I've been taking Lamictal for a year now. It was always working. Two weeks ago, I went into a moderate to almost major depressive episode: sleeping long hours, low energy, saddness, and frustrations. Now I am back to needing less sleep, have trouble sleeping, and very hyper. I don't know if Lamictal is working anymore! Has anyone had the same experience?

[Psyched]

Hi Joe,
Lamictal actually had a different effect on me then it had on you. Anti-depressants don't seem to work for me, & sometimes lamictal is administered in addition to AD's to help with depression, as it has a stimulating effect. ( I took it in the am; otherwise, I'd be awake all night!) However, I had several hypomanic episodes on it, which led my Pdocs to speculate that I may have Bipolar Type 2.
I've heard some stories on PC & WebMD about meds losing their effectiveness after a period of time. Maybe this is what's happening, & you should consult with your dr. to adjust your dosage or try something new. Or maybe you're going through a particularly stressful time right now?
Good luck.

[Dave255]

If I stop taking lamictal my mood plummets. If my mood naturally drops, if its not that lamictal isn't working, if I wasn't taking it my mood would be much worse.

It is totally possible lamictal is still helping you, preventing it from being even worse.

Lamictal eventually petered out on me, but we have yet to find a med that doesn't do that eventually with me. Ride out this wave of moods and see how you're doing after. Like Dave said, it may still be helping you from getting any worse than you are.

[yutzman]

I've been on Lamictal 200mg for about a month and I'm still waiting for my hypomania to subside.....can't sleep and keep buying and buying (lately groceries...at least I can eat and not waste them) and surfing and surfing here on the web....How long did it take to kick in for you?....and sorry it stopped working for you.....

[gravyyy]

I was on Lamictal for about a year and it didn't do too much for me but was being used in combination with a few other meds so that gets hard to tell. There aren't any meds that are going to "cure" your mood swings. By that I mean you're going to swing up and down more than the average person but the meds try to keep you within a set point to avoid the extremes. It could be that this is a cycle for you and like was already suggested, the Lamictal is keeping you contained (bad choice of word but I think you get my point). If it continues to be a problem though I would talk to pdoc and see if he/she wants to add in another mood stabilizer with it. That happens from time to time. Take care!!!

[Pughead]

Lamictal does the trick for me. I don't take any anti-depressants anymore. But pdoc has put me on a small dose of depakote to counter the wee-bit of hypomania I've persistently had since completing the switch to lamictal.

So, I guess you could say, that so far, I am very happy with it. I'm down to a much smaller cocktail now. I'm BP Type I so there's a longer gap in between swings (supposedly). Anyway, how long does your depression usually last. Maybe lamictal helped to shorten that duration or make it less intense.

All that said, I don't think it's the best drug for controlling hypomania/mania. For me, it seems to have induced it. But being just on the edge of it, rather than over it, that's a pretty good feeling. So I'm not complaining...

But what other meds are you on?

Originally Posted by Pughead

Lamictal does the trick for me. I don't take any anti-depressants anymore. But pdoc has put me on a small dose of depakote to counter the wee-bit of hypomania I've persistently had since completing the switch to lamictal.

So, I guess you could say, that so far, I am very happy with it. I'm down to a much smaller cocktail now. I'm BP Type I so there's a longer gap in between swings (supposedly). Anyway, how long does your depression usually last. Maybe lamictal helped to shorten that duration or make it less intense.

All that said, I don't think it's the best drug for controlling hypomania/mania. For me, it seems to have induced it. But being just on the edge of it, rather than over it, that's a pretty good feeling. So I'm not complaining...

But what other meds are you on?

I am also taking Klonipin (Clonazepam.)

Originally Posted by yutzman

I've been on Lamictal 200mg for about a month and I'm still waiting for my hypomania to subside.....can't sleep and keep buying and buying (lately groceries...at least I can eat and not waste them) and surfing and surfing here on the web....How long did it take to kick in for you?....and sorry it stopped working for you.....

I actually lost 35 pounds. I got off of Depakote er a year ago and went to Lamictal which has been working up until this set back now. I see my psychiatrist this coming Thursday. Lamictal took about a little over two months maybe three to kick in when I started it.

My husband takes both lamictal and lithium which seems to do the trick. There are so many combinations of meds out there, it's no wonder it takes so long to find the right mix.

Originally Posted by farmergirl

My husband takes both lamictal and lithium which seems to do the trick. There are so many combinations of meds out there, it's no wonder it takes so long to find the right mix.

You got that right!

[BNLsMOM]

I couldn't actually tolerate Lamictal which was a bummer because my p-doc says it is a really good mood stabilizer. I was allergic to it.

[WendyAussie]

Hi, I'm new. I'm on a heap of drugs including Lamictal (only for a few months now, including a stay in the psych ward to get the dosage up), Lithium and Seroquel. I was in a long cycle of S* depression through mid last year so that's why the psych tried Lamictal on me. It is defintely helping and I have less S* thinking and planning, more hope and defintely more functionality - with crashes all the time still - some due to Bipolar and some due to panic and anxiety. But now I AM scared that it's effects will eventually wain and I'll be back where I was and worse, because it's life and death for me, so it's very scarey. I'm so maxed out by the whole "guinea pig" with meds over so many years.

Wendy

[dj586858]

My cocktail did seem to stop working a few months ago so we upped my Lamictal from 200 mg to 300 (half in the morning and half at night) and I stopped my Abilify but stayed on the same dosages of Wellbutrin and Cymbalta. Things have been great! That tweak was apparently what my system needed. Since then I have only had one bad depressive episode and it only lasted 3 days which is unheard of for me. Even during a few sad times I didn't fall completely into the darkness.

It is frustrating trying to find what is right for you and having to wait until the meds really take effect before you even know if they are going to help. I was terrified to change anything on mine but it really worked. I strongly encourage everyone to keep trying. And, Joe, please be careful with starting and stopping the Lamictal abruptly. I have been told it can make your blood pressure do goofy things.

Good luck! I hope it works well for you!

[Pughead]

Originally Posted by jersey_joe_in_fl

I actually lost 35 pounds. I got off of Depakote er a year ago and went to Lamictal which has been working up until this set back now. I see my psychiatrist this coming Thursday. Lamictal took about a little over two months maybe three to kick in when I started it.

Same exact thing happened to me. I dropped all the weight I gained from taking the fat pills. But am back on a small dose of them again to offset the hypomanic tendencies...