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redphoenix Posts: 1191
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I would like to take a poll on the use and effectiveness of Lamictal. I would particularly like to hear from those of you that tried it for a while and then got off of it for any reason. I have been on it 7 months now and still have a lot of mood swings and I'm not too sure if it's doing much for my depression either. Any of you that have had good or bad experiences (I'm especially interested in the bad) with Lamictal, please take a quick minute to answer back. Most people seem to think it works great for them... for me, I'm still trying to figure it out. Thanks so much. Susan
http://www.bringchange2mind.org/
Bipolar II w/ treatment resistant depression
BED
Latuda 160 mg
Lamictal 400 mg
Lithium 900 mg
Effexor 300 mg
Wellbutrin 450 mg
Lorazipam 2 mg x 4
Vyvanse 70 mg
Adderall IR 60 mg
Mirtazapine 30 mg
Liothyronine 50 mcg (thyroid)
We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.-Dalai Lama
And remember, no matter where you go, there you are. -Confucius
I am not a doctor and my advice is purely my opinion and should be regarded as such.
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Catbaloo  Posts: 4737
VIP Member
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I took it for a month or so, but I couldn't get up to a therapeutic dose because it gave me horrible acne and made me really, really agitated. I felt better as soon as I stopped taking it. I've heard that some people have terrible, vivid nightmares on it, but I didn't experience that. The daytime agitation was bad enough without nightmares. Don't a lot of people have to take an antidepressant with Lamictal? My opinions are just opinions, and should be taken as such. I am not an expert on medicines or BP disorder. |
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hellokitty
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from my experience professionally, lamictal is generally used to augment another medications effectiveness. So mono-therapy (taking lamictal alone) is essentially taking anti-seizure medication. from my experience as a human, I was prescribed lamictal but with other medications (topamax/ lithium/) and basically found that it had the same effect on me, which was equal to both meds: nothing. I did gain weight on the three together, however I am not sure if lamictal was the cause. Topamax reduces appetite. Lithium makes you gain wt. Actually, there was one effect, I took the med at bedtime, and it made me sleep better, thats really it. I don't think it did anything to me. Well, Im not convinced anymore if anything I have taken made me feel better, that's what brought me here. |
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sarahtroy Posts: 12236
VIP Member
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Are you on the generic or the brand name Lamictal? Bipolar II, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Attacks, Agoraphobia & PTSD; Alcoholic in recovery since 3/21/07.
Aplenzin 522mg; Pristiq 200mg; Lamictal 400mg; Geodon 160mg; Ativan 1mg TID; Deplin 15mg; Xanax PRN; Metoprol 100mg.
"Don't give up 5 minutes before the miracle happens."
"My little dog - a heartbeat at my feet." ~Edith Wharton
"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." ~Ian MacLaren (Usually mis-attributed to Plato)
"And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." ~Anais Nin
My support and advice is not a replacement for medical diagnosis, treatment, or professional medical advice. |
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willowwisp Posts: 421
Member
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Red, I'm on Lamictal... I'll give you my take on it. The good for me, is that I haven't gained any weight on it. Everyone I know says they like me better on it. I've had no other side affects that I am aware of. The bad part is.. I am flat.. lifeless.. blah.. meloncholy... empty. Which really makes me sad that everyone likes me better this way.. it does seriously make me sad. I still have depression, which you know from reading and commenting on so many of my posts. I would say that my mood spectrum has narrowed ALOT! instead of being extremely depressed for long periods of time, with some up moments, I'm now moderately to mildly depressed all the time, with absolutely NOTHING above mildly depressed. very very narrow mood spectrum. I also take an anti-depressant along with it.. but not very much of it.. (I take imipramine at 50 mgs.. ) Honestly, what little improvement I've seen on the low end of my mood could either be attributed to meds, or my therapy.. who knows.. all I know is that I'm not significantly better than I was a year ago.. btw.. my pdoc, and tdoc believe I'm improving GREATLY!!! yeah, right! can you tell I'm a bit bitter? (oh, and I take the generic equivilent.. at 300 mgs.. so, it's a hefty dose.) I saw an angel in the marble, and carved until I set her free... |
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aphelion Posts: 102
Member
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The only side effect I have from Lamictal thus far (aside from the fatigue I felt when I started)is vivid dreams. The dreams are not necessarily nightmares, although one night after feeling angry about my work situation, I had a very vivid dream where I was confronting the source of my unhappiness at work, and I was holding a knife in my hand. That one still gives me the creeps. And then the day came,
when the risk
to remain tight
in a bud
was more painful
...than the risk
it took
to blossom.
-Anais Nin |
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mem4809
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I've been on it for about 6 months now. It's not perfect but it has helped a lot. I get my depressed days but then it lifts fairly quickly. I plan to stick with it for now. Sorry to hear that you are still having such a rough time. |
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redphoenix Posts: 1191
VIP Member
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Sarah, I'm on the generic. Susan
http://www.bringchange2mind.org/
Bipolar II w/ treatment resistant depression
BED
Latuda 160 mg
Lamictal 400 mg
Lithium 900 mg
Effexor 300 mg
Wellbutrin 450 mg
Lorazipam 2 mg x 4
Vyvanse 70 mg
Adderall IR 60 mg
Mirtazapine 30 mg
Liothyronine 50 mcg (thyroid)
We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.-Dalai Lama
And remember, no matter where you go, there you are. -Confucius
I am not a doctor and my advice is purely my opinion and should be regarded as such. |
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sarahtroy Posts: 12236
VIP Member
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Forgive me if I've already deluged you with this information: The generic is less efficacious for a certain percentage of the population. I am one of those people. Brand name Lamictal is a God send for me. But the generic does not work at all for me. You may be one of those people that needs the Brand name. The draw back is that the Brand name is much more expensive. Even on my extremely limited income, I am willing to pay for it because of the benefits I feel I get from Lamictal. PM me if you want more information on generic v. Brand name efficacy. One thought I have is that Lamictal can be dosed higher than the 400mg than you are on. At least, that is what my doctor told me when we were discussing dosages for me. Of course, you realize I am not a doctor and I am not prescribing. As far as it's effectiveness as an antidepressant, you are correct in that Lamictal tends to help "lift" depression, but is not considered an antidepressant. In other words, you would expect it to act primarily as a mood stabilizer, with some benefits for depression. Again, I am not a doctor and can not give medical advice. One thing I'm wondering is if you are still having trouble with depression, is if the problem may be with your antidepressant regime. I am not familiar with all of your medications and whether or not there is any room for experimentation with those. Certainly, if you feel you've given Lamictal a fair shake and it has not helped you enough, I encourage you to try another mood stabilizer. Bipolar II, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Attacks, Agoraphobia & PTSD; Alcoholic in recovery since 3/21/07.
Aplenzin 522mg; Pristiq 200mg; Lamictal 400mg; Geodon 160mg; Ativan 1mg TID; Deplin 15mg; Xanax PRN; Metoprol 100mg.
"Don't give up 5 minutes before the miracle happens."
"My little dog - a heartbeat at my feet." ~Edith Wharton
"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." ~Ian MacLaren (Usually mis-attributed to Plato)
"And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." ~Anais Nin
My support and advice is not a replacement for medical diagnosis, treatment, or professional medical advice. |
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Joy75 Posts: 15656
Group Leader
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I've been on Lamictal for a couple of years and it's been great. I was weaned down a couple of months ago and I became depressed again. I know it's working, I'm back to stable now. I used to question whether it worked or not, but since I experienced depression by going down, I am reassured that it is working. It's not for everyone though. I hope you start to feel better. Joy, 37 years old
Blog:
http://www.joylepley.blogspot.com
Email:
simplyjoyful75@gmail.com
Bipolar type 2 and ADD
300mg Wellbutrin
200mg Lamictal
40mg Viibryd
15mg Abilify
I AM NEITHER A PSYCHIATRIST OR PSYCHOLOGIST. I AM HERE FOR THE SAME REASONS YOU ARE. TO GIVE AND RECEIVE SUPPORT. WHAT I SAY IS PURELY MY OPINION. PLEASE CONTACT YOUR DOCTOR FOR MEDICAL ADVICE.
Bipolar disorder can be a great teacher. Its a challenge, but it can set you up to be able to do almost anything else in your life. Carrie Fisher |
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