![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 12 of 12. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Bekka H. on March 12, 2002, at 0:01:41
Hi Hattree, I haven't "seen" you in a while. I have some med questions for you, but I don't know whether you're still here at PB. I hope all is well with you.
Posted by Hattree on March 12, 2002, at 13:59:40
In reply to Hattree, Yoo-hoo, Where are you?, posted by Bekka H. on March 12, 2002, at 0:01:41
Hi Bekka,
I think on me its a sign of mental health when I check psychobabble fewer than thirty times a week. Clueless as ever, though. Ask away.
> Hi Hattree, I haven't "seen" you in a while. I have some med questions for you, but I don't know whether you're still here at PB. I hope all is well with you.
Posted by Bekka H. on March 12, 2002, at 16:46:38
In reply to Re: Hattree, Yoo-hoo, Where are you? » Bekka H., posted by Hattree on March 12, 2002, at 13:59:40
> Hi Bekka,
>
> I think on me its a sign of mental health when I check psychobabble fewer than thirty times a week. Clueless as ever, though. Ask away.
>
************************************************Hi Hattree,
Yes, that must be a good sign -- when you don't have to check in to PB as frequently anymore!
Well, my depression has gotten really bad. There might be a hormonal component to it since I notice that my PMS is significantly worse lately, but I'm probably going to go ahead and try a teensy tiny bit of Lamotrigine for starters. I'm very anxious about it since I have very sensitive skin and tend to get rashes from everything, but I'll just go to the ER if I get a rash. I am currently on a tiny bit of Dexedrine. I think you said you take only 7.5 mg once a day, right? When you started the Lamictal, did you stop the dex, or just continue with it as usual? Do you take Lamictal at night or during the day? You also said you were on Zoloft, a small amount. For some reason, I am unable to tolerate Dex plus Zoloft (I get high blood pressures, rapid heart rates and severe headaches), so I take a tiny bit of Celexa, which seems to have fewer drug-drug interactions for me. I think Celexa doesn't do anything good for me and maybe even makes me worse by counteracting some of the good things about Dex, but I need an antidepressant. Anyway, I'm just very anxious about trying the Lamictal, and I wanted to make contact with you since you are on a very similar drug regimen now (dex + ssri + Lamictal). I think my doctor is calling in the rx now, but I might wait until Friday to start it just in case I get a bad reaction, I'd prefer that it happens on the weekend. Well, if you have any advice to give to me, I'm open to your suggestions. Thanks so much.
Posted by Bekka H. on March 12, 2002, at 18:30:42
In reply to Re: Hattree, Yoo-hoo, Where are you? » Bekka H., posted by Hattree on March 12, 2002, at 13:59:40
P.S. Have you ever tried Adderall or Adderall XR instead of Dex? If so, what did you think of it?
Posted by Hattree on March 12, 2002, at 20:14:03
In reply to Re: Hattree, Yoo-hoo, Where are you?, posted by Bekka H. on March 12, 2002, at 16:46:38
Bekka, hi.
Sorry to hear you feel so crummy. I recommend blaming hormones wherever possible for as long as possible.
The nice thing about Lamictal is that the teensy bit you dare to add might just be enough to make a difference, and quickly. I noticed a difference at 12.5 mg within a day or two...nothing dramatic, but better is better. Not sure how common that is, but I'm fairly confident it wasn't just a placebo or lifting hormone effect.
If I stopped taking stimulants when I started Lamictal it was incidental and only for a few days (I don't remember). If anything, Lamictal helped me tolerate the stimulants. Some people get anxiety from Lamictal, and/or find it activating, but for me its pretty neutral on both counts. I don't feel anything except less depressed.
I take 25 at night and 25 in the morning...I think at first I was just taking it in the a.m.
I haven't taken Zoloft in the last week or so. I have come to think it probably isn't doing anything, though the last time I tried to come off it I got depressed and went back on but that may have been something else, so I'm trying again. I recently added Neurontin and want to unload something. Lamictal's anti-depressant benefits are better than any SSRI for me. (Celexa, in particular, did absoultely zero other than make me hate sex).
I don't know your dx...have you tried other mood stabilizers?
I have tried Adderall (not XR) and prefer Dex, mood-wise. The other stim I find most helpful is Phentermine (the diet pill half of Phen-fen...kind of sorry I missed that one).
Definitely keep me posted. Hope the Lamictal helps.
--Hat
Posted by Bekka H. on March 12, 2002, at 21:18:03
In reply to Re: Hattree, Yoo-hoo, Where are you?, posted by Hattree on March 12, 2002, at 20:14:03
Hi Hattree,
Thanks so much for your help. I will probably start it Friday or Saturday because if I have a bad reaction, I don't want to be out in public or at work.
My depression is unipolar (although I do have some seasonal variation -- worse in the winter, etc), but I've tried everything else, so I reached a point where I had a choice of augmenting with Lamictal or Topamax. According to a number of PB posts, Topamax seems to cause "dumbness" and "sudden stupidity," so I decided I'll try the Lamictal first. About six years ago, I tried Depakote in an attempt to augment Wellbutrin. I thought Depakote was horrible! My hair fell out in clumps and I got bruises and little pinpoint hemorrhages all over my body. I slept nearly all the time on Depakote, but I never felt rested. That bad experience with Depakote was one of several reasons that I've put up such a resistance to trying any other anticonvulsants.
Thank you so much again. I'll let you know what's going on. I'm interested to hear how you are without the Zoloft and with the Neurontin.
Posted by Hattree on March 13, 2002, at 9:04:20
In reply to Re: Hattree, Yoo-hoo, Where are you?, posted by Bekka H. on March 12, 2002, at 21:18:03
Hi Bekka,
I tried Topomax...titrated slowly and when I finally reached what seemed like a plausible effective dose I got WAY depressed.
I added Neurontin in the hope of deleting my sleeping pill (triazolam) hangovers. I've now managed several somewhat successful nights without it. Neurontin seems to let me sleep rather than making me sleepy. I find can take it in the daytime for anxiety. The nagging, low-level depression that was creeping back after months of lamictal-inspired remission has lessened. I think the benzo may have been the culprit.
So far so good w/o Zoloft. It would be pretty neat to replace one drug with two, and feel better.
Good luck again with your Lamictal trial this weekend. I'm beginning to think mood stabilizers are underutilized, and that SSRIs are way over-rated.
--hat
> Hi Hattree,
>
> Thanks so much for your help. I will probably start it Friday or Saturday because if I have a bad reaction, I don't want to be out in public or at work.
>
> My depression is unipolar (although I do have some seasonal variation -- worse in the winter, etc), but I've tried everything else, so I reached a point where I had a choice of augmenting with Lamictal or Topamax. According to a number of PB posts, Topamax seems to cause "dumbness" and "sudden stupidity," so I decided I'll try the Lamictal first. About six years ago, I tried Depakote in an attempt to augment Wellbutrin. I thought Depakote was horrible! My hair fell out in clumps and I got bruises and little pinpoint hemorrhages all over my body. I slept nearly all the time on Depakote, but I never felt rested. That bad experience with Depakote was one of several reasons that I've put up such a resistance to trying any other anticonvulsants.
>
> Thank you so much again. I'll let you know what's going on. I'm interested to hear how you are without the Zoloft and with the Neurontin.
Posted by Bekka H. on March 15, 2002, at 1:19:46
In reply to Re: Hattree, Yoo-hoo, Where are you? » Bekka H., posted by Hattree on March 13, 2002, at 9:04:20
Hi Hattree.
I have another question. . .Have you ever taken more than 7.5 milligrams of Dex with Lamictal? If so, what happened? Was it too stimulating?
Also, when you take your morning dose, do you take Dex and Lamictal together (that is, do you take them in the same gulp), or do you take them a few hours apart?
Have you had any significant adverse interactions when combining Lamictal with other drugs, either other antidepressants or anything else? For example, what if you got sick and had to take an antibiotic. Could you still take Lamictal with it?
Thanks again.
Bekka.
Posted by Hattree on March 16, 2002, at 16:18:10
In reply to Hattree - hi. More questions. . ., posted by Bekka H. on March 15, 2002, at 1:19:46
Hey Bekka, I was wondering how your Lamictal trial was going.
> I have another question. . .Have you ever taken more than 7.5 milligrams of Dex with Lamictal? If so, what happened? Was it too stimulating?
No, I don't notice that Lamictal has any effect that way. I just find 7.5 mg to be plenty. (For a long time I was able to get help from 2.5 mg, but thats just me.)
> Also, when you take your morning dose, do you take Dex and Lamictal together (that is, do you take them in the same gulp), or do you take them a few hours apart?
I take Lamictal with my coffee when I get up, and don't take a stimulant until the caffeine wears off.
> Have you had any significant adverse interactions when combining Lamictal with other drugs, either other antidepressants or anything else? For example, what if you got sick and had to take an antibiotic. Could you still take Lamictal with it?
>
I have taken Lamictal with antibiotics without incident...I haven't experienced any drug interactions at all and from what I understand there aren't many, other than depakote increasing the likelihood of the rash.Keep me posted.
Posted by Bekka H. on March 17, 2002, at 0:04:53
In reply to Re: Hattree - hi. More questions. . . » Bekka H., posted by Hattree on March 16, 2002, at 16:18:10
> Hey Bekka, I was wondering how your Lamictal trial was going.
***********************************************Hi Hattree,
Thank you for asking. Well, so far, so good. I was very apprehensive about starting Lamictal, but nothing terrible has happened. I'm always anxious before I start a new med because I've had some bad experiences in the past. I can't really make up my mind yet about it. At times, it seems to potentiate the stimulating effects of Dex, and at other times it does the opposite. I felt a little bit dizzy and my vision was a little blurred, but other than that I guess I'm OK.
I'm kind of curious about that new version of Adderal, Adderall XR, but I don't want to introduce more than one new variable at a time since I'm starting the Lamictal. If I try too many new things at once, I won't know what's doing what. I also found out that that new version of Celexa (it's called Cipralex in Europe, and it will be called Lexapro in the U.S.) is available in Europe. I posted some information about it further down on PB list. I thought about you when I heard about it because you said you'd had some problems with Zoloft lately and were trying to do without it. I know you said Celexa was no good for you. Cipralex/Lexapro/escitalopram is an isomer of Celexa/citalopram and is SUPPOSED to have fewer adverse effects. Whether or not it really does have fewer side effects remains to be seen. I'm kind of curious to try it, but again, I don't want to add anything else that's new until I can see what Lamictal is doing.
Thanks again for all your help regarding the Lamictal. I will definitely keep you posted!
Bekka
Posted by Bekka H. on March 18, 2002, at 22:05:01
In reply to Re: Hattree - hi. More questions. . . » Bekka H., posted by Hattree on March 16, 2002, at 16:18:10
Hi Hattree. You said that you noticed some beneficial effects from Lamictal even on a very low starting dose. How soon was it (or at what dose were you) before you began to notice a big change? I know I have to increase the dose very, very slowly to avoid the dangerous side effects, so I'm wondering how long I have to wait.
Thanks from impatient Bekka
Posted by Hattree on March 19, 2002, at 11:02:59
In reply to Re: Hattree - hi. More questions. . ., posted by Bekka H. on March 18, 2002, at 22:05:01
I think the change was almost immediate, though not dramatic. What has been remarkable for me was not that I felt suddenly great one day, but that I realized I had felt reasonably good for weeks on end...that my lows came and went more or less with recognizable causes and for seemingly sensible durations.
At the end of the first two weeks or so when I gave it up for awhile because of a rash that was probably poison ivy (maybe exacerbated by the lamictal) I noted that I had not had a bad day while I was on it. I went off, got depressed, went back on, got better.
No effect, so far, for you?
> Hi Hattree. You said that you noticed some beneficial effects from Lamictal even on a very low starting dose. How soon was it (or at what dose were you) before you began to notice a big change? I know I have to increase the dose very, very slowly to avoid the dangerous side effects, so I'm wondering how long I have to wait.
>
> Thanks from impatient Bekka
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.