taking some melatonin and/or benadryl to deal, oh and if I wake up too early I can't go back to sleep. It isn't helping mood stability yet- but my hormones are SCREWED right now (which is most of what I take it for- stabilization of my reactions to hormone flucturation) so I can't tell what's what. Today I felt way more hypervigilant and hyperreactive than usual, emotionally, so I hope that goes away. I'm planning to go up to 75 sometime soon, because I haven't had a mood benefit yet-- so I'd like to try to get to 100mg and see how it is.

I also had a couple of episodes of myoclonus when I first started the regular- not the xr- which I used to have in the evenings when tired, but havne' had in years. I don't think my neuro even ever recognized it as myoclonus, we just tracked the weird whatever thing that happened sometimes.

In the past I found I had to balance the lamictal w/ my adhd meds (in the past- adderall) to be alert enough on the lamictal. but I was taking it anyways, so this seemed to be ok.

I hope it helps my mood stability. soon. I'm under ridiculous stress w/ kid related stuff AND past trauma triggers that are related to what would be an enormous pile of stress for anyone w/out the trauma. People say it can be so helpful when you get through the titration that it is worht the effort and side effects.

Oh, and I've been nauseated and no appetite lately- but I was having that before starting the lamictal so no idea. Think that might be from a cyst.... hows that for confusing?

[alllowercase]

I'm also titrating up on Lamictal as an add on for my Cymbalta... accidentally got my schedule wrong so I've been on 75mg for the last week when I was only meant to start that today (oops!) my doctor wanted to put me on Lithium instead but given that my primary health issue at the moment is a Thyroid problem wasn't able to due to known SE's of Lithium (and I was so looking forward to being a Nirvana song...)

Anyways... my experience so far hasn't been positive. I've developed a fairly bad recurrence of light sensitive migraines, particularly under fluoros. But given that I'm still titrating up and that's my only significant side effect my pdoc doesn't want to reconsider til i hit 100 mg at the end of the month. Looking through the forums I can see that most people that seem to be taking it as a mood stabiliser seem to be bipolar? Given I have MDD it will be interesting to see how I go. My mood has also been EXTREMELY low... but whether it's from the treatment or the disease is anyone's guess.

I certainly hope it will end up being my wonder drug... it's not covered by my government scheme for depression so its costing me a fair bit though.

[akabird]

I don't have bipolar- don't have MDD either-- have PMDD, ADHD, PTSD. I do know a lot of people who take it for bipolar 2, but I know it is used quite effectively by some as an atypical antidepressant when other meds have failed. It is available as generic in the US -- is that an option for cost (I know I switched back to name brand due to SEs but many people are find on generic)>

[alllowercase]

I'm on the alphapharm generic... but even with that it's going to be about $36 for what will probably be a 2 - 3 week supply. It'll end up pretty steep but my pdoc said it was the only option that won't mess with my Thyroid... so I'll consider it worth it.

What SE's did you have on the generic?

[Catnapper]

I don't remember when it started to take effect, but I've been on 200 mg for over three years and it's been a great drug for me. I was on Wellbutrin for about 10 years before that, augmented with various other ADs during that period depending on how sick I was, and am still on Wellbutrin. The combo has been very effective for me.

While titrating up I got headaches at every dose increase. They lasted for a few days every time, but I could control them with Advil and Tylenol, so it was worth it. My pdoc originally prescribed it for a.m. dosing, but it made me sleepy, so now I take it at bedtime. The pdoc said about 20% of his patients find it sedating.

alluppercase, you mentioned you're taking it for MDD. My original dx was MDD, recurrent, and at my initial evaluation with my current pdoc (I moved so found a new doc), he said that there's clearly some sort of cycle going on, so wanted to try me on a mood stabilizer. He suspected that instead of MDD I actually have BP II. Lamictal has been a wonder drug, and I don't really care what they call it, as long as my symptoms stay under control.

[alllowercase]

That's really interesting actually catnapper... I do certainly go from being the most positive person everyone knows to the most depressed so maybe it's for that reason that my pdoc is trying a mood stabiliser as opposed to something like Abilify. I was first diagnosed with MDD in 2004 so I've also been wondering if it would be more accurate to call it Dysthymia with MDD episodes??? But oh well, the label matters less than fixing the problem... My pdoc says she is hesitant to revise any diagnosis at the moment though cos she thinks most of my mental health issues for the last 9 months have been caused by a recently diagnosed underactive thyroid.

I'm PM dosing as well which I also do with my Cymbalta. I haven't noticed a sedative effect though (would love if there was!) and I'm managing the headaches with codeine based painkillers.

Overall the experiences I've read in this thread have made me very hopeful! I've never been hugely receptive to meds but I have my fingers crossed for this one.. I just wish it didn't taste of blackcurrant!

[akabird]

SE's on generic- more insomnia than now. clenched jaw.

[crtclms]

akabird, how badly clenched? Do you have bruxism (grinding your teeth)?

Bruxism is actually a pretty bad side-effect, I was taken off a med where that was my only side-effect. If it is just a clenched jaw, I know that would give me headaches, but I don't know if that is considered serious or not. But especially if the jaw clenching only happens with a generic, you should let your pdoc know. Of course, you should let your pdoc know anyway.

If you aren't sure, ask people who know you to let you know if they hear you grinding at any point (it is audible, my husband does it during seizures). If you have a partner, ask him or her to be aware of it while you sleep, s/he may wake up and hear it.

[akabird]

My neuro took me off the generic because of those SE's- I'm on Lamictal XR right now. clenching was bad- I ran to the drugstore one night for a bite guard so I would be able to sleep without worrying about breaking my teeth- but my gag reflex won that battle. I think I took a xanax I had or something, and anyway I haven't had that on the XR.

I've had headaches off an on lately but that was already true.

I have some of the insomnia on the XR - I hope it passes ! don't know if I want to up to 75mg now or wait and see what happens w/ the insomnia- I know it can go either way, ie get better as you go up...or...not.

[akabird]

Well, I'm not quite sure what to do right now-

I'm at only 50mg of Lamictal XR. I've had some crazy insomnia but it's seeming like it used to be: hormonally driven/dependant but worse than w/out the lamictal. BUT I'm going in for a gyn consult tomorrow about an ovarian cyst (not too big, but possibly causing all kinds of craziness).

neuro left it that I should call him to see how it's going/further titration.

I've also been stupidly anxious off and on, again might be titration-related.

So don't know when I want ot call the neuro- want to get up to higher dose/ through titration/ but I don't want to mess w/ myself more... arg.

[Teacup]

Lamictal is my miracle drug. It is the only med that brought me out of deep depression. It worked immediately for me and it was like a light switched back on. It almost made me feel some type of hypo mania at first...I finally felt the energy and willingness to get up out of bed and start talking to ppl...as well as this burning desire to have sex..and lots of it, to dh's surprise! Although this levelled out and returned to normal once the final dose was reached. (to dh's dismay) if I miss a couple doses, i notice i start to feel sluggish and my mood dips down fast enough to scare me back into taking my meds. I take 200mg and must take it as soon as I wake up, otherwise I can't sleep at night, plus after I take it, it feels like a energy pill for the day, so it works well for me to take in the am.

However, Lamictal hasn't helped my anxiety issues one iota, so I am still hoping to find an anxiety med. Pdoc recently gave me luvox so we'll see if it helps.

[Teacup]

I also wanted to say that I have tried different meds which zapped my sexual function and I have had to switch on account, but lamictal was not one of them. Hope this helps somebody.

I am bp (depessive type II), and bpd. I also have a history of panic disorder and anxiety.

[Raux]

I'm on Lamictal for the second time. The first time I was on 150mg in combination of 400mg of Zoloft. It worked really well the first time but I eventualy stopped taking all of my meds due to some nausea (not sure which med it was, could have been my BC or Zoloft) and no longer being in therapy. I recently started taking it again and am currently on 200mg. I don't have any side effects but I feel like I've been moodier than before I started taking it. My pdoc wants to try going up to minimum of 250mg before adding an SSRI this time. I was a teenager the first time so it's possible my brain chemistry changed and is no longer effective for me.

[melissaw72]

I recently started taking it again and am currently on 200mg. I don't have any side effects but I feel like I've been moodier than before I started taking it.

Give it time to adjust. You might feel different/better the longer it is in your system.

[Raux]

I recently started taking it again and am currently on 200mg. I don't have any side effects but I feel like I've been moodier than before I started taking it.

Give it time to adjust. You might feel different/better the longer it is in your system.

Thanks. I'm going to go with whatever my pdoc suggests, just offering my experiences with it.

[Teacup]

Prozac worked exceptionally well for me when I was 19. I stopped taking it long before my kids were born, and after my 2nd child was born, came down w the nastiest bout of depression, went to pdoc for some Prozac and took it for 2 months and it didn't do anything at all for me anymore. Imagine my dissapointment. It took over a year to find the right med (lamictal) for my depression.