[pawn78]

rapid-cycling bipolar 1 with mixed episodes

this is the latest self-diagnosis based on my mood chart. My mood is all over the place, it even changes dramatically sometimes from morning to evening, especially if I get triggered by some stress-event. My chart looks like a mountain range!

Anyway, I am taking Lamictal, but I am getting really impatient, I am still at 50 mg, and this is taking forever to build up to 200 mg!

I am hopeful though, as I tried Lamictal once before and the results were so good, that I thought I was cured and went off my meds... (not going to do that again! Learned my lesson!)

Also, this research I read about Lamictal being helpful for rapid-cycling compared to placebo.

Originally Posted by The Carlat Psychiatry Report

Rapid-Cycling Bipolar Disorder. In 2000, the “Lamictal 614 Study Group” published what TCR will describe momentously as “The World’s First And Only Placebo-Controlled Study Of Rapid-Cycling Bipolar Disorder.” (2) Well, it’s true! Open label studies have been done on other anticonvulsants in rapid cycling bipolar disorder, but none incorporated either a placebo group or random assignment. The results of this study? Forty one percent of the 45 patients taking Lamictal monotherapy were stable at the 6 month mark, versus only 26% of the 49 taking placebo (p = 0.03). Not a bad result, and since nothing else apprears to work in rapid cycling bipolar disorder (see TCR 1:8), you might as well give Lamictal a spin.

[BipolaRNurse]

Lamictal as monotherapy......wouldn't THAT be nice? Sure wish that was all I needed to control my version of BP.

[pawn78]

Originally Posted by BipolaRNurse

Lamictal as monotherapy......wouldn't THAT be nice? Sure wish that was all I needed to control my version of BP.

We'll see, the doctor said he might have to add another med to the Lamictal.

up to 75 mg today!