Posted by BarbaraCat on July 20, 2002, at 10:29:14
In reply to BarbaraCat/Anyone, posted by McPac on July 20, 2002, at 10:04:07
Hi Mc,
No that doesn't sound strange at all. Lithium makes some people feel too mellow and dopey. It has a smoothing effect on my nerves. As for Lamictal, we share the same interests and questions. Dr. Ivan Goldberg, who has his own website and is a contributor to this board, highly recommends Lamictal as both a mood stabilizer and an antidepressant. In fact, just recently an article was published (I think it was in Science) that it's a much better drug for the depression end of bipolar disorder. That lithium acts as a good augmentor and potentiator to antidepressants and works better in preventing mania, but Lamictal acts as a good antidepressant in it's own right as well as a mood stabilizer. I'm going to ask my pdoc for it next time. As far as side effects, one in particular is noted in the precautions and worries my doc, and that is if you increase too quickly there's a possibility of a skin rash that can be uncomfortable. Some people also just don't like the way it feels, or it works for a while and then the good ol' poop out. Definitely do a search on this board for Lamictal. It's the best resource for anecdotal stories rather than the scientific research (which many are funded by the same pharmaceutical company that made them - hmmmm).As far as are they all the same/work the same. No, they all seem to work differently by different routes and I couldn't begin to do this topic justice. Here's the website for Dr. Goldberg.
http://www.psycom.net/depression.central.html
Do a search on Lamictal, or mood stabilizers or whatever you want to know (helps to use the exact phrase option). Here's another page with loads of links about depression.
http://stripe.colorado.edu/~judy/depression/
You'll find a lot of good information to start your research. - Barbara
> BarbCat, do you know much about Lamictal? I have just started to read some on it. I am wondering if Lamictal would do the same positive things for me that lithium does? I've read that Lamictal may have LESS side effects than lithium, so that interests me. Also BarbCat, do most/all of the mood stabilizers pretty much do the same thing? i.e., lithium, Tegretol, Lamictal, etc....what's the difference in what they would do for somebody?
> Finally BarbCat, I'd love to hear your opinion on this: I can only take ONE lithium pill EVERY 2 or 3 DAYS and benefit greatly from it. It keeps me much less anxious/nervous, much more calm, etc. I have NEVER heard of anybody benefitting from such a miniscule dosage!!Even when I did take "more" of it, I would only take 1 a DAY, that's it, to feel fine. What do you think? The reasons that I like lithium is because it helps me to feel much more calm and not "frantic", it keeps my temper/anger/agitation away, it mellows me out and keeps that "high-strung" feeling away. In other words, I seem to need it MORE as a "nerve pill" and NOT as an anti-manic pill. Does that sound odd? Thanks!!!
poster:BarbaraCat
thread:1924
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020718/msgs/113026.html