Olympus Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 I was in a psych ward back in 2009 for three months. While I was there I was prescribed risperdal and then seroquel. I was allergic to risperdal. But after I was released I was required to see another pdoc and he prescribed my symbyax. Symbyax has prozac and zyprexa in it. From jan-2010 to now I went from taking the lowest dose of symbyax to taking 60mg of prozac and 50mg of zyprexa every night. Zyprexa has worked very well. I don't feel like a zombie and my mood is pretty stable. The only reason I want to try something else is because Zyprexa makes me want to eat every night. I probably average 1000-1500 calories extra every night within a few hours of taking my zyprexa. I gained 70 pounds over this 5 year period. I am struggling to loose the weight and so I asked my doctor about anticonvulsants. He started talking about lamictal just as I was about to ask about it.Does lamictal make you want to eat food?How does lamictal help with anger/depression mood swings?Is anger and then happiness a couple of hours later considered mania? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt07 Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 Can't answer to what is considered mania, but I can say that Lamictal does help with anger issues in a lot of people. It also is weight neutral for most people. Don't judge Lamictal until you reach your target dose. The titration can be a bit of a rough ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncomfortable thoughts Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 Hello and welcome.Do you know what is your diagnose?I'm asking you that because lamictal can be weight neutral but isn't something that is famous for losing or helping losing weight, it's famous for maintenance treatment of bipolar as a mood stabilizer, mostly effective for not relapsing to a depressive state. It isn't a drug that helps at an acute manic state, but can improve your mood and life quality preventing you from becoming depressive and as far as I know preventing in some cases mania, some doctor don't like using it as a monotherapy like other mood stabilizers but this isn't a rule, so yes, it's supposed to help you with anger/depression but mostly if you are not on acute phase. Those informations are from my own research, I'm on lamotrigine and I'm bipolar and I know how frustrating can be gaining weight from antipsychotics like zyprexa, one of the most famous for increasing apetite.Some people gain weight other lose while on prozac.I guess mood shifting from happiness to anger in a short period of time is defined as a mixed episode.Everybody experience different things while manic so I'll not try to explain to you because I'll say my symptoms while manic.There's a drug called Topiramate, it's used as mood stabilizer and other things as losing weight and I lost weight while on it, is the only mood stabilizer that I know that has this side effect, but it too is barely used as monotherapy.I think you're in a large amount of zyprexa but I'm not your doctor.As far as goes lamotrigine, it is a slow process to hit the target dose, for me it gave me insomnia and headaches, now it's ocasional insomnia and ocasional headaches but I feel more autonomy while on it than on previously mood stabilizers so I'm sticking with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wnek2 Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 For me Lamictal has been a great med. It doesn't give me cravings, and it's done a fabulous job of stabilizing me. Of course stability doesn't happen overnight, but gradually. But definitely Lamictal is my mainstay and it works really well for a lot of people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaw72 Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 Does lamictal make you want to eat food?How does lamictal help with anger/depression mood swings?Is anger and then happiness a couple of hours later considered mania?For me, no, lamictal hasn't made me wat to eat food. I eat food, but this med isn't the one that makes me eat a ton. I've been on lamictal for so long I can't remember, and for years on it (before I tried clozaril) i didn't have any eating issues because of it.Lamictal keeps my mood stable. I still have mood swings at time, but I think that has to do with other things (life, other meds, etc ... anything).I'm not sure about the anger to happiness to be considered mania. For me when I am hypo/manic I dont feel any anger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saintalto Posted September 18, 2015 Share Posted September 18, 2015 Lamictal has been a long time member of my medication list and it never made me gain weight (other meds did that). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gearhead Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 I've been on Lamictal since 2011. It does not make me randomly, spontaneously eat-I know what that feels like. Which type of mood swings are you asking about? Actual mood episodes, or the kind that happen over the course of a day? LTG is a mood stabilizer. It evens out your swings so that you can have a normal six months, year, whatever, but I think if you're having yelling and screaming outbursts there are other things that might work better.Mania is generally a protracted period of elevated mood, reduced need for sleep, extra energy...hour to hour mood swings aren't so much part of the pattern. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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