Lamictal and Insomnia

Hi All,
I'm wondering if anybody with experience with Lamictal and insomnia has any input to my current situation.
**** 9 months ago I was on 200mg lamictal (generic) taken in the morning. I thought it worth a try to go back up to 250 which I was on a year prior (sucked going down to 200). So after a week on new 250 mg I started having bad sexual sideeffects (not good for starting a new relationship) so after 2 weeks I dropped back down to 200mg (morning) (-50 mg per day). After the 10 days of mental hell subsided this god awful insomnia started. However this is different from other bouts of no sleep... This time I am not tired during the day until day 3-4, yet I screw things up, terrible memory and all exacerbated from no sleep . When I go to bed I am tired , calm, cool , not in a bad place ( a little indica hours earlier shifts my mood to a better place). So my mind isnt going , physically I'm relaxed... yet I JUST LAY THERE , drowsy, too tired to read or do anything... but I just don't fall asleep and if I do, a couple hours later I'm up . Ive had mixed results with prescription meds and non prescription meds.
My current working theory is going up 50 mg of Lamictal then back down 2 weeks later screwed my brain up some how? My psychiatrist, psychologist and primary care doc have no idea. The only possible culprit is the Lamictal... However going off it is hell for me and I dont want to put myself thru that if I dont have to .

Here some background info:
I wasn't too stressed about it cause I know there can be some kick backs when adjusting meds (so being anxious about it wasn't always a factor ) but the weeks turned into months ...I am not bipolar, I have General anxiety and some depression from being worn down with issues.. and alitle ADD (no hyper). My life does really suck at times for the past 10 years with stress daily (have been doing some mindfulness to help with it) .However these issues are nothing new. I currently take 200 mg Lamical 150 mg wellbutrin (generics) and trying different sleep things on and off.
Any ideas? similar experiences? opinions or recommendations?

Thankyou in advance.

Wellbutrin can be activating. Do you take it in the morning ?

I used to be on 300mg Lamictal and there was a time I had problems with sleep. I would be tired and would fall asleep after about an hour but I would wake up and stay awake a few hours later.

I tried Seroquel at 25mg an hour before going to bed for a few months and it worked. I was able to stay asleep. I stopped it after a few months because I found I was able to stay asleep again on my own.

I used to take Lamictal at night though since it made me really dizzy after I took it but it was ok by the morning.

I hope things improve for you.

Its the wellbutrin.

Wellbutrin can be activating but I find lamictal activating also. So do some others for these reasons I take both pills in the morning

I take 200 mg lamotrigine which is the generic form of Lamictal. I take it at night, which, alongside trazodone, help me fall asleep... I am not sure why, from 4 or 5 months onI wake up a couple or three times and can't seem to go back to sleep, so I usually either take a cup of chamomile tea, or 3 mg melatonin. In extreme circumstances I am also prescribed Klonazepam, and, if I have a function I need to attend in the morning, I take a quarter of my dose, that seems to take the edge of my awakened... However, if I take clonazepam more than once or twice, my forgetfulness and absentmindedness increases.

No sure if any of what I wrote will help, but that's my experience with it all.
Good luck to you.
Peace,

ed

Lamictal affected my sleep (frequent wake ups) and made me drowsy when initially taken (dose).

Lamictal also affected my memory and cognition.

Hey Edgy, I can relate... You said affected (in the past tense), curious to know what you take now, or if you quit taking meds altogether...

I also feel a drain in my cognitive abilities for being on meds over the years...

(sorry for delay).. I do take the wellbutrin in the morning. I have for years with no sleep issues.

Thanks for the good wishes Glad the Seroquel worked for you. I tried 50 mgs and it only helped a couple times... then I would just get the drug hangover the next day without sleep night before . I would keep going up on it but it would be as good as adding another med to my regimin (active in higher do

I took trazadone for years. Not really knowing if it worked or not after awhile... but sleeping got better so I kept taking it. This time around doesnt really help (100 mg)... I only tried it for about 5 days then stopped .

This insomnia is weird in that none of the sedating drugs really work that well (they appear to when I havent slept for days.... then stop after a good nights sleep). I really need to cut off the lamictal and see if my hunch is right... its just a long ****** process if the last 3 times of going down on the dose are an indication.

Have you ever considered a sleep study?

Quote:

Originally Posted by lifecansuck I took trazadone for years. Not really knowing if it worked or not after awhile... but sleeping got better so I kept taking it. This time around doesnt really help (100 mg)... I only tried it for about 5 days then stopped . This insomnia is weird in that none of the sedating drugs really work that well (they appear to when I havent slept for days.... then stop after a good nights sleep). I really need to cut off the lamictal and see if my hunch is right... its just a long ****** process if the last 3 times of going down on the dose are an indication.

Yes, I have to wait until October though. Not to be pessimistic but lets say they confirm yes, you have a problem, what can they do about it? Another med? I dont have sleep apnea (I dont snore). I have pretty good sleep "hygiene" as Ive had issues before for a different reason. But hey, you never know and the study is a good "foundation" to figuring it out I guess.

I'm doing a sleep study in a couple of weeks, won't receive results until mid-October. No, if you have sleep apnea or one of the many sleep disorders that are possible, another med is not the only treatment. There are CPAP machines...supposedly over 100 types of them. I think it's worth trying, and sure can't hurt.

Surely cant hurt. I will go into it with an open mind. I hope you find the answers in your sleep study . Goodluck

Hello ~ I am on Lamictal. Started on 12.5 mg 2 months ago and on my 3rd month I am now up to 25 mg at night.


I have found that I am now having significant insomnia. Where I have always struggled with insomnia, not like this.


So, I now take one quarter of a 25 mg tablet of Seroquel to help me feel sleepy and get to sleep, but I do wake up 4 hours later. Then I take another quarter and back to sleep I go, but have to wait an hour in my recliner until it takes effect.

Just recently added Benadryl to the mix and I do take .5 mg of Klonopin at night.

In the morning I do have the sedation hangover and it takes half a day to work thru that and I am not capable of doing much.

I have felt the Lamictal is activating and may try it in the morning instead.

I have done numerous sleep studies. They found I have restless limb and restless legs and I have hundreds of wake ups throughout the night. So, the findings are that I have mild obstructive sleep apnea. I stopped using the appliance and machine in December 2018 because I could never adjust to all the appliances after years of trying. Now wearing my fitness tracker which translates to my apple app to track my sleep throughout the night. It still shows I have alot of awakenings all throughout the night and could be why I always wake up tired and have fatigue during the day.


So, it's a mixed bag...... could be the Lamictal is playing a part in all the insomnia I am experiencing now which is worsening as I increase the dose. If it wasn't for the Seroquel I don't know what I would do for sleep.

Keep posting as I am interesting in your experience with Lamictal. Thank you for posting this.

Birdie

aha! you guys hit the nail right on the head. Sleep apnea! I have sleep apnea, diagnosed years ago... The machine was blowing more air than needed to keep the air flowing, so it was more of a hindrance to me than help... I changed insurance companies and never got the opportunity to readjust the airflow, so I ended up donating my machine to someone that needed it at the time...

Currently I take wellbutrin 150 xl ... My pharmacist said that as we get older things change and I should have the dr perscribe a non "xl" version to see it that helps... Ill hear back in aweek and see what she says

I talked to my pharmacists and she said body changes over time so its possible Wellbutrin is the culprit. I take the XL verson and she suggested I take a less kind that doesnt last for 24 hours. I should hear from my doc in a week and change that and see if that helps

Sure, .. 25mg of Lamictal, that is low. hopefully it eases up some. I wish the seroquel would work for me consistently. But I may try again... its in the box of "sleep med hopeful's" that I contemplate which one to take each night. I do keep a journal as to what I took, and how many hours I think I got the first round of sleep (if there is one) then how many for the second part. Of all the hopefulls, the only consistency so far is which ever lands on day 3-4 of bad sleep. So I have found no consistency of any of them yet .

I would think the constant waking all night would be as good as no sleep at all.... Maybe a hot bath or shower will relax you more

Hello All....
So Ive worked my wellbutrin down to 75 mg immediate release in the monrning... no change with sleep (never had sleep issues with this). I have been down to about 6mg of lamictal (25mg tab cut in 4) for about 6 months now. I still have the same insomnia. Do you think that the insomnia is still due to the lamictal even though I didnt have a problem untill I tried getting off it? Ive tried skipping days to get off it and I am a mess so dont skip anymore. I cant believe such a small amount can have any effect?

Another issue is my dr wants to put me on Depakote for the depression anger. Problem is I am not bipolar and there could be serous side effects and stuck on all for a long shot. Most of all it probably wount help me sleep. Ive been taken 100 mg of Seroquel at night for a week now. I slept the first night then since maybee 3 hours a night. Still awake during the day. I dont want to get stuck on this drug if it isnt helping me sleep. Problem is the Dr. is probably going to make me stay on it for 6-8 weeks to see if it will work. But I cant see how waiting anylonger would result in better sleep (my mind isnt racing at night). Im thinking that alot of my anger and depression now is due to being so bewildered by all this lack of sleep and nothing really helping for any length of time
Has anyone been stuck on such a small dose before? is it possible that the lamictal can still be the cause of insomnia because I tried getting off it?

Hi, I'm on Lamictal and haven't noticed that it causes insomnia for me, it makes me sleepy. I think some people do refer to it as "activating", though. You're on the tiny dose of Lamictal because of a withdrawal difficulty? If it does cause insomnia for you, what about taking it in the morning?


The "depression anger"...how do you know you don't have bipolar disorder?

Do you know that the smaller doses of Seroquel help to induce sleep more than the larger doses do? So 50mg., 25mg., even 12.5mg. I am with you on not wanting to get stuck on Seroquel, especially on a dose over 25mg.

One more question: Why did your pdoc remove Lamictal and wants you to take Depakote instead?

Sorry for all the questions, I'm trying to better understand your situation.

Hi,
I have always taken it in the morning.
I dont think Im bi polar because Ive asked multiple drs and therapist before and they always say no, they say general anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder. I do know that I don't get the highs and my lows are not sudden and I dont go low without a reason (Im worn down by my life sittuation and no sleep).

I have tried the lower doses of Seroquel and they didnt help consistently. I was told that the sleep dose is usually 100mg.
It was a previous Dr. that prescribed the lamictal as a long shot (250) , the first month was awsome then after that no different than without for like a year or so . ... My new Dr. I told him I want off because it wasn't doing anything and he agreed I shouldn't be on it ...I went down real slow over a couple years. The Dr. wanted to try depakote because I told him that I was having really ****** days with alot of rage especially on days that I skipped my 6mg dose (I cant cut it any smaller). He says it discontinuation syndrome and I should go on something else to help get off the Lamictal

I got off Lamictal and go onto Lamotrigine - NZ stopped funding Lamo and I regressed on Lamic so got special compensation to go back on Lamo.

Lamictal caused bad night terrors where I’d fall down a flight of stairs and end up in the ER because I had blood coming out of my nose. At least I think it was the lamictal. I haven’t had any problems like that in about a year though.

I like that it has few side effects so I’ve stuck with it. I heard it can destroy your teeth as well.