[*Laurie*]

Hi, My pdoc raised my Lamictal dose to 175mg. I took the first full dose last night and today has been really rough. Has anyone here who has been or is on Lamictal had side effects including extreme sleepiness, spaciness, aching, and/or a general feeling of confusion?
I'm wondering what the heck is going on.
Thanks

[still_crazy]

hi. sometimes, i feel spaced out on lamictal. i also take abilify.

i have an acquaintance who has been on lamictal forever. works nicely. he ended up also being given a low dose stimulant...then the shrink reduced the lamictal a bit, because he had all kindsa concentration probs, towards the end of the day, on a high dose.

on the plus side...its not lithium, its not depakote...for me, its been a lot better than trileptal was, although the rash of death is very scary.

i will say that it seems lamictal is usually safe, but some people -do not- do well on it. im not one to suffer thru psych drug trials myself, so...if your shrink is reasonably compassionate, why not try something else? lamictal is kind of an 'it' drug right now, anyway...like klonopin and a couple others. in 5 years there will be a new 'it' drug.

sorry about your suffering. :-(

[*Laurie*]

Originally Posted by still_crazy

hi. sometimes, i feel spaced out on lamictal. i also take abilify.

i have an acquaintance who has been on lamictal forever. works nicely. he ended up also being given a low dose stimulant...then the shrink reduced the lamictal a bit, because he had all kindsa concentration probs, towards the end of the day, on a high dose.

on the plus side...its not lithium, its not depakote...for me, its been a lot better than trileptal was, although the rash of death is very scary.

i will say that it seems lamictal is usually safe, but some people -do not- do well on it. im not one to suffer thru psych drug trials myself, so...if your shrink is reasonably compassionate, why not try something else? lamictal is kind of an 'it' drug right now, anyway...like klonopin and a couple others. in 5 years there will be a new 'it' drug.

sorry about your suffering. :-(

Thanks for your reply. Depakote and trileptal were useless for me. Lithium was okay, but I had a toxic reaction so got pulled off of it. I don't mind giving Lamictal a chance - if it's a med that doesn't cause me to feel like I'm half-past dead all the time.

Yeah, I was prescribed Klonopin when it was THE IN med. "Mother's Little Helper" - only even better! Right. Over 20 years ago. Been on it ever since and have never been able to successfully stop taking it.

And now - definitely...Seroquel and Lamictal are the psych med gods these days.

[Scooter9]

I was on Lamictal for four years and was taking 300mg at the end. It made me dizzy, tired, and caused memory issues (both short and long-term memory).

I was able to eventually cope with the dizziness; I took it at night to manage the tiredness; and I started to write a lot for the short-term memory issues (I rely on my family to fill in the gaps in my memory I have to this day).

Other than these problems I had a very positive experience on it - I was the most stable I had been in years...it was a nice part of my life.

Unfortunately, it caused liver damage so my doctor stopped it pretty quickly once we figured that out (they usually try to titrate you off of it but I stopped it within 3 weeks...I was so incredibly dizzy during that time too).

[*Laurie*]

Thank you for sharing your experience with me, Scooter.
I think I'm doing better today. Hopefully, the odd feelings were a result of the increase in 25mgs. and have passed.

[Scooter9]

I remember that things really evened out at 200mg for me. Up to then I was cycling throughout the day but a few days after I hit 200 I felt incredibly stable and not at all depressed (my major issue is depression).

I'm glad you're giving it a chance.

[88Butterfly88]

I had body aches, chills and breast pain on 100 mg Lamictal XR. It also made me more depressed and manic. I went back to 75 mg and feel much better.

[Edgy2018]

Any physical side effects went away. Biggest sides I have had are with specific types of recall (memory). "Tip of the Tongue" moments all the time. And this may seem odd...but my sense of direction (driving) has taken a dive. As in, I will go somewhere but not remember how to get there, even after going several times. I recently moved to a new area, so this really stands out to me.

The only reason I think this even has to do with Lamictal is the "memory" thing started when I started Lamictal, and is dose dependent. When I reduced my dosage, the effect went back down.

I have also seen other people mention this. I'll bet the "directions" thing is not noticed by many people, because I wouldn't have noticed unless I moved, so it is a "special" circumstance (being in a new place, but being there repeatedly). I guess people might notice it on vacations for an extended time.

[SparkySmart]

I've been taking Lamictal for years (20?) and tbh I don't think I've ever had any symptoms on it whatsoever. I absolutely never could tell a difference. No dizziness, no memory problems, nada. I always had a poor sense of direction, so nothing there. I always wonder if...ya know...I stopped taking it, maybe my life would be so radically better or something. A lot of things I notice (forgot where I put that danged cellphone again) I typically attribute to age, and I wonder if Lamictal was so subtle that I never noticed things had changed. Lamictal has been so transparent that it's the only medication I take willingly, 200 mg in the a.m. and 200 mg at night. Research suggests that it's safer at much higher doses (reserved for treating epilepsy).

Hmmm. Maybe I'd be a lot smarter, or a faster typist or something, if I tapered it. Food for thought.

[SparkySmart]

Oh...I meant to say above, "Research suggests that it's safe at even higher doses (usually reserved for treating epilepsy).

Scooter9: Sorry about the liver problems. My labs have always been normal, but I'll sure be on the alert for this.

I took lithium for years but was often toxic. Also, it made things taste funny, like metallic or something. Gave me a visible tremor, too.

[*Laurie*]

Thanks, everyone.
The side-effects seem to have subsided. I do notice some memory issues with recalling words, but that's been going on for a long time.

[cool09]

I never had side effects until he pushed it to 600 mg and my eyes crossed.

[*Laurie*]

Originally Posted by cool09

I never had side effects until he pushed it to 600 mg and my eyes crossed.

Oh, yeah - I have that happen when I get tired. It's weird and annoying.

[~Christina]

Originally Posted by cool09

I never had side effects until he pushed it to 600 mg and my eyes crossed.

Holy hell thats a HUGE dose ! Most pdocs go to 300-350 at most

Was there a reason to go so high? Usually if it’s not helpful at 300-350 it’s hella unlikely to help at a double dose.

It’s actually a med for seizures it’s just prescribed off label because it has shown helpful in Bipolar. I now see a lot of people with depression are being prescribed it.

600 mg .... just wow

[WarpedTrekker]

I've been on 75mg for two weeks, and I had some type of cardiac issue happen. One morning, got up from my recliner to stand up, and felt major palpitations and racing heart. Took out my Kardia Mobile EKG that I have for my AFIB. It showed normal rhythm but 120+bpm, which is not normal for me. Especially not when just standing up. Had to call 911 and go to ER but they said all was fine.

I am now reducing my dose to 50mg and going to talk to my doctor. My resting HR has also been higher than normal. Usually it has been 50-70, but now it's 70+.

[*Laurie*]

Originally Posted by WarpedTrekker

I've been on 75mg for two weeks, and I had some type of cardiac issue happen. One morning, got up from my recliner to stand up, and felt major palpitations and racing heart. Took out my Kardia Mobile EKG that I have for my AFIB. It showed normal rhythm but 120+bpm, which is not normal for me. Especially not when just standing up. Had to call 911 and go to ER but they said all was fine.

I am now reducing my dose to 50mg and going to talk to my doctor. My resting HR has also been higher than normal. Usually it has been 50-70, but now it's 70+.

Yikes! What a frightening experience that must have been for you. Seems that reducing your dose was a very good idea. Your experience makes me wonder...I have noticed heart palpitations lately and a feeling that reminds me of having drunk too much caffeine. I have been kind-of dismissing it, but I wonder if the Lamictal is causing the sensations.