Posted by Cece on March 7, 2001, at 21:44:14
In reply to Re: mood disorders/klonopin,depakote,neurontin etc...., posted by roo on March 7, 2001, at 13:42:44
Hi Roo-
I tend toward depression also- sometimes very bad depression. I have tried many meds over the course of the last 8 years, and now take a quite long list together. I'll give you the whole list at the end- it's longer than I would like (I feel like I am running my own pharmacy, and it's a real job to keep it stocked)- but everything I still take has addressed some aspect of my problems. I'm in the process of slowly decreasing dosages of some things, to see if their function has been replaced by something added more recently- I hope to be able to take some meds out and simplify my life.
I took zoloft- by itself before I started working with my present doctor- it helped for awhile but then started to send me into a very nasty hypomania. Later on, once I got some mood stabilizers going (Depakote and Klonopin) I added it back in and got some benefit w/o the hypo. But I had the sexual side effects, and I was always a little nervous about it becuz of my past experience. I weaned off it, and don't miss it. The only (official) AD that I now take is Nortriptyline- it helps my depression and my sleep.
I have definitely gotten some AD effects from Lamictal, as I hear others have too. I have also quite recently started on Thyroid med (T4, I have taken T3 (Cytomel) for quite a long time as it is a good AD augmenter), and it has clearly helped my mood. Same with Adderall, which is new for me, although I'm now wondering if I really need it, or whether the T4 was what I really needed. Oh, it's so complicated!
Here are the url's of some posts I've made regarding my experiences with different meds, including Lamictal:
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010302/msgs/55558.html
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010221/msgs/54646.html
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010302/msgs/55729.html
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010221/msgs/55183.htmlI have also gotten both anti-anxiety and AD help from Xanax.
So I can't answer precisely about just Lamictal and Neurontin together- I've got too many other meds mixed in. But I can say that it's no problem, and I think that they are probably a good combo on their own. Just depends on your particular depression whether you might need something else also.
So, here's what I take (I've left out my allergy med and my hormone replacement- this is enuf to absorb!):
MORNING:
Neurontin 300mg
Cytomel 10mcg
Lamictal 125mg
Depakote 125mg
Adderal 5mg (down from 7.5mg on 3/7)
Xanax .25mg
Levothroid 50mcg
AFTERNOON:
Neurontin 300mg
Adderal 2.5mg
Xanax .25mg
NIGHTIME:
Neurontin 300mg (down from 600 on 3/5)
Depakote 125mg
nortriptyline 40mg
Xanax .75mg
clonazepam .0625mg (down from .125mg 2/27, will go off on 3/9)
Topomax 12.5mg (since 3/5)
PRN:
Xanax .25- .5mg Q 4-6hrIf you're interested in my experience with Topomax, here's my posts:
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010302/msgs/55393.html
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010302/msgs/55724.htmlI hope that this hasn't been too long of a post, and that it is of some help,
Cece> Ce-Ce,
>
> What's it like taking both the neurotin and the
> lamictal? Do you also take an antidepressant?
> I take neurotin and prozac, but we are hoping
> to wean completely off the prozac b/c of sexual
> side effects. I am concerned about not getting
> enough of a AD effect from the neurotin alone, but
> I can't take any SSRI's without sexual side effects,
> and the other ones don't seem to work for me. Maybe
> a combo of neurotin and lamictal together would have
> enough of an AD effect....
> Anyway, just let me know your experience...I love
> the calming effect of the neurotin...but I do tend
> toward depression as well.
poster:Cece
thread:1356
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010302/msgs/55885.html