Posted by BK on April 5, 2001, at 22:06:34
In reply to Anyone tried lamotrigine (Lamictal) by itself?, posted by Chaston on April 5, 2001, at 20:14:47
> Hi,
>
> I have read that lamotrigine is both a mood stabilizer and an antidepressant. Has anyone here had experience using it alone, or as the primary med, to control bipolar II depression?
>
> Several people that I have talked to with recently diagnosed bipolar disorders were prescribed lamotrigine by their Pdocs. Most of these people, though, got diagnosed while in manic phases. I have had more problems with depression, but do experience elevated moods that have turned hypomanic on antidepressants. Apparently, I have bipolar II, and I also have periodic problems with anxiety.
>
> For the past 5 months, I have been taking Depakote (750-1250 mg) and Neurontin (1000 mg) along with 125mg Zoloft/day. Although I've been having 1 or 2 up days a week over the last couple of months, I'm depressed the other 5 or 6. Various SSRIs have helped me a great deal in the past with both depression and anxiety, but I don't want to risk worsening the mood swings by increasing the dosage of Zoloft too much. I'm wondering if I should ask my Pdoc to consider lamotrigine to replace all three.I tried Lamictal for about four months and did experience some positive cognitive effects and some mood ehancement as well. Unfortunatley, I also experienced rather painful sore throats and a persistent and severe dandruff that made me eventually stop using the drug. Compared to most AD's, I found the side effects, other than the ones i just mentioned, not too severe. Its definitely worth a try and I noticed improvements within two weeks. Good luck.
poster:BK
thread:58850
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010403/msgs/58861.html