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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Gary_SSRI_Guy on June 9, 2008, at 10:21:31
Brief story: My brother died at age 39 18 mos. ago. I was fully functioning as an RN x 15 yrs. with occasional panic attacks, thats it.
After my brother died, I developed severe anxiety, and severe depression. I've tried many meds, but here is my current regimen:
Zoloft 100mg qd, Lamictal 200mg qd, Xanax xr 0.5mg bid, Klonopin 1mg bid, propanolol 10mg bid
I've been on this regimen after lots of experimenting with Respirdal and Lexapro, and Wellbutrin, none of which helped me.
Current symptoms: Shaky and Nervous real bad out of bed in the a.m. and also disoriented for first hour after awakening. Anxious all day, foggy head and a little depersonalizing, dizzy at times and still depressed. Again, no Panic Attacks
Here is my question: Can lamictal be causing all of these symptoms ? My anxiety seems to have worsened, the nervousness and shakiness I don't remember ever being there. The dizzyness and headaches are also new. I've been having these symptoms for about a mos. and have been on the lamictal at 200mg for about 2 mos. all of the above symptoms have really worsened over the last 3 weeks or so. I cut my Lamictal to 100mg this a.m. as I can't think of anything else that could be causing this. Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Gary
Posted by Phillipa on June 9, 2008, at 10:32:31
In reply to Lamictal Side Effects...Need some help PLEASE, posted by Gary_SSRI_Guy on June 9, 2008, at 10:21:31
Have you discussed it with your doc? That's what I'd do. Good Luck. So sorry about your brother. Phillipa
Posted by elbee on June 9, 2008, at 12:33:49
In reply to Lamictal Side Effects...Need some help PLEASE, posted by Gary_SSRI_Guy on June 9, 2008, at 10:21:31
Hi,
I take lamictal 400 mg and don't happen to have any of those side effects. Everyone's different though.
Posted by dbc on June 9, 2008, at 14:12:14
In reply to Re: Lamictal Side Effects...Need some help PLEASE, posted by elbee on June 9, 2008, at 12:33:49
That perfectly describes the side effects of lamictal when you're bumping a dose. You get shaky and very wired and some vertigo and maybe even sickness. When stabilize a dose for a week or so it goes away.
Ride it out, i did and im better for it. Of course i was eating valium like candy also, so talk to your doc and explain whats up as usual.
Posted by Gary_SSRI_Guy on June 9, 2008, at 15:36:11
In reply to Re: Lamictal Side Effects...Need some help PLEASE, posted by dbc on June 9, 2008, at 14:12:14
I've been on the 200mg for about 3 weeks now, so I should be stabilized. I dropped back to 100mg and gonna see whet happens.
Posted by blueboy on June 10, 2008, at 8:11:36
In reply to Lamictal Side Effects...Need some help PLEASE, posted by Gary_SSRI_Guy on June 9, 2008, at 10:21:31
Yeah, it's hard to lose a loved one, especially young. When my father died I was useless for 6-9 months. I didn't take any medication for it -- it was a long time ago. It's a terrible thing, losing a brother at that age.
One suggestion would be a good therapist, if you can find one. AFAIK, there are (comparatively) a lot of them who are competent at dealing with a stressful event.
I don't know your financial/work situation, but I was able to basically take a vacation for a while. Well, actually, I didn't have a choice, since I couldn't work.
It also pops into my head that I'd worry about natural healing being masked by medication, or medication not helping because part of your problems are "normal" to some degree, or maybe "normal" aggravation of an underlying mental health condition.
That has happened to me a lot. I'll react to a situation like a person without any diagnosis would react. Like a close family member dies -- well, it's normal to be screwed up for a while. I just get very screwed up.
Posted by dbc on June 10, 2008, at 10:00:18
In reply to Re: Lamictal Side Effects...Need some help PLEASE, posted by blueboy on June 10, 2008, at 8:11:36
So was that a subtle anti-medication post?
Posted by blueboy on June 11, 2008, at 8:03:11
In reply to Re: Lamictal Side Effects...Need some help PLEASE, posted by dbc on June 10, 2008, at 10:00:18
> So was that a subtle anti-medication post?
No. Don't pigeonhole me, please. I'm certainly not "anti-medication" or, for that matter, "pro-medication".
I do think the poster should consider the efficacy of non-pharmacological treatment for depression/anxiety triggered by bereavement.
Posted by Deputy Dinah on June 11, 2008, at 10:40:42
In reply to Lamictal Side Effects...Need some help PLEASE, posted by Gary_SSRI_Guy on June 9, 2008, at 10:21:31
When you register under a new name, Dr. Bob asks that you make a brief post on the Administrative Board stating that you used to post under another name. It isn't necessary to identify that other name.
Please follow the site guidelines.
Dinah, acting as deputy to Dr. Bob
Posted by elanor roosevelt on June 13, 2008, at 0:30:52
In reply to Lamictal Side Effects...Need some help PLEASE, posted by Gary_SSRI_Guy on June 9, 2008, at 10:21:31
I was tense, depressed and irritable on Lamictal and I could not get out of bed
started dosing lexapro at night so i could get up in the morning
i don't know if it was the lexapro or stabilizing my dose at 100mg but i am not so tense anymoreso yes, the Lamictal can do it
good luck
This is the end of the thread.
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