Posted by 3 Beer Effect on March 19, 2002, at 1:17:12
In reply to Topamax: help!! Almost ADD effect, posted by Kristin on March 18, 2002, at 22:10:57
Lamictal is an mood-stabilizer/anticonvulsant,non-manic inducing anti-depressant that is commonly prescribed for Bipolar II patients.
I am also a Bipolar II college student & had to get a medical withdrawl b/c I couldn't cope with schoolwork when I took Zoloft, then Remeron & then Effexor XR.
I have found that Lamictal is the only mood stabilizer/bipolar med that does not cause memory/studying problems. Studies have shown no difference is memory or cognitive ability in patients taking Lamictal. Lamictal is also one of the only mood-stablilizers than has an anti-depressant effect (although it is a much weaker effect than the SSRIs like Prozac). I haven't had any side effects as of yet on Lamictal (100 mg). The only thing is you have to start at a low dose (like 25 mg) & increase by 25 mg every 1-2 weeks until you find a response somewhere between 100-200 mg. It seems to take a month to make a noticeable difference.
Wellbutrin SR is one of the only anti-depressants that actually helps studying & remembering info for exams & is also used to treat ADD.
So perhaps the best combo for you would be Lamictal + Wellbutrin SR.
Topomax, Depakote, & Lithium are notorious for their "dumb drug" effects.
Also, I tried Neurontin- felt like a dumb, somnolent zombie- definitely can't study on that stuff. Avoid Remeron- makes you so sleepy, somnolent you can't study, all you want to do is sleep or eat.Benzodiazepines are good for anxiety & anti-depressant side effects (insomnia) but do cause some problems with short term memory. Some studies indicate they make you 10% dumber but the person taking them doesn't realize this. I take Klonopin (a 2nd line anti-manic agent & benzo) for anxiety/social phobia & it seems this effect goes away after awhile- Klonopin does not seem to affect ability to study for me, just recall & memory.
poster:3 Beer Effect
thread:98693
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020318/msgs/98737.html