[nicedd]

I was diagnosed with BP about 6 weeks ago my dr. started me on 25mg of lamictal and I am in my 5th week and on 100mg. But this seems to be one of the worst weeks so far. I also take Lexapro and Ambien. But I am also back to taking xanax almost everyday this week and sometimes with the ambien to get to sleep. I was feeling so good last week that I thought by going up to 100mg. would be a good thing. I go back to mydr. tomorrow but I was curious how other people respond to the Lamictal

[Amazonmom]

You can avoid the nasty rare side effects of Lamictal by very slowly ramping up on the dosage, just like you are doing now. The problem is that the wait for it to reach a good dosage is long. My two good buddies (who confessed that they are bipolar when I told them about my diagnosis) said eventually the Lamictal was good at controlling the depressive episodes.

I am still on the first week of lamictal, taking only 25 mg per day.

It is immensely frustrating, but my NP told me to have patience and is giving me other stuff to help stabilize my mood. Lucky for me the Zoloft switched me out of a horrid severe depression right into the highest hypomania I have ever had, so I am not having to be depressed while I wait for lamictal to get to a therapeutic level. NO MORE SSRI drugs for me, I had no idea they could precipitate severe hypomania or full mania in people with bipolar II who never would have reached such a level of elevation otherwise...Of course I didn't even know there was bipolar II until last week. (I was originally diagnosed with unipolar postpartum depression, hence the Zoloft). Maybe I should keep the Zoloft to shock me out of the next episode of depression.....just kidding.

[thelionkinglives]

lamictal did nothing positive for me...then again I think that has more to do with an inaccurate diagnosis than the medicine.

let us know how it goes...take charge of your own treatment...don't let anyone bully you into something you are not comfortable with...

[onlymedid]

Not all meds work the same for everyone. Unfortunately there can be some trial needed. It took a LOOONG time for me to find the right med and it has worked wonders for me and that is Lamictal. It took about 6 weeks for me to get to my max for dosage and during that time I felt really weird. I was feeling a bit...dizzy (not the right word, but close) and out of it sometimes.

Now, about a year later, I feel really good! In comination with other meds, I really feel like a different person.

The best thing is to make sure you are talking with your doctor about how you are feeling as some of the feelings may be par for the course, so to speak.

Good luck and best wishes!

[nicedd]

did you find that during the 5th week at 100mg that you were more tired than usual. Also i am feeling more paniky. I also get that dizzy feeling. I havealso in the past week temporarily lost my dog who is blindand deaf and forgot to put my car in park, luckily the key wouldnt come out of ignition. These feelings have been going on for so many years now, that now i have a diagnoses I just want to feel better. Thanks for your help.

[nicedd]

Thanks for your comments. This week has been tough I am on 5th week of lamictal at 100mg and I feel more tired and panicky. I am hoping that after a few more weeks I will start feeling better.

[mvanessa]

Hi, I currently take lamicatal and am on 100 mg. So far so good with side effects and being stable!

[onlymedid]

Originally Posted by nicedd

did you find that during the 5th week at 100mg that you were more tired than usual. Also i am feeling more paniky. I also get that dizzy feeling. I havealso in the past week temporarily lost my dog who is blindand deaf and forgot to put my car in park, luckily the key wouldnt come out of ignition. These feelings have been going on for so many years now, that now i have a diagnoses I just want to feel better. Thanks for your help.

When I got to 100mg I did feel some what drowsy and out of it. I didn't think it was going to work at one point, then I spoke with my doctor who told me that what I was feeling was 'normal' and to give it just a bit more time to get to the full dose. If I didn't feel better, then we would try something else. Everything worked out.

I can totally understand about losing things because I was doing the same thing. It was sort of like one of the side effects or something! Very weird!

I hope that things get better for you, soon!