[bioChE]

I've been having issues with Lamictal lately. I take 200mg, and for the most part it's OK. However I've been dealing with low-grade depression, and some breakthrough depression. We tried upping the Lamictal to 300mg, and that did fine for the mood stabilization. The problem is I started to have visual problems, both blurred and double vision. Someone on here mentioned a split dosing AM/PM helped their visual problems. So I've been trying that. Unfortunately for me, the PM dosing has been messing with my sleep. I can get to sleep OK, but keep waking up in the middle of the night and I don't think the sleep I am getting is restful.

So I'm depressed. I think it's due to the sleep disruption, rather than anything else. I don't think I can continue the higher dose of Lamictal.

My doctor has mentioned both Tegretol and Trileptal as possible replacements for the Lamictal. Does anyone here have experience with either? I'd be interested in hearing anything about them, either good or bad. I think they're both second-line agents for BP, and I hate to go away from the first-line agents. Seems like a crap shoot to me. Take this with a grain of salt, as I feel like at the moment. That being said, I'd be really interested to hear your experiences.

[raspberrytorte]

I was on trileptal for awhile. At a higher dose it gave me double vision so I stopped taking it. It didn't do anything for me either. I felt the same off it.

[gina_re]

Trileptal worked for me. It took a while to build up in my system, but once it did, I felt so much better. For me, it got rid of the irritability and agitation as well. I've been on it since 2009 and anytime a pdoc tries to lower the dosage, the irritability comes back. But I have a clusterf*** of issues and eventually polypharmacy began.

[ComfortablyNumb5]

Originally Posted by raspberrytorte

I was on trileptal for awhile. At a higher dose it gave me double vision so I stopped taking it. It didn't do anything for me either. I felt the same off it.

Same here. I couldn't even drive a car. I ended up in the ER but at a smaller dose it really helped for quite awhile. I'm dealing with lamictal too.

I'm on tripletal. 450 mgs. It really helps. But I wouldn't say with depression. Maybe at higher doses it does. But I use it as a mood stabilizer.

[gina_re]

Originally Posted by rose1985

I'm on tripletal. 450 mgs. It really helps. But I wouldn't say with depression. Maybe at higher doses it does. But I use it as a mood stabilizer.

I think this is true. It relieved my depression in the short term, but about a year or two later I had an AD added. But it really helps as a mood stabilizer for me as well.

[Wild Coyote]

I have tried both. I can tolerate neither due to reactions/allergies.

For what it's worth: I have had three neurologists warn me about the potential "blood dyscrasias" with Tegretol. These can be very serious. I don't know if Trileptal has the same potential for dyscrasias or not. The neurologists seem more comfortable with Trileptal, as does the pdoc. I don't know exactly what this info is worth, yet will pass it on. You are a very intelligent person.

Good luck in your search for a mood stabilizer.
I am guessing you may come back to Lamictal.

Sorry about your depression.


WC

[wildflowerchild25]

It helped with mania but not with depression. However virtually nothing helps with my depression. Emsam is the first thing I've found that works.

[scatterbrained04]

I like Trileptal. I'm on 900mg. Has been a great med for me. Way better than Lamictal in my book. No side effects for me, but it does lower sodium a bit.

[scatterbrained04]

Originally Posted by wildflowerchild25

It helped with mania but not with depression. However virtually nothing helps with my depression. Emsam is the first thing I've found that works.

I'd agree that it does not keep me from getting depressed, and that it is better at preventing hypomania for me. I will say that I don't get as severely depressed as I would otherwise.

[Faltering]

I took 600 mg of Tegretol for a few months. It helped with mood and psychosis, but the neurological side effects were intolerable and somewhat dangerous. I was extremely drowsy in the mornings. I had poor coordination/balance and hand tremors. I also lost my period and became constantly bloated. My period came back after I stopped taking the med. My pdoc ordered a blood test while I was taking Tegretol and it turned out it was at a toxic level. Once he lowered the dose, the side effects got better but soon came back. My body just didn't feel right. Overall, it wasn't worth it for me.

[bioChE]

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences. It sounds like the side effects can be pretty severe. I wonder if that's the reason they're not very commonly used anymore. I believe they were both approved in the 60's, so they're pretty old.

Not sure what I'm going to do about this depression. It's pretty insidious.

[*Laurie*]

I was on Trileptal for almost a year. It definitely helped to stabilize my moods and I felt less...erratic, less irritable. I'm dropping some of my meds, though, and I've dropped Trileptal because it wasn't doing so much for me that I felt I needed to remain on it.