Hi, I'm brand new to this, or any bipolar forum.. I am however fairly versed in both the emotional and pharmaceutical aspects of this afflictions.

Ilanagrey, your post particularity caught me with reference to lamotrigine as depression. Everyone not only has their own mixed bag of markers and consequently different pharmaceuticals should be used to help as best as possibility to lessen or eliminate the additional behaviours, feelings besides the 'basic' bipolarity.

(Note: focussing solely on my response concerning lamotrigine, skip down till the paragraph that that's with the stars. The in between is there for some context of part of my 'story' and may likely be useful for someone)

That said! I just turned 28. I've suffered from severe depression since I was 13, though showing symptoms as early as age 10. Pharmaceuticals were the enemy for many reasons but my aversion turned to pure hatred after my older brother of 2 years killed himself as a consequence of accurate. A drug meant to help people/adolescence with acne. He was my and in many ways still is my best friend. In dealing with my IMENSE grief, my own desires to end my life, my two best friends, both not promoters of medications, one who was a psychology major, knew I needed to be treated. I cried the first time I took celexa, the recommended antidepressants after my GP confirmed I'd been living an endless cycling of depressive ellbutrine helped even more but then my underlying bipolar affliction could then be properly seen. I'd had it all those years of depression, the depression was just so much stronger. I have been a pharmaceutical processing plant of a fair amount of variations in my desperate search stability.

**Getting to the point to lamotrigine: my official diagnosis is bi-polar 2, leaning towards episodes of depression. As my psychiatrist told me and through my pwn research, it is the only bipolar 2 variation that leans towards depression and is the most difficult to medicate. I've been on 40mgs of lamotrigine for a while now. I was safely monitored and dosage increased by 25 mg increments. For anyone with bipolar who suffers from depression a fair amount, lamotrigine is what I know is the go to drug. It's meant to stop a person from sinking too low.

I have had no negative side effects, minus the very unfortunate glitch of missing a few days of my dosing (not done on purpose, I'm extremely responsible with my mess). The 400 mg drop in my system cause what seemed like street drug 'junkies' withdrawal symptoms, even after going right back on the med when I realized something wasn't right and 'oh crap' I screwed up my meds. It took a month of feeling HORRIBLE to feel 'normal' again. I share this as a warning? testament? As to just how powerful this drug is.

I could go on but I'll leave it at that.