Blurred Vision? Lamictal or Abilify?

[Blahblah]

Started noticing (just when I go running outside, not everyday) My vision gets incredibly blurry, to where I cannot make out anything beyond like 2 feet in front of me. This is even in nice weather (not cold, windy or wet) and it worries me. Never had this before.

Is this a side effect mainly from Lamictal or Abilify (or both)? I'm a bit concerned I will say - because i read that both meds can contribute to this and Lamictal (in particular) somehow binds to & accumulates in melanin tissues of the eye (researchers at this time don't know the effects of this binding). I thought I read that someone here was losing eyesite from it. yikes.

My questions are (if anyone knows): if Lamictal binds to Melanin in nervous system tissue, is it:
a) long term or permanant?
b) good, bad, or mixed?
c) what diseases or nervous functions would it affect?

Edited March 12, 2017 by Blahblah

[melissaw72]

Idk the answers to your questions, but I can IME answer this one:

2 hours ago, Blahblah said:

Is this a side effect mainly from Lamictal or Abilify (or both)?

I have never had blurry vision when on those meds, and I've always taken them together (since 2003 at least).

How long have you been on both of them?

 

I hope people can answer your questions ... I can empathize with you worrying about eyes.  I always worry about those too.

[notloki]

I took Lamictal and Abilify together for years without experiencing blurry vision. The anticholinergics can do this, Cogentin, et. al. Some meds cause dry eyes which can lead to blurry vision. This is a good reason to have an eye exam and let a professional decide what is causing it.

[melissaw72]

I agree with @notloki that it is a good idea to see a professional to really see what is going on, and then let them decide what is causing it.

[mjs190]

Lamictal can cause vision side effects like blurry or double vision. I'm not sure if the same is true with Abilify, but I know that many anticonvulsants have this side effect, so thats my guess.

[Flash]

On 3/12/2017 at 3:04 AM, Blahblah said:

Started noticing (just when I go running outside, not everyday) My vision gets incredibly blurry, to where I cannot make out anything beyond like 2 feet in front of me. This is even in nice weather (not cold, windy or wet) and it worries me. Never had this before.

Is this a side effect mainly from Lamictal or Abilify (or both)? I'm a bit concerned I will say - because i read that both meds can contribute to this and Lamictal (in particular) somehow binds to & accumulates in melanin tissues of the eye (researchers at this time don't know the effects of this binding). I thought I read that someone here was losing eyesite from it. yikes.

My questions are (if anyone knows): if Lamictal binds to Melanin in nervous system tissue, is it:
a) long term or permanant?
b) good, bad, or mixed?
c) what diseases or nervous functions would it affect?

There's no way to know which med is responsible unless you quit one at a time and leave a few months between quitting one and the other. Psych meds can have weird side effects that are extremely uncommon. But that doesn't mean it's not happening to you. It took me about 9 months to figure out that abilify was the cause of my hair loss.

[Blahblah]

9 hours ago, Flash said:

There's no way to know which med is responsible unless you quit one at a time and leave a few months between quitting one and the other. Psych meds can have weird side effects that are extremely uncommon. But that doesn't mean it's not happening to you. It took me about 9 months to figure out that abilify was the cause of my hair loss.

I agree. Just because certain side effects listed as "Uncommon" does not mean that those side effects will not happen to you. Yes, it may be unlikely, but I am a very observant person and when i take any kind of meds or drugs I try to go about it like a Scientist. It may sound a bit OCD, but when your hair starts falling out, your vision is blurred and all the sudden you're bloating up like a balloon, you begin to think OK, if this just started occurring 2 months ago & I started xyz med 2 months ago - You start to put 2 + 2 together. Going down on Lamictal so we'll see if that helps.

[mcjimjam]

I get blurred vision from Lamictal depending on the dose and what other meds I take with it. I think it's a fairly common side effect.

I haven't taken Abilify but I believe all AAP can cause vision problems, so they recommend a yearly or two yearly (can't remember) eye test. I believe This is less common issue and more of a long term risk.

[dtac]

Lamictal gave me blurred vision (confirmed through 3 separate trials of it.)

[Blahblah]

6 hours ago, mcjimjam said:

I get blurred vision from Lamictal depending on the dose and what other meds I take with it. I think it's a fairly common side effect.

1 hour ago, dtac said:

Lamictal gave me blurred vision (confirmed through 3 separate trials of it.)

Yep pretty sure I think it is the Lamictal, I've lowered it recently...still noticing the side effect.

I just hope it does not screw up my vision if I stay on it longterm....Like, will I only have the blurry vision side effect as long as I take the medication? Too bad because otherwise, it is a very tolerable medication as far as other side effects go.