[Movingon69]

I have been on 50 mg Lamictol and have been bumped up to 100. Prior to the bump up something clicked and I felt calmer than before hurricane Harvey. However, since bumping up I get very dizzy when I stand up and can’t get out of bed. I don’t feel depressed just very lethargic. Any one else experience this? Will my body adjust? My mind is still clear and calm. It’s just the exhaustion and fatigue I’m dealing with

[Blueberrybook]

How long have you been on the new dose? I think sometimes you adjust and sometimes you don't. If the side effects don't go away, consult your pdoc. I haven't had that issue upping my Lamictal, but everyone is different.

You mentioned Hurricane Harvey. I hope you did not have damage from it? We live in the Houston area and evacuated deep into the hill country (past Fredericksburg) to stay with a friend of my mother-in-law. I was a nervous wreck the whole time, but we got lucky and had no damage though we couldn’t come home for awhile due to road conditions (plus people on Nextdoor warned of lack of groceries and gas in the area). That was so stressful, I think worse than Ike even though that time we lost a large tree and needed a roof replacement and the power was out forever. That time we evacuated to Plano to stay with my sister, and I was glad. My daughter was 9 months old at the time and over a week without electricity and the heat and a baby would have been a nightmare.

I agree with cln1812 that adjustments to meds vary. If you want to read other experiences, I'll share mine. Lamictal has only been activating for me. The very first time I took Lamictal I eventually became manic with major league energy from it. I remember feeling better than ever as it was eventually raised to 300 mg. I was also on Abilify at the time. After a while, the mania became severe enough for hospitalization. My medications we're charged.

The second time it was added after a very long severe depression for which I received ECT. After ECT relief my depression started to return. That depression was very stubborn. My meds were overhauled. After the initial switch, the new meds still struggled to completely rid me of the depression. That was when Lamictal was again added. By the time I reached 75 mg I felt stable. My psychiatrist then increased it to 100 mg, at which time I started to become delightfully hypomanic, so he added more antipsychotic. That created a most leveling situation. I've been on 100 mg Lamictal now for almost 8 years now, along with a high dose Tegretol XR and kind of high dose Seroquel XR. Seroquel XR has also helped with depressions over the years as well as manias. He never chose to increase my Lamictal because it can be so activating for me. For me, Seroquel XR manipulation seems to be safer.

One might ask why he keeps me on low dose Lamictal? Well, would removing it make it harder to fight future depressions? Adding it back would of course be a slow process. It's only one pill per day, which at one point was a hero. I regard all three of my medications as heros for me.

[Movingon69]

Originally Posted by cln1812

How long have you been on the new dose? I think sometimes you adjust and sometimes you don't. If the side effects don't go away, consult your pdoc. I haven't had that issue upping my Lamictal, but everyone is different.

You mentioned Hurricane Harvey. I hope you did not have damage from it? We live in the Houston area and evacuated deep into the hill country (past Fredericksburg) to stay with a friend of my mother-in-law. I was a nervous wreck the whole time, but we got lucky and had no damage though we couldn’t come home for awhile due to road conditions (plus people on Nextdoor warned of lack of groceries and gas in the area). That was so stressful, I think worse than Ike even though that time we lost a large tree and needed a roof replacement and the power was out forever. That time we evacuated to Plano to stay with my sister, and I was glad. My daughter was 9 months old at the time and over a week without electricity and the heat and a baby would have been a nightmare.

Fortunately I did not receive damage even though my house backs up to a bayou. My issue is I’m considered essential personnel and couldn’t evacuate. Prior to the storm coming in I rolled my office phone over to my cell phone so I could help field help. Our water supply went down for two weeks which caused major panic. I received 763 phone calls over the course of two weeks day and night. This plus staying up to monitor the bayou because my daughter and her babies evacuated to my house. They live closer to the coast. She’s married to a police officer and I’m married to a fire fighter. So we hunkered down together for moral support. Needless to say I got zero sleep during that event and it threw me into a manic state that lasted until January. Hope you made it through okay

[still_crazy]

hi. i take 200mgs/lamictal. sometimes...i feel a bit spacey, things feel surreal. it passes quickly, thank goodness. pscyh drugs can be kind of unpredictable...effects vary from person to person.

id personally -assume- that you'll get better with it, over time, based on my experiences with lamictal, but...I'm not you (nor am I any kind of expert), so...as with any psych drug: if it gets bad, call a doctor (please). :-)

[Pookyl]

I always feel a bit odd initially with medication changes and it usually settles. However, letting your dr know how your feeling is important.