Posted by Bea K on April 5, 2008, at 23:06:17
In reply to Lamictal, posted by tallandhandsomeswife on April 2, 2008, at 10:08:36
I was perusing these boards and saw your post, and I couldnt help but make an account and answer it. So, be warned, I'm rediculously verbose, and not the best speller, but here we go:
I was really surprised to see that you're on 100mg of Lamictal at only three weeks of taking it. The current suggested titration advocated by the manufacturer in the Lamictal starter pack is 2 weeks at 25mg, 2 weeks at 50mg, and 1 week at 100mg. Some psychiatrists even start at 12.5 for two weeks before moving to 25mg.
As I understand it, the main side effect that people want to avoid is the extreamly serious Steven Johnson's rash. There are other side effects as well, including irritability, headaches, nausea, etc, that could be potentially avoided by titrating up your dose slowly.Lamictal can also cause an adverse reaction in patients that are on other medication that interfears with the way it works. You may want to make a list of all the medications you are on, including any vitamins and over the counter meds, and take it to your pharmacist to see if any of them could be causing the problem. Additionally, and your doctor may have told you this already, NEVER take Lamictal with a diet pill. That could be another possible reason for your reaction, as could any alchol usage in conjunction with Lamictal.
You didn't mention if you had been previously taking another mood stablizer or antidepressant, but if you were and you stopped it at the time you started Lamictal, your symptoms could be signs of withdrawl from another medication that you may have recently quit. There is also the possibility that another drug that you have been taking recently has not yet cleared your system (the half life of many psycotropic drugs is longer than you would think) and that drug may be interfearing with your Lamictal, or just now inducing withdrawal-like symptoms. If you decide to take the list to your pharmacist, I would include any drugs that you recently quit using.
I believe that if none of the above seem to apply to you, you are either:
1. having an adverse effect to the drug itself
OR
2. possibly entering into a hypomanic or manic mood swing, which could be either connected or unconnected with the Lamictal.Lamictal has been sometimes known to induce mania and rapid cycling in some patients, especially when titrated up too quickly. I, personally, was in a group therapy program with another patient who started Lamictal, got to her three week dosage of 50mg, and found that it caused her to become extreamely manic, impulsive, and agressive. It is by no means a common reaction, and I've met many, many people who never experianced that side effect, but it has happened.
I started taking Lamictal in November of 2007, and am currently on a dosage of 150mg which I take at night before sleep, for my diagnosis of Bipolar 2. I love my Lamictal. It cuts down on my over-all irritability, and allows me an ease with people and smoothness to my realtionships that I thought I had lost a long time ago when I started to experiance the onset of my Bipolar 2 (which had been mistakenly diagnosed as depression for 9 whole years.) It cuts down on the intensity of my mood swings, and while I do notice that I still have them, they are not nearly as intense. I used to be depressed all the time. I did not get the "happy mania," but instead got the dysphoric hypomanic mood swings. With the Lamictal, I am no longer constantly stuck in the "down" part of my moodchart, but instead find myself able to experiance happiness much more often than I have since the onset of my mood disorder. I believe that I am closer to a normal spectrum of emotions with the Lamictal.
As I understand it, mood disorders, and Bipolar disorders in specific, are often very, very difficult to diagnose and treat. Drugs do not at all work in the same way for mood disorders as they do for depression (mild, general, or situational). It may take you more than a few trys before you find what works for you. It's important to work closely with your psychiatrist to find what is right for you. I would reccomend tracking your moods in a journal so that you will be able to better see any trends that your drugs may be causing, and sharing that with your psychiatrist.
Which brings me to my next point. Bipolar (any type of) is not an easy diagnosis to make. It is often misdiagnosed, usually by psychiatrists mistaking it for depression (like in my case) but could also be diagnosed instead of another mood disorder, personality disorder, depression, or medical problem. Has your doctor rulled out thyroid problems? Have you have your blood checked for vitamin defficiencies? You may want to find another psychiatrist and ask for a second opinion.
I think that it would be a great idea to learn more about the disorder on your own as well, so that you can get more of a feeling for whether your symptoms really match or not. There are lots of good books and internet sites out there that can help you understand your disorder. Your psychatrist should be able to help you understand your condition, and help you find information on Bipolarism as well. If he/she is unable to, or impatient with it, then it's probably time to start looking for another one.
I believe that your mental health is the most important thing in your life. Unhealthy people simply cannot function as well as healthy people. They do not make as good of employees, friends, parents. I think that people need to focus on themselves before they can fully focus on others. Any and all time that you can afford to spend on seeking the best treatment available to you will be more than worth it in the end.
I have made huge changes in my life since my disorder was correctly diagnosed, and I began treatment. Currently, for me this means a select coctail of drugs, as well as a group and individual therapy commitment. I am continuing to work on my disorder and the problems that have been invited into my life because of it, and I am a stronger, happier person today because of this.
I wish you the best of luck in your own journey to deal with your disorder. It can be very, very difficult, but don't worry; you're going to get there!
poster:Bea K
thread:821157
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080330/msgs/821810.html