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?
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ktthefreak
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 31 Dec 2007 Posts: 29 Location: Oklahoma, OKC USA
Posted: 01-11-08 05:07am
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
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BoneyardDiva
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 26 Sep 2007 Posts: 72 Location: Nunya, USA
Posted: 01-11-08 17:57pm
It causes my husband to sleep a LOT. I
don't know what his dosage is, however.
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designlady
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 07 Jan 2008 Posts: 55 Location: , USA
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Been On It a Long Time. Posted: 01-11-08 18:46pm
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?
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labohemianartist
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 11 Jan 2008 Posts: 6 Location: NY,
Oh Wow Posted: 01-12-08 00:49am
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.
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ma3n0ia
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 09 Jan 2008 Posts: 14
Posted: 01-12-08 04:31am
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.
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designlady
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 07 Jan 2008 Posts: 55 Location: , USA
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Posted: 01-12-08 15:19pm
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...)
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puzzld
Supporter
Joined: 19 Nov 2007 Posts: 249 Location: gulf coast =), USA
Thanks: 1
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Posted: 01-22-08 21:31pm
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.
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ladylee70
Extremely EHEALTHy
Joined: 14 Nov 2006 Posts: 1912 Location: Boise, Idaho,
Thanks: 1
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Posted: 01-22-08 21:38pm
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.
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designlady
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 07 Jan 2008 Posts: 55 Location: , USA
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Ditto! Posted: 01-23-08 07:17am
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.
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ladylee70
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Joined: 14 Nov 2006 Posts: 1912 Location: Boise, Idaho,
Thanks: 1
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Posted: 01-23-08 20:23pm
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.
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GNorth
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 28 Jan 2008 Posts: 4
Posted: 01-28-08 22:23pm
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.
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vel
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 08 Nov 2005 Posts: 58
Posted: 01-29-08 07:34am
i take 100mg with zyphrexa and clonopin ,
seems to be working great only problem is
im depressed
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illectronic
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 02 Feb 2008 Posts: 16 Location: NYC,
Posted: 02-02-08 11:28am
Yes, I tried taking it this week... slowed
me down even more.
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designlady
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 07 Jan 2008 Posts: 55 Location: , USA
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Posted: 02-02-08 12:13pm
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!
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illectronic
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 02 Feb 2008 Posts: 16 Location: NYC,
Posted: 02-02-08 12:21pm
designlady
wrote:
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!
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.
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designlady
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 07 Jan 2008 Posts: 55 Location: , USA
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Posted: 02-02-08 12:30pm
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.
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illectronic
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 02 Feb 2008 Posts: 16 Location: NYC,
Posted: 02-02-08 12:33pm
designlady
wrote:
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.
*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.
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CarolDiane
Supporter
Joined: 23 Sep 2007 Posts: 2396
Thanks: 111
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Posted: 02-08-08 16:02pm
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
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designlady
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 07 Jan 2008 Posts: 55 Location: , USA
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Posted: 02-08-08 18:24pm
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.
