Posted by Racer on September 11, 2008, at 16:53:14
In reply to Why? depressed---))) agitated/rage, no happy?, posted by bert99 on September 11, 2008, at 11:21:23
First, I'm sorry y'all are feeling so lousy. It's not fun.
SamK, I only included you in this to say that Provigil is not dopaminergic, as far as I've ever read. It is a good med, though. And I didn't understand if you are also having a downturn since dropping your AD, or if you were worried because of Bert99's experience? If it's the former, I'm sorry -- that does sound as though you could use an addition to your cocktail.
Now, Bert99, it worries me to hear that you're monkeying around with the Lamictal dose. Has the reason for the slow titration on Lamictal been explained to you? The SJS risk? It's far better to get and stay at a dose, and give it time to read steady state in your bloodstream, with any drug -- but it's particularly wise in the case of Lamictal. Aside from anything other reason -- the response you get once something reaches steady state is more likely to tell you something useful about your reaction to the medication. Going up and down a lot on most of these medications isn't all that productive in the long run.
That said, it may be that Lamictal is not for you. Some people here have mentioned irritability as an effect of this medication. It could be that you're one of those people who are going to get this reaction, and you'll have to decide if the benefits outweigh the adverse effects.
And your doctor's wrong about your dose being too low to make a "real" difference. 200mg is the shooting point to try for mood disorders, and some people here have reported that 150mg is their optimal dose. Just stick with any given dose for a few weeks, before making any more changes. You may not feel the effects for a while -- in lowering a dose, you may feel worse because of your underlying disorder, or you may be experiencing withdrawal.
Best luck. It's a horrible place to be, and I hope you find yourself on more solid footing soon.
poster:Racer
thread:851497
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080903/msgs/851542.html