Posted by colin wallace on January 13, 2003, at 8:11:49
In reply to Re: Lamictal » colin wallace, posted by catmint on January 12, 2003, at 14:41:52
> Colin,
> Aside from the initial boost, I am still having mood swings, and anger but I suspect it is due to the increases which I do once a week. I also started drinking coffee again, which makes my edgy temperament worse.
> I was wondering, what would you suggest for titrating from here? I have been on it for 5 weeks, and am at 10mg in the morning and 2.5 in the afternoon. You said in your last post that the increases can get higher the longer you're on it. What would you suggest? I do need to increase seeing as how yesterday, I stayed in bed most of the day (of course the sun hasn't been out for 5 days here in N. Cali.)
> Do you have trouble getting out of bed in the morning? I also have had an upset stomach in the morning as well. Could be depressive symptonms, cause once I take the Lamictal, it's all better.
> To be honest, I am worried about all these increases. Are we just becoming tolerant to each dose and if so, the increasing won't ever end? I recall, Peter (or Peter S. is it?) started having severe mood swing after being on Lam for 8 months was it?
> Well, on the other hand, Laura is doing well going on almost a year. Of course, she takes that tricyc. med too.
> Ok let's keep in touch. Are you working again?
> AmyMinty,
You're at 5 weeks and on 12.5mg ,right? In my modest opinion, you need to climb the dose
ladder a touch quicker about now and hit 25mg within,say,2(no more than 3)weeks.
Are you pill-splitting or using 2.5 dispersables? You could immediately double your
afternoon dose to 5mg for 2 weeks (17.5mg)and then take the plunge and go for a (whopping!)
25mg.This is actually pretty much the way I did it (I think I hit 25mg within about 6 to
7weeks).I then began taking it as a single morning dose.
My mood evened out a bit from 25mg onwards, and (weekly) raises of 12.5mg became fairly
easy to take.
I don't have too much trouble getting out of bed in the morning, although I do have trouble
finding stuff to occupy myself with during the day.This has driven me to the end of my rope
in the past, especially having been too ill to work for over two and a half years.
Like you, when the weather closes in, I really get pulverized-all too often in the UK.
Still, I've improved well enough on Lamictal to contemplate getting back to work, and I
think being re-inserted into a 'normal' environment might have a 'normalizing' effect on my
mood- fingers crossed.It could all go 'tits-up' though, as we say in the UK!!
I wouldn't worry too much about the dose increases- I've just dropped back from 150mg
to 125mg, as it feels better.I hope I'm reaching a kind of dose plateau.
Being med. sensitive at least means we've got more time before the mileage wears out
with this med-if it's gonna wear out at all.Mucking around with an AD at this point
might not be a good idea.I'll probably start thinking about it when I reach around 200mg.Good luck!
Col.
Ps.A low dose benzo.(4mg diazepam)is a real lifesaver for me too.
poster:colin wallace
thread:99337
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030113/msgs/135645.html