Posted by AMD on May 11, 2004, at 15:03:12
In reply to Re: Lamictal out of system: how long?, posted by Tony P on May 11, 2004, at 12:58:29
I'm worried because ever since I took a 2.5 mg of Zyprexa almost two weeks ago, I've felt horrible. I feel like I'm coming out of it, but I'm scared I lobotomized myself with that single pill. Have there ever been any cases of permanent brain damage from a single dose of an atypical AP? I can't concentrate! Until this weekend I had dry mouth, and felt dizzy. I'm still getting dizzy spells, but not as much.
To top it off, I tried quitting Lamictal, but two days into it I start feeling those AD-like withdrawal symptoms (which I've read shouldn't happen with Lamictal, but which I was definitely experiencing).
I am thinking about weening off all drugs except Celexa, which I've used for years, and then starting from there again.
This is hell ... I feel like my life is effectively over, that I'm a vegetable unable to process a single complete thought without some intruding worry or obsession; I feel tired all the time.
For the record, 25 mg of Lamictal added to Celexa had given me some good one-to-two week respites from my depression, but it seems to have induced rapid cycling.
At this point I would prefer to be manic rather than depressed -- I've never had full-blown mania. I am about ready to scream at my pdocs to just give me another AD and quit obsessing that the mood stablizers are the only way to go. I feel almost like they're torturing me based on 'historical evidence'.
Oy, I ramble...
> Half-life varies gretly from person to person (hence "aggregate" in the previous post), anywhere from 14-48 hrs, with a few even outside that range. Still 25 mg is a very low dose, so you should be essentially free of it in a few days to a week.
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> Are you concerned with changing to another med/overlapping? My understanding is that Lamictal is one of the safest drugs in combination with other ADs -- with the important exceptions of valproate and some anti-seizure meds. For more info see lamictal.com or http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/lamotrigine.htm.
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> > The aggregate half-life of Lamictal is 26 hours. The total elimination time of any drug is dependent on your weight and metabolism, dosage of the drug and how long you have been taking it. So, it really depends, but 25 MG per day for three months should clear out quickly in my opinion. Can I ask why you are in such a hurray for it to clear out?
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poster:AMD
thread:345531
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040510/msgs/345803.html