How long does it take before Lamictal starts working?

Hello!

I have been diagnozes with cyclothimia about 2 months ago. My therapy consist of 100mg of Lamictal. I was lifting the doze up slowly (25mg every 2 weeks) so I've only been taking my therapeuthic doze for about 17 days or so.

I would like to know how long did it take for you for Lamictal to start working? I have read positive critics about this drug. I also got some Torendo for when i feel nervous and anxiety and cant calm down.

Usually my ecperience is like this. Something happens out of my routine, then I get nervous and then I start crying and see everything in a bad way.

I really am putting all my hopes up for Lamictal to help me. I read it takes quite a while to start working, even when you are on your therapeuthic dose. I hope that it'll help my mood stop swinging and then eventually also my anxiety and small depression will go away, since I think everything is connected.

I hope I'll get some reply. I wish you all the best

Hey, Cocinella, and welcome to Psych Central! I took Lamictal for years, so I can't remember how long it took to really kick in.

One source I read said from two to four weeks.

Any newer Lamictal users out there?

It takes a long time to titrate up to a therapeutic dose. 200mg is generally considered the standard therapeutic dose, so it could take a few months really to get there. Some people need to be higher than that before it really kicks in. Some people start seeing the beginnings of help from lamictal before 200mg though. As in all things medication, it is very individual. You have to be patient with this one because of the slow titration.

I took 150mg for a long time, but I don't feel that I got the full benefits of lamictal until I hit 300mg. I spent about two years on the med before increasing to my current dose.

The lower dose was helpful, but evidently I need more than some people. The low dose cleared me up to where I could recognize my mood changes, but I was still cycling too quickly to really do anything about it. I feel much more in control now.

Give it a month or so on the current dose and see if you feel better. You can always increase your dose over time.