[Coffeee]

Hi everyone, I am currently on lithium and Abilify for BP I and my pdoc suggested I start Lamictal and taper off the lithium so I am not so sedated all the time. Any experiences with Lamictal? Advice?

[wildflowerchild25]

Most people take it and it works well. Unfortunately it gave me blurry vision which is an unusual side effect. So I had to drop it before I knew whether it worked.

[Wander]

I tried Lamogtrigine(Lamictal) for several months but it did nothing so it was stopped. I was disappointed as it had zero side effects. Due to this I had to stay on Lithium but I don't find it sedating like you so it doesn't cause me too many problems.

One thing you have to be aware of is the SJS rash that may (very, very low probability) come. I would expect your doctor has mentioned it as it can be dangerous.

Many others on this forum have had good experiences with Lamotrigine so they may be more helpful than me.

Good luck!

[Coffeee]

Thanks wildflower and wander!

[John Primo78]

it really is a great medication, i have been on 150mg for about 5 years, best thing about it is it does have anti-deppersant like effects so if your on an AD already it will only work that much better. Above all in a great and much safer mood stabilizer

[bizi]

I have taken it for many years and found it to be good with geodon which is my main stabilizer. just recently have increased to 300mg...to help stabilize me...more hypomania
bizi

[alincdytyourmeds]

It didn't really workfor me

[xRavenx]

Originally Posted by Coffeee

Hi everyone, I am currently on lithium and Abilify for BP I and my pdoc suggested I start Lamictal and taper off the lithium so I am not so sedated all the time. Any experiences with Lamictal? Advice?

Lamictal works well for me. I did not really experience any side effects, which is rare for me when it comes to medications. The only thing I noticed was a little bit of weight loss and perhaps a slight decrease in appetite, but then I adjusted, and it wasn't a significant issue to begin with. The tapering up process took a long time (probably over a month). With Seroquel, Lamictal is helpful as a stabilizer for me. The Seroquel is adjusted and increased when I have the acute onset of symptoms, but she always keeps the Lamictal in place at the same dose. Although I'm never completely symptom-free, it has made a positive difference.

Originally Posted by Coffeee

Hi everyone, I am currently on lithium and Abilify for BP I and my pdoc suggested I start Lamictal and taper off the lithium so I am not so sedated all the time. Any experiences with Lamictal? Advice?

I'm type 1, as well, and I highly recommend it. It is the only med I've stayed on since day one of my diagnosis. I currently take 100 mg in the morning and 250 mg at night. I've been up to 600 mg before. It seems to help as a mood stabilizer on the depressive end, IMO. Side effects are much lower than Lithium. I don't find Lamictal sedating at all...but, like you, Lithium sedated me.

xo

Originally Posted by Wander

One thing you have to be aware of is the SJS rash that may (very, very low probability) come. I would expect your doctor has mentioned it as it can be dangerous.

Good point, Wander. The Steven-Johnsons rash is very rare but serious. When I first started Lamictal my pdoc said go to the ER the same day if I saw a rash. I never got it, but Wander was smart to mention it.

My boyfriend has bipolar 1 and he takes Lamictal, too. A family affair, I suppose lol....it's a good med for him and no rash.

[Hashi/bipolar mom]

Love me some Lamictal! I was put on Lamictal 8 years ago (7 years before BP diagnosis). They have added other drugs since being diagnosed last year. Lots of experimentation. As the others say, watch for the rash. For me, I find it energizing so I take my full 300mg in the morning.

[Coffeee]

Originally Posted by rainyday107

I'm type 1, as well, and I highly recommend it. It is the only med I've stayed on since day one of my diagnosis. I currently take 100 mg in the morning and 250 mg at night. I've been up to 600 mg before. It seems to help as a mood stabilizer on the depressive end, IMO. Side effects are much lower than Lithium. I don't find Lamictal sedating at all...but, like you, Lithium sedated me.

xo

That's good to hear rainy!

[Coffeee]

Thank you for all your input everyone! I'll probably start it in two weeks at my next pdoc appt. Keep ya'll posted 😀

[raspberrytorte]

I'm on 400mg. 200mg twice a day.

No side effects.

However, I've been on it for five years now, and it's starting to not work very well. It does not work for mixed/manic situations. I was (or still could be) rapid cycling, and my main problem was mixed/manic. My depressions lasted, on average, 2 days, and then I'd be manic for about a week.

It was horrible.

However, when it worked it was awesome.

Good luck!

I do recommend it.

My cocktail includes all three: lamictal, lithium, abilify. I also take seroquel at night. I've gone a full year without an event

[John Primo78]

My cocktail is Haldol 2mg tid Prozac 20 limictal 150 and benztropin bid1

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[gina_re]

I'm not a fan. Ever since starting it life had been hell trying to find the right dosage. My mood chart was all over the place going from 100mg to 300mg (titrated up and down with my pdoc over months, of course). Then memory issues became worse and I had it lowered. Insomnia when taken at night. The only good thing I can say about it was that it killed my appetite when I first started it and I lost some weight. Back to normal now. But my pdoc swears this is the best thing to help me, so I'll go along with it.

[Unrigged64072835]

It helped me somewhat. I was 300mg a day. Didn't notice any side effects. i was taken off because it stopped working for me.

[Coffeee]

Hi everyone! Thanks for all your great input, I'm starting Lamictal now. I've been on it a day and so far I am a bit tired and have dry mouth but that's all I'm noticing. Just thought I'd update ya'll.

[bizi]

perhaps increasing your water intake will help that.
bizi

[Coffeee]

Ya that's probably a simple fix!

[heinzwil]

I don't really notice anything different about how I feel but if I miss it, I get an awful headache.

[Dix888]

I got a bad rash from Lamictal. It is supposedly a rare reaction