Posted by mellow on January 14, 2011, at 19:13:08
In reply to Re: New to medication...Lamictal, Xanax, Ambien » Phillipa, posted by BetweenDreams81 on January 14, 2011, at 13:40:05
Lamictal worked fairly fast for me. I was in a bit of a different situation that you. Deffinitly some depression but also alot of erratic behavior, irritability and general hypomania. I calmed down, resumed employment and quit drinking fairly soon after starting Lamictal. I would be careful with Xanax. It has addictive qualities and can turn on you. Although anxiety reduction is slower in the beginning, clinical trials have shown that people on placebo in combo with psychotherapy beat out patients on benzos in the long run as far as over all anxiety reduction.
Ambien is pretty harmless. However don't be surprised if you find it stops working a few months down the line. I work in a
sleep disorders center and many of my patients complain that hypnotics eventually poop out.Lamictal may work. If it doesn't low dose lithium may be a next good move. Are you diagnosed bipolar. Lamictal does
have antidepressant effects however it is most commonly used in bipolar. I'm not sure if many docs are using it for plane jane depression.I hope you start feeling better. Stop by the Alternative board and try and maximize your non medical options. Even just a 45 minute walk around the neighborhood or simply getting on an elliptical machine at the gym for 30 minutes can release powerful endorphins. Eat tons of fruits and veggies and start
a simple supplement regiment. Many of us have been where you are.Good luck!
mellow
Bipolar II
Lamictal 100, Topamax 50, Risperdal 0.5, Cal/Mag with D3, Fish Oil, High Potency Multi"We're all just walking each other home." -Ram Dass
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