I've been on Lamictal since March. It brought me totally out of the depressive stage and has done a lot to mellow me out, although I do require an antipsychotic to keep the mania at bay, and a benzo at night for sleep. No side effects other than extreme daytime drowsiness, which went away within days after titrating up on the dose. It's a good drug, but to get to "stable" I had to go on Zyprexa (and then everything went to hell in a bushel basket when I went off Celexa a couple of weeks ago).

The main thing with Lamictal is, you've got to watch carefully for a skin rash. Most people don't get it, but those who do sometimes go on to develop Stevens-Johnson syndrome, which can be life-threatening. Otherwise, the drug is generally weight-neutral, and it doesn't have many side effects outside of throwing off your equilibrium a bit (I can't park my car straight anymore to save my life). Good luck!