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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Christ_empowered on July 26, 2011, at 22:02:55
I ordered my lamictal from my favorite Indian pharmacy and now I'm waiting for the package. I've been thinking; do you guys think it would be reasonable to maybe ramp up the dose of Lamictal (I'm supposed to titrate up to 200mgs, but I was thinking 400mgs, you know--max it out) and drop the Abilify, or at least reduce it?
I do hear voices sometimes, usually as part of a mood issue (usually the depressive/anxious end of things) and I have had psychotic dissociative mania. However, most of the time I'm either doing OK or depressed; mania really isn't a big problem for me.
I'm just worried that the Abilify, especially at my dose (30mgs!) will cause problems over the long haul. Lamictal seems so clean in comparison. I certainly don't want TD or tardive psychosis.
Any thoughts? I have a shrink appointment in about 2-3 weeks, so I'd like to have a game plan before the session.
Posted by Phillipa on July 27, 2011, at 0:29:38
In reply to Lamictal to replace Abilify?, posted by Christ_empowered on July 26, 2011, at 22:02:55
CE stick with you abilify as it's working don't mess it up. Phillipa
Posted by emmanuel98 on July 27, 2011, at 19:00:18
In reply to Lamictal to replace Abilify?, posted by Christ_empowered on July 26, 2011, at 22:02:55
Why not cut the abilify to 10mg? 30mg is a very high dose and it's not clear that there's any benefit above 10mg. Lamictal is a mood stabilizer that works mostly with people who have bp depression. It doesn't help at all with mania or psychosis. I tried it for depression and it did nothing for me. No se's also, so I found it pretty harmless, but pretty useless.
Posted by Christ_empowered on July 28, 2011, at 19:50:06
In reply to Re: Lamictal to replace Abilify?, posted by emmanuel98 on July 27, 2011, at 19:00:18
Something happens in my brain at 30mgs. My thoughts clear up. Its weird. Then again...I started taking 30mgs/day to treat an acute episode of mild psychosis, hyperkinesis, and agitation; I imagine that at this point, I'd be able to cut down (gradually) and still keep the psychosis under control.
What I'm thinking is that once the Lamictal is ramped up to the 200mgs target dose (btw--is that high?), I'll be able to lower the Abilify to 10-15mgs/day. Anticonvulsants usually have good effects on agitation, and Lamictal seems like it could get the job done without turning me into a zombie like Depakote+Abilify did.
Posted by emmanuel98 on July 28, 2011, at 21:11:38
In reply to Re: Lamictal to replace Abilify?, posted by Christ_empowered on July 28, 2011, at 19:50:06
200mg is the normal dose for lamictal.
This is the end of the thread.
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