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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by twinch42085 on September 10, 2007, at 19:12:18
Can lamictal cause anxiety? I take 100mg of lamictal and 4mg of risperdal. I have bad anxiety. Should I try a benzo? I am bipolar.
Posted by finelinebob on September 11, 2007, at 1:16:33
In reply to Anxiety and lamictal, posted by twinch42085 on September 10, 2007, at 19:12:18
> Can lamictal cause anxiety? I take 100mg of lamictal and 4mg of risperdal. I have bad anxiety. Should I try a benzo? I am bipolar.
I have the opposite effect with lamictal, then again YMMV and I'm not on risperdal. Bottom line is that if the med isn't working for you, it can mess you up in unintended ways.
Have you just started taking the lamictal? Have you been taking it and the anciety 'crept' up on you?
flb
Posted by twinch42085 on September 11, 2007, at 13:14:09
In reply to Re: Anxiety and lamictal, posted by finelinebob on September 11, 2007, at 1:16:33
I have been taking lamictal for 5 weeks now, and yes the anxiety suddenly appeared.
Posted by rina on September 11, 2007, at 19:08:49
In reply to Re: Anxiety and lamictal » finelinebob, posted by twinch42085 on September 11, 2007, at 13:14:09
I'm curious about something. First of all, I can only speak from my personal experience. Meds work different from one person to another. My qqn is do you take the lamictal in the morning or evening? I take it in the evening at 175mg,therefore it's working while I'm asleep. Now the risperdal was a different story for me. I had psychotic thoughts with a bit of anxiety because of the unusual psychotic thoughts, if that makes any sense. Hope this helps a bit. Good Luck!!
Posted by twinch42085 on September 11, 2007, at 20:05:03
In reply to Re: Anxiety and lamictal » twinch42085, posted by rina on September 11, 2007, at 19:08:49
I start taking 200mg tomorrow day.
Posted by fuzz54 on September 13, 2007, at 9:08:37
In reply to Re: Anxiety and lamictal » rina, posted by twinch42085 on September 11, 2007, at 20:05:03
I had a total reduction in anxiety on Lamictal. I think that's because it stabilized me so well. Anxiety is a symptom of many many things. The Lamictal might be the culprit, but the only way to tell is to keep taking it and find out.
Posted by fuzz54 on September 13, 2007, at 9:21:02
In reply to Re: Anxiety and lamictal » rina, posted by twinch42085 on September 11, 2007, at 20:05:03
And also, yes a benzo might be something to try if you have bad anxiety. Benzos allow me to have most of my full range of emotions with a significant reduction in anxiety. The lamictal got rid of my anxiety by limiting my range of emotions, although I wasn't a zombie or anything. Take your pick. Tolerance will sometimes develop to Benzos with extended use which you have to watch out for, but as far as I know the Lamictal doesn't have the same issue unless it poops out on you after a long period of taking it.
My advice is not to be afraid of giving Benzos a chance on your anxiety. Some people are afraid of them due to the possibility of addiction, but if you watch how much you take and only take as needed then you are usually fine. Klonopin is great for social anxiety but causes the most drowsiness out of all of the benzos in most cases. Xanax is great for generalized anxiety, but has a shorter half life which makes it a more habit forming benzo (although it is still a safe drug for the majority of people). In general I find that Klonopin calms me down in just about any situation. After taking it long enough (2 years now) I no longer get sleepy while on it, just relaxed.
Posted by Cloudydaze on September 14, 2007, at 22:32:58
In reply to Re: Anxiety and lamictal, posted by fuzz54 on September 13, 2007, at 9:21:02
Lamictal actually triggered a manic episode for me. When I went to see the pdoc the other day, I was twitching and sweating and talking really fast...
He added Abilify to my Lamictal, and I noticed a difference right away.
Usually my manic episodes are more anxious than energetic, but thats probably partially because i'm so damn tired all the time from my sleep disorder. It also didn't help that i hadnt slept in two weeks from the lamictal...
Posted by Tony P on September 18, 2007, at 23:38:26
In reply to Re: Anxiety and lamictal » rina, posted by twinch42085 on September 11, 2007, at 20:05:03
When I went on Lamictal a few years ago, going through the usual gradual upward titration of the dose, I got hit by a major anxiety attack when my dose reached 100 mg. It took some heavy doses of Clonazepam to get me through it, but a few months later I was off the Clonazepam and feeling quite OK on about 300 mg/day Lamictal and very little else.
So I suspect there may be an awkward transition period for this med, for some of us at least, at about the dose level you're at. Hang in there!
Tony
This is the end of the thread.
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