Poptardqueen,

Oh yes Lamictal (lamotrigine) was an experience in hell for me. I tapered slowly attempting to get to a therapeutic dose but was only ever able to get to 50 mg. This was after almost four months!!!

Let's see what my difficulties were with that drug: couldn't type (and was 60+wpm typist before), forgot words, forgot how to spell words, forgot how to use objects like keys in a door, couldn't read, couldn't follow simple instructions, etc. I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer anyway but this medication dulled me more than anything I'd been on in the past ten years.

It was beyond emotionally constipating and more like an evil dulling of my senses.

I gave it a four month trial and the risks outweighed any benefits I might have received from it. My sense of brain came back slowly after tapering off and having the drug out of my system for a while.

It is so scary to have an object in your hands and know what it is but be unable to get the word for it from your brain. Something to do with memory and brain sides.

Reminds me of some psych experiment where your hands are covered and you're given an object to hold in one of your hands. For this example an orange is used: in the right hand you can tell immediately that you are holding an orange and name it quickly.........in the left hand you will sense that the object is round, textured, and such but cannot associate what you are holding with the related word.

That sums up my entire Lamictal experience. Knowing I knew things and not having access to them.

P.S. edited---this is just one person's experience on that medication. YMMV. I was still taking lorazepam bid and alprazolam prn in addition to the lamotrigine. Have you spoken to you doctor about the difference you notice in your cognitive abilities? I went in and screamed at my doctor that I was becoming a drugged out zombie with no noticable beneficial effects so let's call it a drug trial and get me onto something else. I wish I had been that eloquent but I'm sure it was a string of cursing and lots of muttering that I don't know what word I want but I'm sure he can get the gist of what I'm getting at. I do remember lots of crying at that meeting and me yelling why was he asking me so many questions because my brain couldn't handle the complexties of them at that time. (simple things like what medication next and what could help now.........but way way beyond my cognitive abilities on lamotrigine)

Speak up to your doc if this med isn't giving you beneficial effects. You're a consumer as well as patient and be a vocal one when the benefits do not outweigh the risks/SEs.

Take care.