Shown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by AMD on May 10, 2004, at 19:27:07
How long does it take to get Lamictal out of one's system? (25 mg dose for three months)?
Posted by TMOTT on May 10, 2004, at 21:10:55
In reply to Lamictal out of system: how long?, posted by AMD on May 10, 2004, at 19:27:07
The aggregate half-life of Lamictal is 26 hours. The total elimination time of any drug is dependent on your weight and metabolism, dosage of the drug and how long you have been taking it. So, it really depends, but 25 MG per day for three months should clear out quickly in my opinion. Can I ask why you are in such a hurray for it to clear out?
Posted by Tony P on May 11, 2004, at 12:58:29
In reply to Re: Lamictal out of system: how long?, posted by TMOTT on May 10, 2004, at 21:10:55
Half-life varies gretly from person to person (hence "aggregate" in the previous post), anywhere from 14-48 hrs, with a few even outside that range. Still 25 mg is a very low dose, so you should be essentially free of it in a few days to a week.
Are you concerned with changing to another med/overlapping? My understanding is that Lamictal is one of the safest drugs in combination with other ADs -- with the important exceptions of valproate and some anti-seizure meds. For more info see lamictal.com or http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/lamotrigine.htm.
> The aggregate half-life of Lamictal is 26 hours. The total elimination time of any drug is dependent on your weight and metabolism, dosage of the drug and how long you have been taking it. So, it really depends, but 25 MG per day for three months should clear out quickly in my opinion. Can I ask why you are in such a hurray for it to clear out?
Posted by AMD on May 11, 2004, at 15:03:12
In reply to Re: Lamictal out of system: how long?, posted by Tony P on May 11, 2004, at 12:58:29
I'm worried because ever since I took a 2.5 mg of Zyprexa almost two weeks ago, I've felt horrible. I feel like I'm coming out of it, but I'm scared I lobotomized myself with that single pill. Have there ever been any cases of permanent brain damage from a single dose of an atypical AP? I can't concentrate! Until this weekend I had dry mouth, and felt dizzy. I'm still getting dizzy spells, but not as much.
To top it off, I tried quitting Lamictal, but two days into it I start feeling those AD-like withdrawal symptoms (which I've read shouldn't happen with Lamictal, but which I was definitely experiencing).
I am thinking about weening off all drugs except Celexa, which I've used for years, and then starting from there again.
This is hell ... I feel like my life is effectively over, that I'm a vegetable unable to process a single complete thought without some intruding worry or obsession; I feel tired all the time.
For the record, 25 mg of Lamictal added to Celexa had given me some good one-to-two week respites from my depression, but it seems to have induced rapid cycling.
At this point I would prefer to be manic rather than depressed -- I've never had full-blown mania. I am about ready to scream at my pdocs to just give me another AD and quit obsessing that the mood stablizers are the only way to go. I feel almost like they're torturing me based on 'historical evidence'.
Oy, I ramble...
> Half-life varies gretly from person to person (hence "aggregate" in the previous post), anywhere from 14-48 hrs, with a few even outside that range. Still 25 mg is a very low dose, so you should be essentially free of it in a few days to a week.
>
> Are you concerned with changing to another med/overlapping? My understanding is that Lamictal is one of the safest drugs in combination with other ADs -- with the important exceptions of valproate and some anti-seizure meds. For more info see lamictal.com or http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/lamotrigine.htm.
>
> > The aggregate half-life of Lamictal is 26 hours. The total elimination time of any drug is dependent on your weight and metabolism, dosage of the drug and how long you have been taking it. So, it really depends, but 25 MG per day for three months should clear out quickly in my opinion. Can I ask why you are in such a hurray for it to clear out?
>
>
Posted by Tony P on May 13, 2004, at 19:36:51
In reply to Re: Lamictal out of system: how long? » Tony P, posted by AMD on May 11, 2004, at 15:03:12
Zyprexa is said to have a half life anywhere from 21 to 54 hours, so perstence for a week or more is not impossible.
I'm not a pharmacolgist, but I think the risk of permanent damage after one dose or even a few days of the newer AP's is essentially non-existent. I know it can be frightening, but in reality you're far more likely to be struck by lightning or win the lottery, let alone be run over by a careless driver.
My pdoc says Lamictal has regular anti-anxiety properties as well as its major effects, so I'm not surprised if you experienced withdrawal symptoms cutting it suddenly. I don't know whether it hits the GABA receptors like Valium etc. One rule of thumb is to cut back as slowly as you stepped up.
Remember (my pdoc just reminded me!) that some of the confusion, memory problems and general haziness are also very typical symptoms of depression and/or anxiety.
I'm a rapid cycler too, especially when on AD or getting off meds, and probably BP 2/3. Believe me, you don't want a full-blown manic attack! Apart from being dangerous in a couple of obvious ways, my pdoc says recent evidence indicates that the more manic episodes you have, the worse your prognosis is for for recovery or good control.
Mind you, a bit of hypo-manic euphoria can feel pretty tempting - as long as you don't max out your credit card, or whatever your favourite thing to overdo is! I would rather feel a little too good than a little too bad - who wouldn't! - but they can both be risky for me as I then tend to try to self-medicate.
I am on 300 mg/day Lamictal and no other AD or stabilizer right now, but I have other meds (benzos, Zopiclone and OTC's) to wean off/detox from, so I won't really know how well it's working until I'm off the roller-coaster in a month or three. I feel pretty good most of the time at the moment, but tend to get hyper, scattered and compulsive - it's really early days off one med. for me so I'm trying not to project into the future. However, down the road, if I feel the depression coming back, or anhedonia (i.e. levelled out, but just no fun or joy in life), I may ask my doc about adding an A/D to the Lamictal, as you have done.
Celexa blew my mind the one time I briefly tried it on its own (this is classic BP3, as they are now starting to define it), but my pdoc recommended Effexor if the Lamictal wasn't working or sufficient by itself, and I have wondered myself about Wellbutrin with Lamictal - the dopamine effect of WB is a really good cure for the blues or the blahs for me, but by itself again I get the hypomania, insomnia and anxiety.
Tony
> I'm worried because ever since I took a 2.5 mg of Zyprexa almost two weeks ago, I've felt horrible. I feel like I'm coming out of it, but I'm scared I lobotomized myself with that single pill. Have there ever been any cases of permanent brain damage from a single dose of an atypical AP? I can't concentrate! Until this weekend I had dry mouth, and felt dizzy. I'm still getting dizzy spells, but not as much.
> [rest of thread snipped]
Posted by AMD on May 13, 2004, at 20:10:20
In reply to Re: Lamictal out of system: how long? » AMD, posted by Tony P on May 13, 2004, at 19:36:51
Celexa blew your mind? Is that good or bad?! :-)
Well, yesterday was by far my worst day in months -- I felt like I was having a depressive breakdown. Couldn't think, mind racing, very depressed.
I got home, and said screw it and took 100 mg of Lamictal -- and today my depression has definitely lifted a bit. In fact, I feel a /calmness/ I haven't felt in a long time. So perhaps quitting the Lamictal was a bad idea! I'm going to see about sticking to 100 mg and going from there.
Posted by Tony P on May 14, 2004, at 0:23:46
In reply to Re: Lamictal out of system: how long?, posted by AMD on May 13, 2004, at 20:10:20
100 mg of Lamictal was definitely where things started happening for me. Although I'm on 300 now, it'll probably be less when I get more stable.
Celexa was weird - I just don't react well to SSRI's, I think. I was put on half the normal starting dose (2.5 mg? I forget); I was already a bit anxious, and my anxiety level just went sky-high, couldn't concentrate, feelings of depersonalization, like I was watching someone else babbling, definitely NOT pleasant ... maybe if I'd been able to stick it out I would have been fine in a few days, but I started to get liver problems due to a conflict with another med., so I had to stop.
Cheers,
Tony
Posted by tmott on May 14, 2004, at 9:00:26
In reply to Re: Lamictal out of system: how long? » AMD, posted by Tony P on May 13, 2004, at 19:36:51
Tony, I do Wellbutrin with 200 of Lamictal and it works well for me. After several other tries (most SSRI's and Zyprexa) the Wellbutrin tends to put me in a balance. The insomnia is only for a breif peroid of time, and your pdoc would surely give you something to help with that initially. I haven't had any hypomania since I've been taking it either.
I had good results with Zyprea, but had a very severe depressive episode which scared my pdoc and he withdrew the Zyprexa thinking that may be it. Since then, I haven't. I kinda wish that I could try it again, because it helped so much with my compulsion and axiety.
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