Lamictal Side Effects

What experience do people have with Lamictal in terms of side effects? I just had it added to my Lithium/Depakote cocktail.
Thanks

Hey!

I think it depends on what BP you are.....Most studies have shown that Lamictal is great for people with BP 2, but does nothing for BP 1.

I am on Lithium, Tegretol, and Seroquel. p-doc thought about trying Lamictal as an addition when I was depressed. It did nothing. I am classic BP 1.

But, if you are BP 2, you might have really good luck with it..

I'm on Lamictal and it works great. It takes a while for the drug to build up in your system and you have to be sure you check for any signs of a rash, but it really has helped me immensely. I'm bipolar II and this is the first med that has been able to control the depressive moods.

After being on it for a while I've noticed some difficulty with memory retrieval. I'm not missing memories only having to take extra time to process and access information. My doc is dropping my dosage slightly to see if the memory retrieval issue improves. The other side effect I have is extremely dry skin.

Good Luck!

I am BPII. I was feeling healthy and symptom free for about two weeks. Then I had an appointment on Tuesday. The Psychiatrist
added Lamictal.

The next day, I felt drowsy all day and a bit of depression started to come back. Then, last night I tossed and turned all night and got hardly any sleep. Fatigue by day, insomnia by night. I blame Lamictal.

I called the doctor and he said to keep taking it. I know he is the doctor, but I know my body. I just don't think it is right for me.

What should I do?

I have heard a lot of people say that when they begin Lamictal and every time they increase the dose they feel crappy. After their body becomes accustomed to the dose then it goes away. I didn't have the crappy feeling, but I did have fatigue and insomnia. I'm not sure it was the Lamictal though as I have dealt with this for a very long time. I can't sleep due to the OCD and I'm constantly fatigued by the depression. Yuck!

Give the drug and your doc a chance. It is one of those that take patience to see if it will work, as it needs to slowly build up in your system. You may not feel a real difference in your moods until you are at a therapeutic dosage (usually 200 mg), I know I didn't notice a difference until I had been at 200 mg for over a week. It took 10 weeks to get there, but I'm glad I did.

Lamictal may not be the drug for you, but before you decide that this isn't for you please remember that this drug takes time to work. Good luck, even if Lamictal doesn't pan out, I hope you find the right drug for you without too much trouble!

I am BP1 and have been on Lamictil for some time...the pdoc has uped my dose to 200 mg a day.
Side effects I have experienced include: dry skin and trouble sleeping at night.
It has really helped the depression and the mood swings... I swing very rapidly and the meds have definitly helped.

Thank you to everyone for your feedback. I did have to discontinue the Lamictal. It caused sedation that impaired my ability to work and it also caused severe insomnia. It brought back depression that wasn't there to begin beforehand too. I am staying positive and I espect to feel better in a day or two.

The doctor only prescribed it as a prophylaxis for BP depression, not to ease any current symptoms. I was feeling great before the Lamictal. I wonder if it interacts with Lithium?

I've been on both lamictal and Depakote. Depakote has a lot of bad side effects like weight plus you need to get blood work done all the time from what i was told it can shut down your liver. Then i was put on lamictal which has fewer side-effects But they are both mood stabilizers which I hated I had no emotions and started cutting and burning myself just to feel pain But that me for some people they work great but i love my manic I lived with it my whole life and its who i am. The meds . I take now just bring it down abit I still cycle up and down and sometimes its hard but its my choice .You need to find what work for you to be level all the time or to ride the waves up and down or some where in between.

I am also on Lamictal and have had really good success with it. I don't know how old you are, but I am middle aged (feel younger) and as I have aged I have realized that I don't handle stress very well and get depressed and overwhelmed very easily. When I was younger I lived mostly in mania, and it's a high. But as you age things and circumstances change. Good luck...D