[AniManiac]

I've heard about Lamictal side effects including word loss. I think that's starting to be an issue for me...

What's happening is that I'm increasingly unable to find the right words when writing (though a few moments of effort usually brings it out) but more problematic is not being able to think of the right words in conversation. Usually a specific one is needed, no good synonyms or I can't think of those either because I can't think of the word. Today I couldn't remember the name of a nearby town where we board our dog - I only just remembered it now. Last night it was the name of a TV series.

It becomes a performance anxiety issue (oh god, dissertation defense coming up! ) when I'm talking directly to someone because trying to keep up with conversation exerts a lot more pressure to find the right word. It's now happening often enough that it's getting a bit embarrassing. Started happening at 100mg, getting progressively worse at 150mg.

I'm a very verbally literate people so this really bugs me. Does anyone else experience this, and do you have any suggestions about how to deal with it?

On the plus side, this does appear to be the only Lamictal side effect so far...

[Trippin2.0]

So sorry you're experiencing this. Lithium did the same to me, it was embarrassing and frustrating. I had to google synonyms, cos if I was lucky, I could remember the not so creative cousin of the word I had lost.

Sometimes I was afraid to post for fear of using Primary school level language.

I'm sorry I have no advice. Just wanted you to know that you're not alone in this

[Rosie23]

I can't say I have had that happen any more often than normal. I am still at 100 mg. If I go up and that changes, I will let you know.

[Moose72]

happens to me, too. Then, other times, I have strings of $10 words.

[~Christina]

Same problem here .. Its incrediably frustrating ! so Lamictal is weight neutral but word losing ... meh not sure its a good trade off :\

(((hugs)))

[Lauru]

I have it too, so frustrating. There have been many times in a conversation where I can't find the right word or any word to complete the sentence and I just sit there in silence, along with the person I am talking to. So embarrassing. I too have always been verbally advanced, now, not so much. BTW I take 400 mg Lamictal a day. So yeah, sucks. I just play it off and change the subject entirely and laugh it off. Only thing I have found to do so I don't look so weird.

[mgran]

I'm on a hundred lamactil, and yes, I definitely find myself at a loss for words more often. Also, my spelling and syntax have really suffered. I used to never make mistakes like getting "two" "too" and "to" mixed up, now I'm always having to check what I've written for such mistakes. I even spell words like "threw" (as in "he threw the ball") as "through", or even more embarassingly "throo". I spelled "professor" as "prophesor" earlier today, getting the word muddled up with "philosopher", which I spelled "fillosopher".

I'm an English graduate, by the way. (And yes, I originally spelled that "buy the way.") As you can imagine this is quite bothersome to me... after a year I've learned to compensate for it, at least while writing, but it's embarassing. I can't help but feel stupid, even though I know I'm not stupid.

If anyone finds a cure, let me know! I don't want to go off my meds, because then I'll crack up. But in the mean time... help?

I do take omega oils, and from my online journal it appears to help, as does zinc.

[Forgive77]

Yes. I'm on 200 mg, and I prob need more....I write and talk like a 9th grader.....so annoying!!!!!!!!! I'd like to sound as literate as some of you...LOL I can read it...why can't I write it or speak it? LOL Looking at Dragonfly, Innerzone, and Ani's posts make me feel like I've killed all my brain cells from getting pregnant too many times....sigh....I guess it's the lamictol too. Super!

[blossom12]

I had this problem really bad on lower doses. I am now on 500 of Lamictal (although the new pdoc says studies dont show it does any better at a dose that high, for modd stabilization) and rarely have word finding trouble.

[Sheba976]

I'm on 200 and it seems I have aphasia. The words I want to say come of my mouth completely different or a shortened version of the same word. I can't blame the lamictal. I've also had an abnormal MRI and a bunch of other weird symptoms so who knows.

Yes, Ani, this happens to me too. Total blank, then something comes to mind that:
* rhymes with
* has first same letter as, or
* is obliquely related (ie. "cellar" for "down")
Meanwhile thinking, "it's got 3 syllables" and running through the sounds of the alphabet over and over...
And yeah, it really does bug me. 99th percentile for college bound on ACTs, language freak, f'd up my life and now this?!
Yesterday's golden moment? "geranium" for "uranium". Lol. (I'm starting to write them down, since some of them are so bizarre they're funny...)
Wish I had some good advice, but alas...no.

Originally Posted by Moose72

happens to me, too. Then, other times, I have strings of $10 words.

So true! Question is: Who's going to show up?!

Originally Posted by Forgive77

...Looking at Dragonfly, Innerzone, and Ani's posts make me feel like I've killed all my brain cells from getting pregnant too many times....sigh....I guess it's the lamictol too. Super!

OMG, too funny! (At least in regards to mine.) It takes me hours to write any kind of substantial post if it's any consolation.

[Rosie23]

Originally Posted by AniManiac

I've heard about Lamictal side effects including word loss. I think that's starting to be an issue for me...

What's happening is that I'm increasingly unable to find the right words when writing (though a few moments of effort usually brings it out) but more problematic is not being able to think of the right words in conversation. Usually a specific one is needed, no good synonyms or I can't think of those either because I can't think of the word. Today I couldn't remember the name of a nearby town where we board our dog - I only just remembered it now. Last night it was the name of a TV series.

It becomes a performance anxiety issue (oh god, dissertation defense coming up! ) when I'm talking directly to someone because trying to keep up with conversation exerts a lot more pressure to find the right word. It's now happening often enough that it's getting a bit embarrassing. Started happening at 100mg, getting progressively worse at 150mg.

I'm a very verbally literate people so this really bugs me. Does anyone else experience this, and do you have any suggestions about how to deal with it?

On the plus side, this does appear to be the only Lamictal side effect so far...

I do do this! lol. I guess this is something that has snuck up on me and I never noticed until you said something.
But I also do not need to find words the same way you do so it makes sense that I didn't notice.
And lately I use my phone for proper spelling way more than I used to.

[AniManiac]

Thanks, folks - even if there's no good solution, it's nice to know I'm not alone with this!

The part that gets me in conversation is that it's a mid-sentence stop. Everything is going fine until suddenly that stupid word is gone. Like IZ, I can usually think of the first letter (this is typically the case when I "normally" would lose a word) but it no longer comes to me within a minute or two, I have to work really hard if I'm going to find the words at all.

The other day I was trying to think of "The Dresden Files" and the best I could do was Google (thank you iPhone!) "TV show wizard detective." Yesterday I was trying to think of Chittenango, but could only come up with Canandaigua or Canastota.

Oh well... Hopefully it doesn't get any worse!

[Beebizzy]

Same problem here. 300mg Lamictal. Missing words, and really bad memory. Degree, masters and half a PhD (thanks BP) in Literature.

It has been disastrous in work. I frequently look completely stupid in front of my boss and colleagues. I give a presentation and the next day cannot remember any of the content. I explain something I've worked on to my boss - without words.

'Performance anxiety' is exactly it. Forget words - look & feel like idiot - get super-anxious and stressed the next time - forget words even more. Etc.

I WISH there was something to do about it.

[Moreta]

I wish there was something you could do about it also. I started doing cognitive function training the other day, as per pdoc and t's orders, and I really struggle with the language games. There's this one game where you have to decipher a code, and after looking at it for 5 mins, I just gave up. It's soooo frustrating.