Posted by colin wallace on February 26, 2003, at 7:50:31
In reply to Re: Lamictal and Pre-emptive Strikes, posted by catmint on February 25, 2003, at 15:42:48
> Colin, Ron, and Ritch,
>
> I have had a mini breakdown, but it's nothing unusual. I am feeling at my wits end on Lamictal, I have had to increase the dose weekly, only to have any effects wear off. I am moody all the time, I'm pretty sure it's lack of Seratonin,
> Like Colin, I have tried the SSRIs and would only take them as a last resort.
> I am having a lot of thoughts running through my head about adding Lithium or Trileptal as well. Ron, please, I like your opionion. Have you gained any weight on the low dose of Lithium? I am meeting with my pdoc on Thursday and will mention both to him. I was a lot less irritable on Depakote, but I don't want to combine it with Lamictal.
> Ritch, does Trileptal work for irritability?
> I am really having a bad day-life, whenever I tell someone I have bipolar, they are like, Ohhhh...(feel sorry for me).
> Last night I was so fragile, I get so hopeless. Col, I can totally relate to how you feel, I sometimes want to run away, but I have a child. By the way, I have been so judgemental of myself
> and can't even feel love for him. I wake up really irritable, and send him off to school,feeeling guilty about my feelings.
> I upped my dose to 50 mg. and yes, am feeling that Lamictal buzz, headachy, energy, slightly more optimistic, racing thoughts, but hey, it's the best AD so far.
> I am so glad I have you guys to talk to about this.
> Hope to hear from you,
> ::Amy
Amy,Here's the good news.The first 50mg of Lamictal is by far the hardest to cope with.When I crept up to 50mg,I thought the world had collapsed onto my head.The anger, racing thoughts,bitterness etc were just awful, and I came so close to throwing in the Lamictal towel.
But 50mg was something of a turning point;after cautiously creeping up the dose ladder in tiny increments,I suddenly thought(at 50mg)...well, to hell with it-lets try moving up by a whopping 25mg-things can't get any worse.
Then,as if by magic, the 25mg dose made me feel normal within a day or so.Such a smooth transition,no irritability whatsoever.It's almost as if you have to prep. your brain for the 'normal' therapeutic 25mg increases, and curiously, when your small gains stop dead in their tracks and things start tumbling quickly-that's the time to hit it hard- your brain signals its readiness.And it happened to me too, bang on the 50mg mark.You've got so much mileage left in Lamictal Amy, believe me.Start going up now by 25mg weekly if you can handle it, and it should be be plain sailing.
I wouldn't even contemplate add-ons yet if I were you-not untill I'd reached 200mg or so, and even then only as a contingency in case things look as if they may just fade out by 300mg.
I often feel like running away too(sometimes I actually do!!)If you decide to make a duck for it, give me a shout and I'll come along-somewhere hot though!!!
Seriously,I can relate to the way you react to your son too-the snapping followed by the guilt.
I have this with my(very sick dad).
Sometimes when my mind is racing, I feel as though I hate him for destroying all my gains.What right has he got to get terminally ill, right!?
However, I don't blame myself for this at all anymore.I love him dearly, and realize that this is just the stress and my illness talking.And it soon passes.
So don't panic, you'll pass through this-Lamictal will take you many more miles before you weigh in there with other meds.(which could well screw things up for you at this stage).Keep cool- we're fighting a long haul strategic battle here.Let's keep ahead.
Col.
poster:colin wallace
thread:203376
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030224/msgs/203954.html