[SingDanceRunLife]

So my pdoc really wanted to put me on an anticonvulsant mood stabilizer once my depression lessened, so we were messing with as few meds as possible at one time, and I saw her this morning.

She had previously talked about lamictal, tegretol and trileptal, and brought it up again today. She asked my thoughts like always (love her for that!), and I said I would try lamictal [again] because from the research I've done it seems to be the best tolerated.

Now, I say again because lamictal was the very first med I was put on when I was Dx'ed 5 years ago. I was on it for about a month and then I developed a rash (not THE rash, but a very bothersome one and even though it was suggested I work through it I was like, take me off this drug), so I stopped it and tried other things.

Because of my past experience with it, my pdoc is having me titrate very slowly...12.5mg for 2 weeks, 25mg for 2 weeks, 37.5mg for 2 weeks -- and I don't know how fast after that. And if I do develop a rash again, I will try to work through it because at this point I've been on so many meds and have had so many side effects that I know which ones I can work through and which ones I really can't. I really hope it works!!

Since she didn't tell me morning or night, I'll start taking it at night with the bulk of my meds, and if need be, switch to morning.

This makes med #6 in my cocktail...but once I'm stable we're going to try and get me off klonopin daily and make it a true PRN.

Yeah, I think your pdoc is taking the right approach. She recognizes that everybody is different.

I'm sure there are people who can start taking 400mg of Lamictal without titrating up, and they won't get a rash or any side effects. Conversely, I'm sure there are people who can't tolerate more than a 10mg increase every 2 weeks.

Hopefully this titration works for you. "Slow and steady wins the race"!

For what it's worth, I just take Lamictal at night. It's easier for me to remember since I take all my other meds at night.

[SingDanceRunLife]

I agree that going slow is the best way, at least for me. I did the normal titration schedule the first time around, and that was too fast for me.

I take meds both morning and night, so either way I'll remember to take it, as long as I put it in my pill box -- and I fill my 2 up every Saturday night so my meds are ready Sunday morning for the week! I have 1 very activating med (Wellbutrin), so I have to take it in the morning, and one that I take in the AM and PM (buspar)...so I've got my night pill box and my morning pill box, and both are kept in places where I won't forget them!

[*Laurie*]

Going slow can make one feel impatient, but I think it's a smart way to acclimate to the medication. I hope the Lamictal works well for you this time.

[SingDanceRunLife]

I'm glad to be going slow on this. Usually I get impatient, but with lamictal, it's known that when you go slow you're less likely to get side effects.

I don't really remember if I had any side effects other than the rash the first time around, but of course, that was when I was very new to the diagnosis and medications. I do remember that it did change my mood pretty quickly though...within 2 weeks (maybe even less) I was way less irritable and more even keeled. Others, like my friends noticed before I did, but that gives me hope that it'll work since the reason I told my doctor no more was the rash, not anything else.

[eclogite]

The regular titration schedule was way too fast for me.

[SingDanceRunLife]

First dose went well last night. No side effects. Hoping that going super slow will keep them at bay.

[bizi]

Please wait a while before changing you klonipin dosing. and decrease in small increments. It can cause rebound anxiety.I take my lamictal and klonipin at night to sleep only.
bizi

[SingDanceRunLife]

Originally Posted by bizi

Please wait a while before changing you klonipin dosing. and decrease in small increments. It can cause rebound anxiety.I take my lamictal and klonipin at night to sleep only.
bizi

I already cut it down significantly. Six to eight months ago or so I was taking 5-6mg/day and now I only take 1. If I had been in a better place I could've gone off it completely, but I tried to do it too fast and actually had no psych withdrawal, it was all physical and super intense and painful. As soon as I figured out that's what it was, I went back up to 1mg at night.

[88Butterfly88]

Lamictal really helps me. I hope it helps you too. Trileptal didn't work for me.

[SingDanceRunLife]

Thanks. I hope it helps too!

[SingDanceRunLife]

So it's been about a week, and so far, so good. It's pretty much like I'm taking nothing. Kind of makes me want to titrate faster, but I'm going to stick with my pdoc's schedule.

[SingDanceRunLife]

A month and a half in and things are good! I'm at 75mg now so it finally feels like I'm getting somewhere. My pdoc wants to get me up to 150mg in 12.5mg steps...SUPER slow, but still no side effects, and definitely a more leveled out mood! Maybe once I get up to 150mg we can lower my Zyprexa back to 10mg because 15mg is kind of zombie-fying me.

[cincidak]

I take 150mg of Lamictal in the morning. I was taking 300mg, but I started itching really badly and a rash started. Not "the rash" as you say, but it was intolerable. That's when my pdoc reduced it to 150.

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[SingDanceRunLife]

I totally understand the intolerable rash.

I'm almost up to 100mg now and things are going well. By the time I see my pdoc again I'll be at 150mg which is where she wants me.

[cincidak]

Good, I really hope it helps

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[SingDanceRunLife]

I think it is helping already! I don't feel so all over the place anymore. Getting to the point where I can say I'm stable. Not there yet, but hopeful I'll get there.

[cincidak]

I'm so glad! It good to hear of others getting better. I've only been stable for nine months, and I'm hopeful it will continue. So glad you getting some relief.

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[SingDanceRunLife]

I have yet to truly be stable, and I've been on this ride for 5 years I've had periods of relative stability, but that's about it.