[djdaniel]

Hi everyone, I started Lamictal for my Bipolar II about a month ago, starting with 25mg and slowly titrating up. At 50mg, I felt amazing and dare I say, normal; I felt like I had energy and was excited about things again. But now I've been on 75mg for about a week and it's horrible, I feel worse than I have in months, like my worst highs and lows altogether and I can't focus on anything. I'm always tired but I feel like my heart is going to beat out of my chest it's going so fast. Has this happened to anyone else?? I read that it takes time to adjust when increasing the dosage but is it possible that maybe 50mg is my "sweet spot"? Thanks in advance!

[LucyG]

I was on Lamictal for about 2.5 years, and at first I also felt fabulous. It wore off, and when I went to a higher dose, I developed the most severe anxiety and despair imaginable. I sobbed uncontrollably for days, and when I'd close my eyes and try to sleep, I'd see monsters. Fortunately I remembered that a neurologist told my sister that antidepressants can cause anxiety so I googled it to see if Lamictal did too. Sure enough, anxiety is a side-effect! I decreased my dose and the anxiety decreased.

The high dose did trigger a receding hairline so I ended up going off it.

[gina_re]

I just stopped lamictal on Thursday. I don't think it did much of anything for me. Talk to your pdoc ASAP if you're experiencing negative side effects. But it is a med that needs to be titrated slowly. I was never able to really find my "sweet spot" and I gave up.

[newtobipolar]

That happened to me!!! at 50mg, I felt totally normal!!! It got pretty bad while I was still titrating up, but I think I hit a magic dose..250mg. H

Lamictal was a lifesaver for me. I would hang in there until you get to a therapeutic dose.

Good luck!!!

[OctobersBlackRose]

I'm on Lamictal and it saved me, it has evened me out really well, I'm not a mess anymore. I'm on 200mgs currently but I think my sweet spot was 150mgs, idk yet, I see my psychiatrist November 7th, and I'll give it another month before I decide to go back on 150mg. Bug for me Lamictal works well, the only med I've been on the longest, it will be a year, as of November 6th that I've been on Lamictal.

[fishin fool]

I am on 100 mg of Lamictal, the pdoc started giving me a higher dose and I felt awful.
If I stay on 100 I feel fine, any higher and it is misery.

[djdaniel]

Originally Posted by newtobipolar

That happened to me!!! at 50mg, I felt totally normal!!! It got pretty bad while I was still titrating up, but I think I hit a magic dose..250mg. H

Lamictal was a lifesaver for me. I would hang in there until you get to a therapeutic dose.

Good luck!!!

Thanks for your reply! Just wondering if you considered going back down to 50mg instead of continuing up to find the right dose? That's what I'm
thinking of at the moment because I really don't know how I can handle this until (if ever) I find the right dose for me..

Lamictal does nothing to stabilize my mood, but it eliminated the extreme aggression I once had. So, mood stabilization is one thing, but symptom relief is another.

In my opinion: if you titrate up to a "therapeutic dose" and you feel worse off, then go back to 50mg since you know it makes you feel better.

Everyone has a different "sweet spot", as you call it, and your overall goal is to feel better. "Therapeutic dose" depends on the person. Just because a medical handbook says 200-400mg is therapeutic, it doesn't mean that 50mg isn't therapeutic for you. That's the important thing to remember.

[Cocosurviving]

Blue bicycle is correct....I take 400 mg of lamictal and I'm fine. In fact I'm needing to take something else with it. I started it in winter 2012 as a mood stabilizer to help me with SAD. It did the job. Well last year I had some depression but I just dealt with it. This year I do not want to so my pdoc is adding a new med to my cocktail.