Lamictal for Bipolar

And yeah, Lamictal has some funky side effects when starting it, but they DO go away! The weirdest one for me was these insane body twitches and shaking. The twitches were crazy--they happened constantly. I read later that the reason for the twitching is this: because it is an anti-seizure medication, it functions partially by not allowing the muscles to relax fully. And you can tell! My muscles were painfully tight for a week or two and the twitching seemed to happen as the muscles tightening and as they released. I have no tight muscles and no twitching or shakiness at all anymore. It lasted for maybe the first 2-4 weeks. Actually, on Lamictal I have ZERO side effects...unless you count smiling as a side effect. (I just hope it keeps working!)

I think the sodium valporate is making me slightly more stable and seem to draw my cycles out slightly. but i still have this major depression - it doesn't last that long, but is seriously intense and debilitating

shakti, thank you so much for the reply.
glad to hear that it is weight neutral, always on the hunt for meds like that, when i eventually get back in to see a doctor i will ask about it.

i too have to thank lamtical for saving me. I was diagnoised almost 4 yrs ago and that has been the main med that has kept me stable, however i am still strugling with the depression end of things though. I did at one point loer my dose and i was actually sucdial so i knwo that is what is keeping me sane. It gets an a + from me

Did want to share though. When I started my titration pack which was 2 weeks of 25mg, 2 weeks of 50mg, then 1 week of 100mg. The nurse said that if I missed like... 3 or 4 days then I would have to start back on the titration all over again. I dont know if they are just overly cautious but I have noticed any weight issues yet, am currently on 200mg, and didnt really have any problems or side effects from it. Increased acid reflux but that could be from my crassy *** diet.

They titrate Lamictal because starting on high doses is association with a serious skin rash called Stevens-Johnson Syndrome. The chance of having it if you slowly increase the med is very small. I take 200mg of lamictal and it has been great for me, no noticeable side effects at all.

I just wanted to add that I think Lamictal saved my life...seriously. I never got off the roller coaster until I stopped "playing dr" with my meds. I was supossed to tke Lamictal for seizures anyway, and once I finally took it, it was like a veil was lifted. I still ahve the mood swings, but I seem to be in a LOT more control of them...and they aren't nearly as bad. I haven't had even one suicidal thought since being on it.

I never had the rash....have slipped up with dosing (taking double accidentally because it looks like Lexapro)....and everything has been fine with this med. My great-aunt takes it as well for grand mal seizures...and has been on it 12 years. I secretly think it's why she's one of the only ones in the family that doesn't have trouble with her mood.

Anyway, give it a try. Once I finally did, it changed my life. I wouldn't go off of it now unless I was in SERIOUS danger. I <3 Lamictal.

Lemme ask you all a question--have any of you noticed a difference between the Lamictal and the generic version? I am taking the Lamictal brand name now and, in my opinion, it has made a world of difference. The generic didn't seem to do much. In looking online I found that for this particular drug a lot of people have noticed a difference. I've never noticed this before with any other med I have ever taken...just this one. I'm curious...

Shakti,

My great-aunt has taken Lamictal for about 10 years...she warned me about the differences and said that if I do go with a generic (which I do), to use a small, local pharmacy (they usually get it from the same supplier in large quantities). She said when she'd get Lamictal (generic) at CVS/Walgreens that it would vary widely.

By far, lamictal has been the best med I've ever taken. I lost all of the weight I had put on from taking depakote. I no longer need an anti-depressant. The only thing is, it sort of kept me in an elevated hypomanic state when I first started taking it. And that continued until we dropped the dosage down. I'm taking some other meds (trazadone) to help with sleep, but I think those issues are starting to go away as well. There's a good chance that lamictal will be the only med I take.

It's leveled me out without making me feel numb. I feel like myself again, only the peaks and valleys are much more well-controlled. I've been very happy with it.

It sounds so inspiring - now to find a doc that will take me off Sodium Valporate and try this out. Why let me struggle along if there's a perfectly good plan out there...!??

sugarhorse. my psychdoc has explained to me that Bipolar is such a complex illness that for most, a variety of meds are required including mood stabilisers such as Lithium, which I'm on and which helps with the "highs" of Bipolar, Seroquel, which I am also on, and Lamictal, which helps with the "lows" of Bipolar. So it's not necessarily a either or with the meds - some people - like me, need a complex mix. I'm also on a PRN for Valium for my panic and anxiety disorders and then other drugs to address the side effects!! lol

My psychdoc has just upped my Lamictal to 400mg a day. I didn't really know why he did that but now I see it was an early intervention as I am am in the midst of some major life-stressors which in the past have had me go down the tubes and had the bad thoughts, so I am greatful he is such a proactive doctor - best I have ever had.

Wendy, sure I understand that every case is unique and a combo is usually required. I'm on anti-deps, mood stabiliser, benzo's as required and sleeping tabs as required.
But my pdoc is not listening when I tell her the DOWNS are BAD, and I don't feel much of an improvement. A friend of mine was/is on Lamictin and very happy with the results.

Yes, that's exactly my experience, I had had progress in the other areas, but my relapses were always Bipolar Depression so the Lamictal was introduced. Oh, and I'm on a sleeper too.

I was on it for a long time, it's great for a lot of people for the depression part of bipolar, and for Bipolar II. It's a mood stabilizer. It was actually working really well, we only went off it to experiment with a different drug for a totally different reason. I would happily go back on Lamictal.

I'm on 200mg of lamictal. Built up gradually after taking Lithium. The side effects of that were extreme. Definitely out of the norm. Lamictal seems to be working well, and I also take a 1-2mg of Abilify. It seemed to be the extra I needed to completely eliminate the nagging little voices I was hearing in my head. Actually, and try not to laugh......I kept hearing America the Beautiful, over and over again during quiet moments. Anyone else's experience?

Hmmmmm......all this is interesting to me. My Lamictal was recently increased to 200mg. Prior to that I had been taking a lower amount along with Lithium. Lithium was intolerable......Lamictal, alone, seems to be working wonderfully. Just happy to see that it can be boosted with something else, should I "max" it out. I am taking a miniscule amount of Abilify along with it......just 1 mg (a pill split in half). So far, so good......greylove

Shakti, I've had constant twitching in my right hand and a need to constantly jiggle my leg. Believe me, it's no big deal compared to my Lithium side effects......but I was more than interested when I read your post. Yes, it is an anti-seizure med. That makes sense, that the muscles are tenser or whatever I remember it to be from your post. Nice to think that it will probably, but if not I'll be staying with Lamictal regardless. It seems to be working really well for me.

All the best,
greylove