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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 11 of 11. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by maxime on June 4, 2003, at 15:01:41
Hello all. I started taking Lamictal about 6 weeks ago for mixed states associated with bipolar 2. I'm not sure but I feel like it's making me feel worse. I am at 50 mgs right now. I don't know whether I should stop taking it or just push ahead with higher dosage. I find it very frustrating to only increase the dose every 2 weeks. I mean what if I need a dose of 300? It's going to take me forever to get there and in the meantime I am really suicidal.
I just wish I knew if this drug is making me feel worse or not. It's very frustrating. I have been on every mood stabiliser except for trileptal.
I am also without a PDOC right now because I moved and I am on a waiting list. My GP won't touch my psych meds.
Has anyone else felt worse from taking Lamictal? I'm just curious. This is the first time something like this has happened to me. Usually when a med doesn't agree with me it manifests as really bad side effects and so I know it's time to stop. But with the lamictal I have been tolerating well (except it makes me really tired and my hair is falling out).
I'm very frustrated and I don't know how long I can stay like this.
Max
Posted by KimberlyDi on June 4, 2003, at 15:50:28
In reply to Lamictal confusion, posted by maxime on June 4, 2003, at 15:01:41
Don't have any good information for you but I wanted to say "hang in there". Keep posting and reading. There's alot of caring people posting at this website and surely someone has gone thru what you are experiencing.
Good luck, Kim
Posted by starlight on June 4, 2003, at 16:28:52
In reply to Lamictal confusion, posted by maxime on June 4, 2003, at 15:01:41
I haven't heard of lamictal making your hair fall out. And personally, I've experienced a very low side effect profile. I take it in conjunction with Trileptal and suffer from severe depression with suicidal ideation. What are the symptoms of you feeling bad? Achiness, headache, etc? It initially makes me a bit hypomanic, which I like. I only take 100mgs and started feeling better around 50 initally but am pushing up to 150 starting tomorrow.
starlight
Posted by HenryO on June 5, 2003, at 1:41:44
In reply to Lamictal confusion, posted by maxime on June 4, 2003, at 15:01:41
Push ahead. I was told to increase at 25mg per week. I got up to 200 but have decided to maintain at 175. I assume you were on something before the Lamictal? and didn't like it so you've made a switch. The previous med is probably still wearing off. Sometimes they were doing more than we realized even when the side effects were unacceptable. I went through hell before I got to a decent level of the Lamictal. I mean I had real pain. Usually my depression felt like low energy and sorrow but this last bout scared me. But Lamictal has been very good. Don't give up yet. Is there anything you can or have taken in the past for a short term fix? I take Pindolol (a.k.a. Visken) when I'm on fire and it helps me through. Your side effects may be do to many things. I have had no real side effects with Lamictal and I usually get them. This is a real bad time of year for us. I think you should push on with the Lamictal. Keep us apprised.
Posted by HenryO on June 5, 2003, at 1:55:55
In reply to Re: Lamictal confusion, posted by HenryO on June 5, 2003, at 1:41:44
A couple more things I mentioned to a postor below. Take it with food or you'll get gas. Take your dose by halves, every twelve hours or you'll get a headache at the nineteen hour mark. Good luck.
Posted by maxime on June 5, 2003, at 11:19:18
In reply to Re: Lamictal confusion, posted by starlight on June 4, 2003, at 16:28:52
Hi Star - when I say that I worry that Lamictal is making me worse, I am referring to my mixed states. They have become much worse in the past 6-8 weeks. I just wonder if the lamictal is causing the decline or if it's just me. It's so hard to know.
As far as side effects I am dizzy and sleepy on the lamictal. grrr. It's frustrating because it seems like for most people it's the opposite.
And my hair is falling out for sure.I'm curious to know which drug you started first -the lamictal or the trileptal. And when you added the second drug what improvements did you see that the other wasn't able to give you. (LOL - I hope I am making sense).
Thanks again.
Max
> I haven't heard of lamictal making your hair fall out. And personally, I've experienced a very low side effect profile. I take it in conjunction with Trileptal and suffer from severe depression with suicidal ideation. What are the symptoms of you feeling bad? Achiness, headache, etc? It initially makes me a bit hypomanic, which I like. I only take 100mgs and started feeling better around 50 initally but am pushing up to 150 starting tomorrow.
> starlight
>
Posted by maxime on June 5, 2003, at 11:28:02
In reply to Re: Lamictal confusion, posted by HenryO on June 5, 2003, at 1:41:44
Thanks for the encouragement ... I really need it right now.
I actually haven't been on a mood stabiliser since Christmas (lithium). I started taking Parnate (I bow to thee Parnate) in January and my PDOC wanted to see if it could be used by itself once I got up to 80mgs or so.
Sadly I moved and I don't see that doctor anymore(I searched pdocs out until I found one that would prescribe the Parnate). I had just started the lamictal when I moved back to Canada from the U.S.
So to make things worse I don't even have a PDOC right now. I have a GP but she won't touch my psych meds. I will have to wait at least 6 months before I can see a PDOC. Sigh. I will probably end up in the hospital before that happens. My mixed states make me very suicidal and I usually end up in an ER somewhere.
I will keep you posted.
Max
> Push ahead. I was told to increase at 25mg per week. I got up to 200 but have decided to maintain at 175. I assume you were on something before the Lamictal? and didn't like it so you've made a switch. The previous med is probably still wearing off. Sometimes they were doing more than we realized even when the side effects were unacceptable. I went through hell before I got to a decent level of the Lamictal. I mean I had real pain. Usually my depression felt like low energy and sorrow but this last bout scared me. But Lamictal has been very good. Don't give up yet. Is there anything you can or have taken in the past for a short term fix? I take Pindolol (a.k.a. Visken) when I'm on fire and it helps me through. Your side effects may be do to many things. I have had no real side effects with Lamictal and I usually get them. This is a real bad time of year for us. I think you should push on with the Lamictal. Keep us apprised.
Posted by starlight on June 5, 2003, at 15:24:17
In reply to Re: Lamictal confusion - Starlight, posted by maxime on June 5, 2003, at 11:19:18
Hi Max,
Perfect sense. I too have mixed states where I can be incredibly depressed and still have lots of energy. I started the trileptal first. I just don't recall hair loss as a side effect listed for lamictal. I do know that if I were losing my hair, I would be freaking out! Could it be something hormonal or familial? How much lamictal are you taking? Are you taking it with anything else? You might have covered this already, but I can't go back to read your other posts at this point.The trileptal just wasn't as effective at boosing me out of my depression. I still had suicidal ideation. So we added the lamictal.
starlight
Posted by SLS on June 5, 2003, at 16:45:02
In reply to Re: Lamictal confusion - Starlight, posted by maxime on June 5, 2003, at 11:19:18
> And my hair is falling out for sure.When I first started taking Lamictal, I had terrible dandruff and my hair began to fall out. Since I have been using Pert Plus dandruff shampoo, both problems have disappeared. I suppose any shampoo containing pyrithione zinc would work.
- Scott
Posted by wcfrench on June 6, 2003, at 22:33:54
In reply to Re: Lamictal confusion, posted by starlight on June 4, 2003, at 16:28:52
I started Lamictal, and I remember having a 5-week titration schedule.. I didn't feel too well until a good amount into the schedule, but it's hard to say how it will affect you. Have you, and which, taken antidepressants? Did they make you worse at higher dosages? Are you still taking one or two? Lamictal has a strong reputation for antidepressant effects, and it is being approved by the FDA (or has been) for bipolar depression. I know that when I take it together with too much Zoloft, I get much worse. It reminds me of when I was on Effexor XR at 150MG. It made me a lot worse, leading us to discovering that I was bipolarII. Keep us posted?
Thanks, take care
Charlie
Posted by tumnus on June 7, 2003, at 1:07:12
In reply to Lamictal confusion, posted by maxime on June 4, 2003, at 15:01:41
I'm new to this message board and message boards in general. I was currently diagnosed with major depression. My doctor put me on Lamictal to pull me out of a lethargic depression.
The reason you can't be increased to 300mg right away is because Lamictal can cause a rash that is a symptom of a major autoimmune response that can kill you. Slowly upping the dose reduces the risk of this response. My doctor said the most common dose for mood stabilizing is between 300mg and 400mg. Hopefully you can hold on long enough for the proper dosage. I am at 100mg and doing as well as can be expected but the side effect I suffer from is excessive sweating.
Hope that helps.
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