[pinkwafer]

Does anyone have experience of this? Does it help bring out of depression when taken with no other meds?

Did you experience any side effects... weight gain? reduced sex drive? fatigue?

A NP has prescribed this but I really think she is convinced has bipolar depression for some reason, when no manic mood has never been experienced, only a sinking, crashing, low mood... end up insomnia, tearful, some shouting in frustration.

NB - have taken several anti-depressants before but did not like how tired made feel. However, were successful in treating depression. Have taken Lamictal before too for couple of years with Effexor that worked very well, but due to side effects stopped all meds.

NP has started up Trazodone (100mg) about a month ago for sleep, been taking Lamictal for a week now at 25mg, aim to get to 100mg by end of month.

[liveforfish]

My doctor wants to try me on it for Bi-Polar instead of tegretol. I'm also interested in hearing others experiences.

[Odee]

I started this some months ago and have been improving a lot since then. I was diagnosed 'depression with anxiety' for a good year under the same psychiatrist. I always felt as though I was just extremely depressed, but came to realize how much anxiety played a role in how I feel and how my switches from depression to anxiety, under activation to anxious restlessness, mirrored a form of bipolar. It's very possible for 'just depression' to actually be related to bipolar.

As of right now I am just taking Lamictal, recently upped to 200mg. I have been on several antidepressants that were of little help which largely influenced the lamictal decision. No side effects -- no weight gain, fatigue, dizziness, etc. It's a pretty 'invisible' drug. Perhaps the only side effect I may have experienced was a stark increase in anxiety peaking a couple of weeks into the titration. (This was anxiety involving the fear of loved ones getting hurt/in a wreck/dying while I was out of contact with them....not something I normally panic over.)

It's a bit of a shoot in the dark to make a leap from depression to bipolar depression sometimes. Lamictal can prove to be a silver bullet in this case, but I understand that titration on the med is a very long process that would be a waste of time for someone who wouldn't be benefited.

Some docs do go to lamictal for depression when antidepressants just haven't seemed to work. Lamictal is known to work particularly on the depressive symptoms of mood stabilization, so it is an option that is tried with some for depression alone.

I only had side effects with lamictal in the early, low doses (below 100mg). Once the dose increased, the side effects went away. Weight neutral for me (and for most people). Initially had aches and pains (felt flu-like), headache, etc., but absolutely no side effects once the dose went above 100mg.

[pinkwafer]

Anti-depressants did work, but didn't like the tiredness. Went on Effexor around five years ago, gained like sixty pounds, decided to stop all meds. At the time I took Lamictal, Effexor and Trazodone.

I stopped Trazodone first, then Lamictal. Felt fine so decided to wean off Effexor too.

Experienced major crash some weeks later when I got a new job, which turned out to be awful environment. I got fired from this after three months. I didn't have a car at the time, only a scooter, this decided to die too. So I know my crash was mostly situational, but I couldn't get out of it alone.

NP has put me on Trazodone (for sleep) and Lamictal, which she thinks will get me out of depression.