advice

[shweaty]

I was on 75mg daily for a week until today where I'd have enough, been depressed for the last few days and I just know that it only gets worse until they get increased.. usually it's increased every 2 weeks but my doctor has increased me to 100mg daily and will be increasing weekly.. they work for a week and I'm extremely depressed for the second which I can't risk anymore.. last time I was on the I got to 100mg and was okay for the 2 weeks so my doctor didn't increase and 2 days later I overdosed. how will I know that I'm at the therapeutic dose? is it okay to up them weekly?

[MiaB]

What med are you referring to? Let us know and we'll move this to the right forum where you can get targeted responses. 

[ovOidampUle]

Lamotrogine can cause a severe allergic reaction if increase the dose too quickly; and once you have the allergic reaction, you can't go on it again, that would be a bummer because its a maintenance drug for a lot of bp's.

If you're starting your adventures in medication, I recommend downloading the epocrates app to your smart phone. It has side effects, dosing, titration and interactions.

[shweaty]

4 minutes ago, MiaB said:

What med are you referring to? Let us know and we'll move this to the right forum where you can get targeted responses. 

lamotrigine 

[MiaB]

Moved to anticonvulsant forum.

[shweaty]

2 minutes ago, MiaB said:

Moved to anticonvulsant forum.

thanks

[jt07]

I would follow your doctor's advice. What are you taking it for? Depression? If you are taking it for depression, the therapeutic dose is usually 100-200 mg. I take it for depression and I'm on 200 mg. Often when you get over 100 mg, the titration tends to speed up or at least it did for me.

[shweaty]

8 minutes ago, jt07 said:

I would follow your doctor's advice. What are you taking it for? Depression? If you are taking it for depression, the therapeutic dose is usually 100-200 mg. I take it for depression and I'm on 200 mg. Often when you get over 100 mg, the titration tends to speed up or at least it did for me.

it's for my moodswings. I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety 10 years ago but I'm seeing a psychiatrist again.. have tried loads of antidepressants and they've all worked amazingly for a month and then put me back in a hole so it's not depression..

[melissaw72]

5 hours ago, shweaty said:

it's for my moodswings. I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety 10 years ago but I'm seeing a psychiatrist again.. have tried loads of antidepressants and they've all worked amazingly for a month and then put me back in a hole so it's not depression..

Maybe after those first months for each med, you needed to increase the dose so the med might work better?  Or were you maxed out on the doses of all the antidepressants you've been on after that one month (for each one)?  Sometimes in some people it takes 5-6+ weeks to see a full effect.

Did your pdoc say is wasn't depression?  Has your pdoc told you what else it could be, if not depression?

[shweaty]

6 hours ago, melissaw72 said:

Maybe after those first months for each med, you needed to increase the dose so the med might work better?  Or were you maxed out on the doses of all the antidepressants you've been on after that one month (for each one)?  Sometimes in some people it takes 5-6+ weeks to see a full effect.

Did your pdoc say is wasn't depression?  Has your pdoc told you what else it could be, if not depression?

I was maxed out on a quite a few and they made me really bad.. I was on all of them longer than a month to give them a chance to work.. my pdoc said I've definately got a mood disorder but it's complicated by my past.. she said I have some traits of bipolar but then she hasn't seen my whole history  (my life story that I posted the other day) I'm going to show her that whenever I see her next.. I'm also going to take my mum in so it's not all on my saying.. I just want the meds to work and for me to lead a normal life as I feel like a monster some times

[melissaw72]

3 hours ago, shweaty said:

I'm also going to take my mum in so it's not all on my saying..

I think this is a great idea.  I think that will definitely help.

You might have already thought this, but just in case not ... In regards to what you wrote the other day of your life history, you could just print it out to hand to DR, and then you wouldn't have to re-write it.

[shweaty]

I love writing so it'll be fun.. AND I've missed parts out like digging up my whole garden and making a wall for 2 weeks solid till gone 12 at night only 2 weeks after my csection ? 

[melissaw72]

17 minutes ago, shweaty said:

I love writing so it'll be fun.. AND I've missed parts out like digging up my whole garden and making a wall for 2 weeks solid till gone 12 at night only 2 weeks after my csection ? 

I see what you mean ... when writing it out again, you might think of more details than you'd originally written.

[shweaty]

10 minutes ago, melissaw72 said:

I see what you mean ... when writing it out again, you might think of more details than you'd originally written.

Yeah.. it's hard to remember all the details of my life ?

[melissaw72]

3 minutes ago, shweaty said:

Yeah.. it's hard to remember all the details of my life ?

I hear you!