Posted by Sulpicia on January 20, 2002, at 20:43:19
In reply to Lamictil side effects, posted by jimtee99 on January 18, 2002, at 13:00:55
> My psychiatric nurse practitioner started me on Lamictil about 5 weeks ago for general anxiety disorder (GAD). We started with a starter sampler kit which had me taking 50 mg in the morning for two weeks, and for the last three weeks I've been taking 50 mg morning and evening.
>
> For the past two weeks, I've been experiencing a light burning sensation in my wrists, forearms, shins and ankles.
>
> Also, the skin on my palms gets tight and red. I have asthma, and my need for an atomizer has increased from once every few months to once or twice a day.
>
> I'm also experiencing tight jaw, tense facial muscles, overall muscle tension, stomach tension, and feelings of anxiety (which is what I'm taking the drug to get rid of).
>
> Has anyone else experienced these symptoms, and if so, what happened?
>
> Thanks!
>
> Jim T.just my non-professional 2 cents here: something is wrong with this picture IMHO.
Lamictal is not a first-line treatment for GAD, and unless you have comorbid disorders
and/or are resistant to the drugs demonstrated to be safe and effective for GAD, methinks
somebody goofed. if you have comorbid disorders or have a refractory type of GAD, you are
not a good candidate for a psychiatric nurse practitioner.were i in your shoes, i would do the following:
*demand* a board certified psychiatrist do a proper diagnostic consultation and have him/her
present you with all the viable therapeutic options.if this is an HMO-induced mess, get your personnel manager involved, and start complaining. loudly.
enlist the help of your primary care physician if possible -- sometimes they know the HMO well.call the pharmacist and have him/her check and make sure the scrip was filled correctly. you never know.
but first and foremost, get that nurse practioner on the phone and ask *WHY* she prescribed lamictal --
and i mean citations to major clinical trials, cuz i don't think there are any.lamictal is a life-saver given the appropriate risk/benefit calculation, not to mention efficacy, but from what
you write, i cannot see how a person with GAD could fit into the calculus.sorry to be brusque, but get moving and find some answers.
S.
poster:Sulpicia
thread:90694
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020116/msgs/90918.html