Posted by detroitpistons on May 31, 2006, at 16:11:58
In reply to Re: Lamictal and thinking, posted by urizenbrooklyn on May 31, 2006, at 14:38:44
I am truly happy any time I can help someone with some of the knowledge that I've gained through my hours upon hours of layman's research. There are people on this board that know more than I'll ever be able to comprehend.
Anyways, I forgot that you said this:
"I still have swings, but they're not as severe and I'm far less anxious."
Are you having normal day to day mood swings, or are you rapid cycling?
The reason I increased from 200 to 300 mg of Lamictal is because I still wasn't settled yet. I'd be depressed for a day, then up for a day. A better way to put it is that it was sort of a mixed state that would cycle between better and worse. That's why I went up to 300 mg and also raised my Effexor dose. I don't know if it was the Effexor or the Lamictal, but I felt a little better. I'm still feeling pretty hypomanic/anxious though, so it's not perfect.
Lamictal is supposedly good for rapid cycling and mixed states. However, Lamictal isn't considered a really good antimanic...That's why I think I'm still hypomanic. I should probably be adding something like Depakote or Seroquel.
Be prepared for the fact that you will probably have to tweak medications. Don't get discouraged if a medication stops working or doesn't work as well as it once did. For example, mood stabilizers will increase the time between episodes, but they won't eliminate episodes altogether. When you finally do start getting an episode, you'll have to switch meds. You want to be able to recognize the early warning signs of an episode so that it rarely becomes full blown.
You said you are 25. I'm 27. Every year I learn more and more about this illness(es) and I think that over time I'll be able to manage it better and better. I've learned a lot about myself. You should read "The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide: What You and Your Family Need to Know."
Keep us posted about the Lamictal increase.
Take care,
Marc
> Thank You for your thoughtful and helpful response.
>
> I think I can still benefit from the increased antidepressant aspects of the drug. I'm at a stressful point in my life. I'm about to travel around the world (literaly) in a month, and then I'm starting graduate school in September. Though this is exceedingly postive, it's stressful and my anxiety level has been high. What I'm hoping is that if I go up to 200mg now it doesn't mean I can't come back down to a lower dose later on in my life. This if my first experience with medication. Though I've exhibited bi-polar symptoms most of my life, in the past I've treated it with exercise and psychotherapy alone. The past few years have been especially tough, as I've had a string of personal and professional losses, and I've stopped exercising regularly. I needed something else, the manic periods stopped being fun, and intense anxiety emerged as a new symptom. I'm still young, I turn 25 in a week, and hope that with healthy living and self-monitoring I can use the meds as one tool amongst many. From what you say I could still benefit from this dose increase. I'll see how it goes for the next 2 weeks.
>
> > When I went to 300 mg, I did feel a positive effect. From what I understand, Lamictal's antidepressant effects don't get any better after 200 mg. However, the mood stabilization effects can continue to get better with increased doses, sometimes as high as 500 or 600 mg.
> >
> > If you feel OK on 100 mg, then just stick with that. When I was on 200 mg, I was still not well so that's why I went up. But if you're OK, then what's the point of going up?
> >
> > By the way, if your doctor asks why you don't want to go up and you tell him it's because you fear cognitive difficulties, he may not know what you're talking about. This isn't something that's talked about much as a side effect by anybody but the people who take it, like the people on this board. Not everyone may experience this side effect though, especially at a relatively low dose like 200 mg. People with epilepsy take much higher doses. I don't think I had this problem when I was at 200 mg. Again, only go up if you think you need to...Just my 2 pennies.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > > I'm on 100mg, and though I felt a significant change when I initially started I haven't felt any changes with subsequent dosage increases. I'm suppossed to start on 200mg tonight, but after reading this post I almost don't see the point. It's not that the Lamictal isn't working, it definetly has. All of my close friends and family have told me I seem more relaxed and in control. I still have swings, but they're not as severe and I'm far less anxious. Should I talk to my doctor about sticking with 100mg? I only have a two week prescription for the 200mg, should I just stick it out? These drugs are not a silver bullet; with psychotherapy and exercise I think I'll keep this disease at bay. I didn't expect the Lamictal to cure me, it's done enough already.
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>
poster:detroitpistons
thread:650415
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060530/msgs/651106.html