[Lola5]

I can't find any med that has helped with my anxiety over the past 10+ years. My anxiety only gets more and more severe.

A new p-doc put me on Lamictal a few months ago. He said it works well for treatment-resistant depression. I'm titrating up slowly, going up 25mg every 3 weeks. I'm currently on 100mg and I feel like crap. I don't know whether my anxiety is worse due to the Lamictal or starting school.

I've been really suffering and the only thing my pdoc says is "let's wait and see until you get to a therapeutic dose of 200mg. We need to see if this will work." It will take 12 weeks to get to that dose and I don't feel like I can handle it. I'm vomiting daily, not sleeping well, my body is shaking.

This medication is supposed to work for anxiety, according to my doctor, but do I give up hope on it if it hasn't helped even a little by this point?

[Travelinglady]

Hey, sweetie. A therapeutic dose is when the med is supposed to start working. I'm sorry you're feeling awful. Are you sure it's because of the Lamictal? I took it for years with no problem--but people are different.

[still_crazy]

hi. maybe lamictal isn't the medication for you? its your body, so at the end of the day, it really should be your decision as to whether you continue taking lamictal, try something else, or give up on psych drugs completely.

personally, i think psych drugs aren't all they're cracked up to be. i take abilify, because i've had some major problems in the past. it keeps me able to function reasonably OK and I haven't been hospitalized in a long time. That's great and all, but I'm beginning to think that's about all I can really expect from any psych drugs, and I don't understand why doctors insist on putting people on drugs for problems that might be solved in other ways.

[Shazerac]

Originally Posted by still_crazy

hi. maybe lamictal isn't the medication for you? its your body, so at the end of the day, it really should be your decision as to whether you continue taking lamictal, try something else, or give up on psych drugs completely.

personally, i think psych drugs aren't all they're cracked up to be. i take abilify, because i've had some major problems in the past. it keeps me able to function reasonably OK and I haven't been hospitalized in a long time. That's great and all, but I'm beginning to think that's about all I can really expect from any psych drugs, and I don't understand why doctors insist on putting people on drugs for problems that might be solved in other ways.

Still crazy has a valid point. It could be that your Lamictal hasn't reached a "therapeutic" dose yet. But its also a possibility that its not the drug for you. It could be making you feel worse instead of better. Drugs are not always the answer and they are never a magic bullet.

[*Laurie*]

Lamictal didn't help me in any way, and it certainly didn't do anything to lessen my anxiety.

But that's me. For many people Lamictal is really great. I do think that you need to reach the therapeutic dose before you know whether it works or not.