Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 1110062

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getting off lamictal

Posted by rjlockhart37 on May 12, 2020, at 1:46:00

2012 i started lamictal, ove the years i bumped up to 400mg. This dose, well....i have say i grew adjusted to its mood stablizing effects, has slight anti-depressant like if you in a slump, it will pull you out of it, but if you mania it will pull you back down. But it's like lithium which only treats mania, it has some anti-depressant effects.

But i was thinking, lamictal changed my implusivness, i rerember before i was hyper, and more spontanous, lamictal is like a seroqalizing it, stablzing everything. Your stablizilized. Sometimes i wanna go back to my crazy self and but i rerember ebing off lamictal implusiveness was alot

Just wonder if i wiped out all the dose im on, i would go back to my self-pre2012

but not planning on it

 

Re: getting off lamictal

Posted by PeterMartin on May 12, 2020, at 9:58:18

In reply to getting off lamictal, posted by rjlockhart37 on May 12, 2020, at 1:46:00

I hear ya. I've been taking Lamictal since 2007. Generally between 100 and 200mg. At those dosages it's supposed to primarily prevent the lows which I feel it dose a great job of. Over 200 the stabilizing effect is supposed to kick in. I recently tried 300 and after having a few great days started to feel unmotivated/"vacant".

I've gone back to sleep 200 and will probably stay here.

It's a very difficult drug to stop IMHO. I read a pretty decent study that found it causes structural changes in the brain (one area increased in size/etc). Maybe that's why. I dunno but be sure to taper over a long period of you do decide to try coming off.

Maybe you could try talking to your doc about reducing the dose first? Shoot for 200 or 150 and see if you get more of your old personality back.

Just a thought.

Lamictal is a great medicine in my opinion. At the right dose it'll keep me from getting depressed w.o. causing the annoying sexual/at gaining sides ADs do. I'm probably on it for the longhaul....

 

Re: getting off lamictal

Posted by beckett2 on May 12, 2020, at 21:27:17

In reply to Re: getting off lamictal, posted by PeterMartin on May 12, 2020, at 9:58:18

>Maybe you could try talking to your doc about reducing the dose first? Shoot for 200 or 150 and see if you get more of your old personality back.

This is a good suggestion. Isn't it dangerous to stop taking an antiepileptic med?

rj, are you feeling too dull?

 

Re: getting off lamictal^^

Posted by beckett2 on May 12, 2020, at 21:28:36

In reply to Re: getting off lamictal, posted by beckett2 on May 12, 2020, at 21:27:17

^^ I meant to say stop w/o tapering.

 

Re: getting off lamictal^^

Posted by rjlockhart37 on May 17, 2020, at 0:17:12

In reply to Re: getting off lamictal^^, posted by beckett2 on May 12, 2020, at 21:28:36

lamital when i first started it, i didnt feel anything, until i got to 200mg. I did see some stability, or contentment in mood. I went to 300, i started noticing dullment, but mood swings, i had depression phase, so we went to 400...the first year it was very dulling, i almost had to pretent i was in another mood, to get out of it. Just dull, seroqulized, drug enforced mood baseline. We went back down to 200mg. I was having a drink, it made me depressed, very....i noticed if i took tablet 200 of lamictal it pulled me out of the slump. But we didnt move up to that, i started noticing i mainly had slumps, depression slumps, the prozac does work but i've taken it so long its inbedded into nuerotransmitter sites. If i went off it, it would be very difficult, depressed. We increased it to 400, so i take 1 tablet in morning, and then another at mid day, and it seroquelizes my mood. If im depressed it will pull me out of it, but - it made me less spontaneous, and less of free spirit mind i used to have, move fast, and fun times of being in a event, i would get intense and go fast, like adapt. Lamictal just keeps me at base, that's all. It reduced the impusive.

not sure if i could go down, because im adjusted, with what i've done online and stuff, lamictal helped but im alot less free spirited mind

its a risk, if i tried, because of mood baseline

 

Re: getting off lamictal^^

Posted by beckett2 on May 17, 2020, at 4:21:53

In reply to Re: getting off lamictal^^, posted by rjlockhart37 on May 17, 2020, at 0:17:12

This is hearsay, but over 200 mg doesn't gain much stability. When I took 250 mg, I did not see much benefit and now stay at 200 mg.

I think 400 mg might be dulling, but I'm not a doctor.

 

Re: getting off lamictal^^

Posted by rjlockhart37 on May 17, 2020, at 12:56:21

In reply to Re: getting off lamictal^^, posted by beckett2 on May 17, 2020, at 4:21:53

400 when i first upped the dose, it was dulling as hell, i hated it, we went baack down to 200. But i noticed ... one time drank alcohol, i was in bad slump, alcohol induced depression, i took a lamictal, i noticed my mood came out of it. So then later on, i noticed the same thing. But it was dulling as hell, i just....got adapted to it, its no longer dulling. I take a 200mg tablet in morning, then 200mg tablet later in the day, sometimes i don't take it, but if im in a slump, it does get me out of it. It does feel like an antidepressant, at all. It just ... moves the mood back to baseline. Rexulti, this new drug they released, add to antidepressant and increases its effects. Lamictal, its basically for mania and depressive eispides, only time i found it helpful when i had depressive episodes, brought me back to baseline. Lithium is better for mania, i've heard it has antidepressant effects, but more side effects.

i don't know...because if i don't take other tablet, later in the day, its like my system is expecting it, for mood stablization. I was free minded and fast, off lamictal, i still am but it stablizes mood, but no euphoria, it will bring it baseline.


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