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*Beth* · Jul 15, 2020 at 12:26 PM

Hi FluffyD, I'm so glad you have brought this subject up. Nystagmus is a weird and disturbing sensation. It's one I have been concerned about in the past.

I have not had nystagmus from lithium - although lithium commonly causes it - but I have experienced it with a few other meds. I wish I could recall which meds...I know I was experiencing nystagmus last year, quite a bit. It is very possible that Gabapentin caused it.

I did speak with my pdoc about it, she took me seriously and told me that yes, it is a side effect of some meds. The good news is that whichever med caused it, it did abate after a few months. Well, either that or I stopped taking that particular medication. I don't recall.

I noticed that nystagmus happened more frequently when I was tired and/or had been doing close work for an extended period of time without taking a break. So my eyes were weary. In fact my pdoc's exact words were, "It might be a good idea if you stop doing work with your eyes when you notice the nystagmus, because it can indicate that your brain is tired and needs to rest."

Hopefully, Lamictal will not cause it for you.

With regard to Lamictal, I really haven't noticed any side effects from it. Many people do say that it's activating; unfortunately, I haven't noticed that, either.

My only complaint about Lamictal is that I feel rather "flat" on it, but my pdoc and therapist tell me that what I'm describing is not really flat so much as it is normal/stable. i.e., I miss hypomania...but it, unfortunately, morphs into mania