Bipolar Disorder Forum - Lamictal side effects ?

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Q: Lamictal side effects ?

asked by: labohemianartist on January 11th, 2008

New User

anyone here who took or is taking lamictal? please tell me your feedback on it and it's pros and cons for you.

I think, I was misdiagnosed...they took me off of it. still never sure since I am very cynical. I have social anxiety and awful pms thats for sure...I "jokingly" say my mother didn't know how to deal with me when they diagnosed me in high school. i was just a pms-y girl.

what was really scary about lamictal was it gave me great weight gain, numbness, and because I am an art student, TERRIBLE mechanical skills. I couldn't draw a circle with out getting lost! It was so hard to explain. and then I had little break downs over nothing! And sleepwalking to the point of falling out of my top bunk and going to the hospital!

and what was scary was...all those issues...went away when they weened me off. Except I now have new emotions I haven't felt in years...that I need to learnt o control. Like anger. I get mad at the world alot.

He said...I think... I was "Bipolar 2" but ahh he put me on 500 MEGS!!

that was so much!!!

what about you?

Replies(32)

ktthefreak

replied on January 11th, 2008

New User

i took it for a month
gradually to 100 mg, 500 sounds like a lot for him to give you o.O
but anyway, i didnt like it at all
the day after i took it i felt numb, like you said
i could barely think
and i started sleeping a loot more than normal and i got really depressed >.< it was pretty bad.
so yeah, i didnt like it =) lol

BoneyardDiva

replied on January 11th, 2008

Experienced User

It causes my husband to sleep a LOT. I don't know what his dosage is, however.

designlady

replied on January 11th, 2008

Experienced User

Been On It a Long Time.

I've been on Lamictal for a long time. 400mg per day. I do art also, but it doesn't affect my steady hand. Lithium messed up the steady hand big time, but never the Lamictal. I have no side effects. I heard the thing to look for was a rash; it could be deadly--like an allergic reaction to the medication or something, but I've been fine. At one time I was on 800mg per day, but that was too much. I don't know if it had side effects or not. I was on so much crap back then, there's no telling what was doing what to me. I was messed up. Thankfully, I got me a new doc who has me all straightened out now--at least as well as you can get being bipolar, you know?

labohemianartist

replied on January 12th, 2008

New User

Oh Wow

800 mgs??

Sadly I am not the most gifted sketcher...still..but there was a major difference...I am great with 3d things for some odd reason...it's so odd.

ma3n0ia

replied on January 12th, 2008

New User

i took lamictal a couple months ago for bipolar disorder.

i was constantly tired and felt like i was lifeless. it did not help my mood at all so i really found no pros. i am also an art student and my hands were so shaky and tremorous (dont know if thts a word?) that i could not paint at all and could just barely draw.

designlady

replied on January 12th, 2008

Experienced User

yes, 800mg. my old doc thought nothing of going over the fda recommended max dosage, which i think is 600mg for lamictal. it f'd me up big time. thank goodness i have a new, more conservative doc now. been stable for 2 years! (well, mostly...)

puzzld

replied on January 22nd, 2008

Supporter

i take 200mg daily. it has helped me.. i guess. but i also take seroquel 600mg, cymbalta 60mg and ativan 6 to 8mg. i'm not sure any of it is working anymore. the only side effect is my horrible memory. i think. each med works different for people.

best wishes to you. it can take some people years to find the right cocktail.

ladylee70

replied on January 22nd, 2008

Extremely eHealthy

Lamictal was the best medication for me. I am bipolar II or soft bipolar. I don't really have manic phases at all but hypomania that is manifested via severe anxiety. Other times, I am just extremely tired. I don't sense the fatigue is depression but it probably is.

I had absolutely no side effects on lamictal. I have taken so many medications and lamictal was the only one that worked for me. My doctor said Lamictal is best for those who are bipolar II and that lithium and trileptal works best for those who have bipolar I. I don't know. I just know what worked for me. I was taking 250 mg. I don't feel like 250 was enough for me. My doctor stated that the average for someone like me was 400 mg and once I am through with nursing, that is what I will go up to,

Oh, I heard Lamictal was weight neutral. It isn't supposed to make you gain weight.

Depokate and Seroquel were horrible. Even on only 50 mg of seroquel, I was out for an entire day...the whole day. Couldn't even work. Depokate did the same thing.

designlady

replied on January 23rd, 2008

Experienced User

Ditto!

Ladylee70,

I'm just like you! I take 400mg of Lamictal per day now--no side effects at all. Same story about the anxiety and fatigue, too. Also, Lithium and Trileptal were horrible for me. I also have not gained any weight on Lamictal. If anything, I find it easier to lose and have been able to maintain a healthy weight for about 2 years now. I lost about 65 pounds when I was in the "let's treat her like a guinea pig for four years" stage. I guess that's the one good thing that came out of it.

Oh, and the Seroquel--I tried it once when manic (before going on the Lamictal). The doc gave me 100mg and I was out for 2 days. Couldn't even walk. Depakote was really bad for me, too. I was sick like crazy. Lost 10 pounds in one week!

Anyway, I thought that was neat how our med experiences are so alike. Usually, everyone is so different.

ladylee70

replied on January 23rd, 2008

Extremely eHealthy

Wow! I haven't found anyone who is like me yet, until now. It's great to feel like I am not so alone. I love nursing and am struggling whether or not to quit and get back on the lamictal. This anxiety is killing me. Two weeks ago I was more tired and had hardly any anxiety. I was in denial about a month ago because I felt so normal.

GNorth

replied on January 28th, 2008

New User

I have been taking Lamictal for two years. It is the glue that holds my meds together. Without it, the other things don't seem to work together.

I have not had any significant side-effects from this medication. I take 200 mg at bedtime. My understanding is that this is the average dose. 500mg seems really huge.

Last year, I ran out of money and cut the Lamictal from my meds. It was the most expensive of all my meds and I figured I had anti-depressants and lithium to keep me stable. WRONG! I unraveled quickly. Once I went back on it, I was OK again.

It works very well for me.

vel

replied on January 29th, 2008

Experienced User

i take 100mg with zyphrexa and clonopin , seems to be working great only problem is im depressed

illectronic

replied on February 2nd, 2008

New User

Yes, I tried taking it this week... slowed me down even more.

designlady

replied on February 2nd, 2008

Experienced User

vel wrote:

i take 100mg with zyphrexa and clonopin , seems to be working great only problem is im depressed

Do you find that the Zyprexa causes weight gain? I tried it. After thoroughly embarrassing myself at a wedding shower by eating ALL the cookies and constantly stuffing my face, I realized I had been gaining over a pound a day. My doctor took me off of it... gave me real incentive to lose down to a normal weight. Took a couple of years to do it, but well worth the effort.

The reason I ask is I've been hard-pressed to find one person who didn't have significant weight gain on Zyprexa.

Also, for the person who just started Lamictal, you'll want to give it at least 2 or 3 weeks--maybe more--before making a decision on if it's helping or not. Side effects should go away with time. Hang in there! Wink

illectronic

replied on February 2nd, 2008

New User

designlady wrote:

vel wrote:

i take 100mg with zyphrexa and clonopin , seems to be working great only problem is im depressed

I have tried lamictal multiple times in the past few years. I don't think it's the side effects. I just doesn't work for me. I need something else to combat depression... Lithium is already acting as a GREAT anti-mania agent.

designlady

replied on February 2nd, 2008

Experienced User

Are you supplementing the mood stabilizers with an anti-depressant? I've heard a lot of people with bipolar like Effexor. I liked Wellbutrin, but it tended to make me manic sometimes. Now I take Cymbalta. It works better than anything else, so far. I didn't like Lithium because it made me numb and very shaky. As an artist, I cannot afford to be shaky. Also, being numb really dampened my creativity.

I hope you find a good combination of meds.

illectronic

replied on February 2nd, 2008

New User

designlady wrote:

*sigh* Yes, it definately does numb me, but after bieng in the hospital against my will so many times, I can deal with that if I am happy and can start go out again.

CarolDiane

replied on February 8th, 2008

Extremely eHealthy

I am just starting on it as we speak. Starting off with 1/2 of 100mg dose to start off for one week and then up to the whole 100mg with my Lexepro. So, my secret is out. Doc called it this morning when she said you have the symtoms of Bi-Polar. I Kinda just went "Ugh" Ummm ya I was diagnosed back in the mid 80s and never told anyone. I appologize to her. She wants to see me in a month and see how I am doing on the 100mg dose. She said max with Lamictal is 200mg daily. And she will go up that hight if we need to.

Carrie

designlady

replied on February 8th, 2008

Experienced User

The max dose (according to the FDA) for Lamictal is 600mg per day. Not sure where your doc got 200mg as a max. That's not much at all. The pills come in 100's and 200's. I currently take 400mg (1 in the AM & 1 in the PM) and do fine.

Just watch for a rash. If you get one, call your regular doctor immediately and don't take anymore until you see him/her because the rash associated with Lamictal can be deadly if left untreated.

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