Ups and downs...lamotrigine

[enduranceessential]

Hello all...just a quick question on your titration experiences.

I'm on my next to last day at 75 mg, and I am grateful to say the periods of positive mood are lengthening. When the mood drops it is shorter in duration, but more intense and panicky. Was this a sign of impending AD stability for anyone?

I realize I have more titrating to do, but now I am much more excited about it!

Thanks...Peace!

 

[saintalto]

Glad to hear you are doing well, lamotrigine is a great drug. I do not have an answer to your question, unfortunately. I haven't been purely depressed in many years and I can't remember anything from it now.

[jt07]

I don't think you can read the tea leaves at this point and tell what your final reaction will be to lamotrigine until you actually reach your target dose and stay there for a while. At 75 mg, I still had anxiety and mood swings, and it really said nothing about how I would eventually respond.

[dragonfly23]

I had a difficult titration, I don't think things calmed down for me anyway until 150 to 200.  I am currently on 300 and the titration was worth it.  I hope it works well for you

[enduranceessential]

True indeed about continuing on the roller coaster. After the good day described above, yesterday and today (so far) have been very difficult depression wise.

However, now I know I am on the right track. Started on 100 mg today. Progress with patience...

Thanks for the good wishes and support.

[jt07]

Do you know what your target dose is going to be?

[enduranceessential]

Hey there. Pdoc says up to 150 mg and give it some time there.

[jt07]

150 mg is a good dose. You might start to feel something at 100 mg. My advice is that when you feel it working really well ask your doctor if you can STOP titrating. For some people, Lamictal has a sweet spot that if you overshoot it, it's hard to get back. That is what happened to me. I hit a sweet spot, overshot it, and have never been able to get it back again. You can always increase if it stops working. As always, run this by your doctor and don't do anything without his/her advice.

Good luck.

[enduranceessential]

Thank you for the sage advice! My appointment is on 9/18, so I have about 2 more weeks to assess effects. If I start to feel good on 100 mg for several days in succession do you think that's sufficient to stop titration? I can call pdoc then...

[jt07]

I don't know. You will have to see how you feel. If it's working well, you will know it. I felt fantastic at my sweet spot. If you are taking it for depression, it should work somewhere between 100 mg and 150 mg but it might require a little more.

[enduranceessential]

I really appreciate the insights. I think I had a glimpse of that "sweet spot" feeling the other day, but I will be looking for it to be more solid and sustained now. I'm definitely taking it for damn, blasted depression. If 100 mg is not working, I will check with pdoc about going to 125 before jumping to 150. Thanks again...

 

 

 

[crtclms]

100mg worked for me for a while. Then I had to keep moving up, but it was over a couple of years. I am at 400mg now, and pleased with how it is working.

[dragonfly23]

I am moving up from 250 to 300 and am having some of the same mood instability issues.  250 worked fine for a while.  Hoping to hit that sweet spot once again.  Good luck, I hope you find your sweet spot

[enduranceessential]

Thanks! Searching for that sweet spot...I will be vigilant for positive changes. Today sucked, but it was only the first at 100 mg.

[jt07]

Once I got up to around 100 mg, I found it took a week or so for the rockiness to die down to the point where I could judge what the med was actually doing.

[enduranceessential]

That's good to know. Gracias. This morning was brutal...besieged by suicidal thoughts, anxiety, self loathing, etc. I KNOW things will change soon...I am thankful for the time frame information.

[rowan77]

My depression resolved after being on 200mg for a while. However after a few years the depression returned so my pdoc raised the dose to 300mg and I have been mostly fine since

Hope it works out well for you too!

[enduranceessential]

Thanks, Rowan. I'm very glad your depression is resolved now. In some ways I can almost sense that the end of this depressive episode is imminent in my case. I have to persevere until it breaks.

Do you remember how long you were on the 200 mg before the depression resolved? Was coming out of it sudden or gradual, would you say?

I have a good feeling about success with lamotrigine. I have to stay patient, methinks.

[rowan77]

Thanks, Rowan. I'm very glad your depression is resolved now. In some ways I can almost sense that the end of this depressive episode is imminent in my case. I have to persevere until it breaks.

Do you remember how long you were on the 200 mg before the depression resolved? Was coming out of it sudden or gradual, would you say?

I have a good feeling about success with lamotrigine. I have to stay patient, methinks.

From what I remember it was about 2-3 weeks before I felt the full effects on 200mg. This happened gradually. I found myself improving little by little. For example the suicidal thoughts went away, life became more bearable and l didn't feel as miserable and after a while I just realised that I was more hopeful and started enjoying things that I had previously enjoyed and after a while the really bad blackness was gone and I was functioning a lot better and then before I knew it I was feeling content and at peace within myself and the depression was gone.

Yes, do stay patient as I believe that lamotrigine is a great medication for bipolar depression. It's just such a pain that it takes quite a while to get to a therapeutic dose. However, in my opinion it is worth the wait. I thought I would never get to the dose that would be effective for me, but I got there and I am glad

[enduranceessential]

Thank you, Rowan! This is very encouraging and also helps me know what to look for/expect. The ascent out of depression you describe sounds so appealing I can almost taste it! 

I will keep on with the lamotrigine titration and waiting period. Thanks again...

[rowan77]

Thank you, Rowan! This is very encouraging and also helps me know what to look for/expect. The ascent out of depression you describe sounds so appealing I can almost taste it! 

I will keep on with the lamotrigine titration and waiting period. Thanks again...

Keep hanging in there. It is worth it in the end. I really hope you will feel the benefit after you get to a therapeutic dose.

Nothing feels as good as having peace of mind.

Take care!

[Gearhead]

100mg worked for me for a while. Then I had to keep moving up, but it was over a couple of years. I am at 400mg now, and pleased with how it is working.

My experience has been similar. I stayed at 100 mgs for a long time, then it was 150, and now I'm at 200 mgs. I've been on LTG since 2011, and it's been amazing.

[enduranceessential]

Thank you both for the support and first-hand accounts of your experiences with lamotrigine.

It's absolutely sucked thus far on 100 mg. Today is only day 4, however, and I know things can change at any time. It seems like the depression, self loathing, hopelessness, etc. have all gotten much worse since "graduating" to 100 mg. I'm grateful I have the lithium to help with the suicidal thoughts. Towards the end at 75 mg I had a great day, so I know it's possible.

I really feel lamotrigine is for me somehow, I am just not "there" yet.

Peace of mind is the goal, indeed.

Cheers, y'all.